Brainstormer Prompt Generator

The original Brainstormer was created by concept artist Andrew Bosley while he was in art school at SJSU, studying visual development and illustration. As Andrew describes it, ”I was always trying to give myself little concept projects to keep myself sharp and thinking. So I created a list of objects, persons, things, etc. and a list of styles, adjectives, etc. These very large lists were in the back of my very first Moleskine (an address book used as a sketchbook). The idea was to combine an object or person with a style or adjective (ex. Byzantine submarine or subterranean factory) to create unique and interesting combinations to concept out and illustrate.”

Even in this crude form, the Brainstormer was a useful fuel for generating sketch concepts. But Andrew wanted something more sophisticed, more tactile. During a lull in freelance work, he designed an elegant and evocative cover for it and turned it into an actual, physical pinwheel. He also added the innermost wheel: “I wanted to add greater depth to the combinations”, Andrew recalls, “Sometimes I would want to create an actual illustration from the designs it inspired. But I needed a story if the illustration was going to be interesting. So this new ring of conflict was a way of adding context to the concepts that came from the Brainstormer.”

People loved spinning the wheels and generating ideas with the Brainstormer, and demanded a digital version. With the help of a good friend and co-worker, John Michel, the web version of the Brainstormer was created.