Crazy 8s Sketching
Time for the team building activity: 10–12 minutes
Setup effort: Very easy
Estimated cost: Free
Business value: Encourages rapid idea exploration, strengthens creative confidence, and accelerates ideation during team building activities
What is Crazy 8s Sketching?
Crazy 8s Sketching is a fast-paced creativity technique used in design thinking and innovation sessions. Participants fold a sheet of paper into eight sections and sketch eight different ideas in eight minutes. The ideas respond to a challenge such as designing a product feature, improving the workplace environment, reimagining a customer experience, or inventing a new service concept. Because participants create one sketch per minute, the exercise pushes them to explore multiple directions instead of getting stuck on a single “best” idea. The goal is variety, not polished drawings.
How do you play Crazy 8s Sketching?
Give each participant a sheet of paper and ask them to fold it into eight equal rectangles. Present a challenge (for example: “Design eight different ways to improve collaboration in the workplace.”). Explain the rules: one idea per rectangle, about one minute per sketch, and sketches can be rough. Start an 8-minute timer. After time is up, participants share their most interesting sketches, then discuss which ideas have potential.
Why it’s great for a team
Crazy 8s helps teams push past their first idea and explore a wider solution space. It reinforces speed over perfection, builds creative confidence (“I can generate lots of options”), and creates strong collaborative inspiration when people share sketches and spark new angles for each other. The visual format also makes it easier for non-verbal thinkers to contribute.
How to organize it effectively
Choose open-ended, visual challenges suitable for sketching (meeting room redesign, app feature concepts, service experience improvements). Encourage simple shapes and labels rather than detailed drawings. After sharing, debrief with: Which idea surprised you most? Were later sketches more original than the first ones? How did seeing others’ sketches influence your thinking? When facilitated well, Crazy 8s Sketching is an energizing team building activity that accelerates ideation and creative momentum.