Gavin Ambrose & Mr Neil Leonard 
Basics Graphic Design 03: Idea Generation [PDF ebook] 

Successful visual outcomes can only be arrived at through the generation of great ideas, driven by research that will ultimately provide the designer with a range of potential design solutions.
Basics Graphic Design 03: Idea Generation explores the different ways in which the designer can generate ideas. Consideration is given to audience, context and materials as well as to the many levels of idea generation, from the macro to the micro, from brainstorming to more focused, selective and strategic systems.