Idea Management

As creative types, we often have "inspiration" come to us in ways that simply aren't relevant to the projects we are currently working on. I tend to get ideas about icons or logos while playing video games, but those ideas rarely have practical application in terms of my current project load. So, if I am lucky enough to remember the idea when an appropriate project comes up, I'm excited about it. However, most often, I completely forget this moments of "genius" and lose the idea.

Recently, through the Accidental Creative podcast #71 (great listen if you haven't heard it already), I was introduced to a program called DEVONthink. The concept is rather simple - create a database that stores just about anything in it, and equip it with keywords and a powerful search function. I love the concept because it doesn't require me to leave my "creative state" to create file folders and figure out my file structure for ideas. I can simply enter my idea, attach some keywords like "stock photography idea, design inspiration, branding, church marketing, etc'. This then makes for some powerful search results. I can search "stock photo idea" and come up with an interesting combination of thought processes that can yield yet another idea. Very cool.

So, the point of this post is not to plug any one solution specifically, or even to provide an in depth review the options. Rather, it is simply focused on informing you of the different types of software out there as each caters to a different bunch. Here is a brief breakdown, but with some simple research you can find which software meets your needs best. Also, there may be a few others that I am not aware of, so feel free to mention/link them in the comments.

Yojimbo - $39
Yojimbo is my personal preference for a few reasons. It is cheap and simple. It is not as robust as many of the options you will find (noticeably lacking video/audio support), but it does everything I need it to. The price tag and my limited needs make this my best option. I will say that .mac is the only reason I choose this over Journlr.

DevonTHINK - Office Pro $139, Pro $79, Personal $39
I don't know the differences in the feature sets, but as I tried out Office Pro, it was by far the most robust of the idea management type software solutions. It sounds like it has some great features, it syncs with .mac if that is a desire, and it sounds like it has the most powerful search.

Journlr - Office $25, Personal $10 donation
I really liked Journlr, and would choose it as my solution if only it had .mac support. They have nice media support, and a clean interface (though to be fair, most of the programs look exactly the same). Not a bad option if you only have one machine that you anticipate using it on. The software also has blogging built into it. It also sounds like it has great features designed specifically for writers. Worth a look.

SoHoNotes - $39.95
SoHoNotes almost sold me. It has a large amount of powerful features, but is packaged in a way that keeps it from feeling too overwhelming. The only issue I had (as well as a good friend of mine) is that the software didn't work. We had issues with menus blurring together and the software crashing often. Not sure if that demo is indicative of the actual performance of the purchased product, but this software is worth a look assuming the stability issues are solved.

With all of these products, you will see a ton of overlap. They are all designed to to basically the same thing. Where they vary is in the forms of media they support, their effectiveness of search, and some extra features like blogging and .mac sync. Overall, all of these software solutions are a great way to consolidate much of your information in a way that is easy to find later.