  We investigate using generated decorative art as a source of inspiration for
design tasks. Using a visual similarity search for image retrieval, the
\emph{Camera Obscurer} app enables rapid searching of tens of thousands of
generated abstract images of various types. The seed for a visual similarity
search is a given image, and the retrieved generated images share some visual
similarity with the seed. Implemented in a hand-held device, the app empowers
users to use photos of their surroundings to search through the archive of
generated images and other image archives. Being abstract in nature, the
retrieved images supplement the seed image rather than replace it, providing
different visual stimuli including shapes, colours, textures and
juxtapositions, in addition to affording their own interpretations. This
approach can therefore be used to provide inspiration for a design task, with
the abstract images suggesting new ideas that might give direction to a graphic
design project. We describe a crowdsourcing experiment with the app to estimate
user confidence in retrieved images, and we describe a pilot study where Camera
Obscurer provided inspiration for a design task. These experiments have enabled
us to describe future improvements, and to begin to understand sources of
visual inspiration for design tasks.
