How to Build a Swipe File

The swipe file is the secret to the success of many copywriters. Being able to look back at good work from others is a great way to shake loose new ideas of your own. A swipe file is a collection of advertising, stories, ideas or art that caught your attention and made you believe it might someday inspire a idea of your own.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Start a file either on the computer or in a file cabinet and organize it in a way the works for you. If you prefer to keep everything electronically, just scan in magazine articles and pictures or print out online material if you prefer to keep a physical file.
2. Define what kind of items you need to collect in your swipe file. A copywriter is going to have different needs than a website designer. Carry a digital camera so you can take quick shots of architecture, people or anything that you think might one day get those creative juices flowing.
3. Collect more than you think you will need. The day you pull out your swipe file, you never know what will spark your next great idea. The very act of adding to your swipe file on a regular basis keeps fresh thoughts and images in your mind. In the simplest terms, more is better.
4. Subscribe to magazines and read books that are dedicated to great writing or art and spend a little time looking in places unrelated to your field of work. That motorcycle fan magazine may be hiding something completely unexpected.
5. Use your swipe file when writer's block sets in or you just need a little help polishing off a design element. Open it up and flip through the pages, absorb the images and text and in no time, the answer will come to you.