Marching down the parade square, the commander of the drill barks out to the troops: ‘Use your peripheral vision!’

To maintain a formation while marching, soldiers must maintain their heads facing straight forward, and rely upon their peripheral vision - eyes straining to the left and right, seeing from the extent of their sight - to line up with the soldiers next to them.

While each individual soldier is a component to the overall formation, they must know how their individual position reflects upon the whole group.

The method of using peripheral vision can be applied in a design context - along with other creative fields - both literally and metaphorically. The periphery is where the manifestation of innovative ideas take place.