01-11-17 - Tumblr blog

[01-11-17]

This is what I hope to achieve with my self visual identity, an application of logo and VI on different mediums. 

『にっぽんおじさん博物館（Nippon Oji-Sun Museum）』

日本の歴史はおじさんの歴史。『にっぽんおじさん博物館（Nippon Oji-Sun Museum）』のアートディレクション。

The history of Japan made by Japanese men called “Oji-sun”. This is the art direction of “Nippon Oji-Sun Museum”.

2017.08.23

acrylgouache, illustrator, digital printing

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Persona research + identified target groups + content strategy. 

I think this is a good example of how someone would use nathan who? for  design solutions. 

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Some iterations. 

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Mood Board for design. Some things I like. 

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PROJECT 2 Design a Personal, Professional Brand Identity and Basic Communications Design for this.

Outcomes will consist of (AT LEAST!)

1. A Design Brief

2. Define Target Audiences and User Scenarios

3. An Overall Content Strategy including colour palatte,

4. A Name (either your own or a company name)

5. A Business Card Design

6. A Logo

7. A Wesbite/App Mockup

9. A PDF document demonstrating the design processes, mock ups, font choices, target audience, response to the brief,

To Summarise: For BOTH PROJECTS students will complete the following

1. Create a research and development blog the consists of readings, research and development and all documentation 2. A PDF version of this that would be presented to the client along with project outcomes (separately for project 1 and 1) 3. A Mockup Website for the project 4. All specific Project outcomes (4 posters for project 1 for example) 5. Well researched user scenarios and briefs for both projects

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Creative Design Brief; Project two. 

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Various grid / layout ideas with map. 

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Exploring mapping techniques and concepts. 

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These were my first ideas for communicating the Pong event, without consideration to how each topic could be communicated. 

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Creative Design Brief 1. 

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Research of grid developments and application. 

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Visual research. 

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Thoughts on design process, by Nathan James Tee. 

What we do is called Design. Design is compressed evolution We do it by applying ‘Design Process’. The process must be iterative. It converges towards the ‘best’ solution.

Experienced practitioners are able to take some of the steps subconsciously

Purpose of design

Before I begin to identify the different design process models, I want to put ‘design’ into context and explain the importance of design in modern society. Understanding the artificial world is also important to recognise that it only exist through man-made objects that have been created for a specific purpose; improvement. Design is not a fixed solution or permanent change, “everyone design who devises courses of action at changing existing situation into preferred ones” (Simon, 1969, page 55). This statement suggests that design is influenced by the opportunity of an optimal alternative, based on the situation and circumstances. Again, Simon suggests that with the creation of artefacts, design is “concerned with how things ought to be” (Simon, 1969, page 59). If we view ‘design’ as a possible opportunity that is concerned with changing the existing situation into a preferred one, then we begin to understand the stages involved to develop the conceptual ideas of design.

Creative process

There are many ideas about the creative drive that occurs during the design process, as Boden explains “creativity itself is seemingly a mystery” (Boden, 1990, page 1) but also “the ability to generate ideas or artefacts that are new, surprising and valuable” (Boden, 2004, page 1). Boden distinguishes romantic from non-romantic creativity as “intuitive” and “a gift that can be squandered but cannot by acquired or taugh” (Boden, 2004, page 15).

The relevance of this understanding on creativity is useful when observing different design process models as romantic creativity, similarly to P-creativity, allows the designer to develop ideas subconsciously.

Design process research:

Research of design process began approximately fifty years ago to provide psychologist and scientist an understanding of activities related to decision making (Parsaee, 2015, page 1). Design process allows a comprehensive assessment of each stage during the development, which can eliminate reoccurring problems. Accoding the Parsaee, (2015) design process can offer an optimum and efficient process based on analytical assessment. 

Henri Poincare identified five key stages in creative thinking process as insight, preparation, incubation, illumination and verification (Dickinson, 2017).

This model was supported by Graham Wallas and broken into four stages of creative process: Preparation, Incubation, Illumination and Verification. Wallas identified the ‘conscious’ and ‘non-conscious’ stages of the creative process model in the ‘incubation’ and ‘illumination’ stages. As Wallas explained “we do not voluntarily or consciously think on a particular problem (Wallas, 1926, p. 86), rather, as supported by Herman Helmholtz, “I have often been in the unpleasant position of having to wait for lucky ideas” (Helmholtz, 1995, page 389). This suggests that during the incubation stage, often preceding a period of conscious work, creative ideas are developed. This supports Boden’s theory that creativity can be generated subconsciously, allowing optimal solutions to surface during the illumination stage.

Wallas’ four stage model was based on “creative thinking can be delineated” and also, Henri Poincare’s previous work on the same model of creative process. Wallas’ four stage model can be broken down into conscious states as conscious, fringe conscious and non-conscious. Part one “preparation” begins in the consciousness state, while the incubation state occurs in the non-conscious state.

Stage one: Preparation. The first part of the process, known as Preparation. This is considered the beginning of the process. The preparation stage is spent collecting information with conscious thought, which includes logic, mathematics, experimental and observational sciences (Sadler-Smith, 2015, page 345). As Michelle supports, anything that can help towards solving the problem (2016).

Stage two: Incubation. The Incubation stage is explained by Wallas to “not voluntarily or consciously think on a particular problem” (Wallas, 1926, page. 86). This allows the designer to digest all the material that was previous gathered in the preparation stage and facilitate the Illumination stage. This stage of non-conscious state supports Boden’s theory of P-creativity; as creativity can be generated sub-consciously.

Stage three: Illumination. The third stage in Wallas’ model known as the Illumination observes the appearance of the “Happy Idea” (Wallas, 1926, page. 86). Wallas explored and wrote extensively about the ‘fringe consciousness’ that explores the link between Incubation and Illumination. Poincare also referred to the Illumination stage “the second period of conscious work” (Sadler-Smith, 2015, page 345).

Stage four: Verification. The forth stage of the process verifies the results or ideas from the Illumination stage. This is the final conscious stage in the process and resembles the Preparation stage, as both stages are under conscious control. 

As for my own process, there are a many variables involved in my own process of creativity and design. The purpose of the design will determine how I approach the project. The purpose and importance of the design will demand either a high amount or low amount of urgency, depending on allocated time, deadline and significance of project. 

The first stage of my design process is spent receiving information about the project and identify the fundamental problems which require a solution to be designed. I have a consistent approach for university assessment work that allows me to discuss any initial concerns. This process allows myself to understand the brief before I begin any part of the assessment. This stage is where I prepare myself mentally and develop concepts that identify the problem. I tend to read-over and clarify any uncertainties about the project.

The second stage is spent not thinking about the project. This stage allows my ideas to develop subconsciously while I am able to work on other projects from other courses. This can be related to Wallas’ Incubation phase where my “mind walks away” (Michelle, 2016). 

The third stage in my design process is spent developing conceptual ideas and iteration. This stage is imperative to developing the best solution for the project by freely discussing my ideas and documenting my progress. I find that this stage in my process is important to developing the most successful option, however when restricted in time, I do not have the freedom to explore all my options through iteration. I feel like I have to get rid of all the bad ideas and design concepts to continue and be successful with the project.

The forth stage in my design process is spent researching the contextual meanings and reviewing iterations in stage three. I find that by reviewing the brief throughout the process of completing the project can be helpful and keep the project on track. I also strive to have a strong understanding of the contexts and purpose of the brief. It is possible to overlook key parts of a brief if only viewed once. 

For the fifth and final stage, I repeat stage three and develop my iterations as far as I think they can. This pattern of stage two and three of unconscious time away from the project and developing new ideas depends on how long I have 

The fifth stage of my design process is spent repeating stage two and three until I cannot explore any new or better iterations. This pattern of repeating stage two, spending time away, not not thinking about about the project depends on the amount of time I have to complete the project. If I think the design is developed and I have explored other opportunities. 

The sixth and final stage is spent refining, editing and preparing the object to be presented or submitted. 

References:

Boden, M, 1990, The Creative Mind: Myths and Mechanisms, Basic Books, Great Britain. 

Parsaee, M, Motealleh, P, Parva, M, 2015, Interactive Architectural Approach (Interactive Architecture): An Effective and Adaptive Process for Architectural Design, Vol. 4, No. 1, Architectural Engineering Technology, Iran. 

Plsek, P, 1996, Working Paper: Models for the Creative Process, Directed Creativity, http://www.directedcreativity.com/pages/WPModels.html#RossmanRef Date accessed: 05/04/17

Simon, H, 1969, The Sciences of the Artificial, The M.I.T Press, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 

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Visual research; Josef müller-Brockman, Franco Grignori. 

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Visual research. 

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Typographic Systems, by Kimberly Elam.

This book helped me understand typographic organization, such as typographic grid, typographic hierarchy, text flow, legibility and contrast. This book outlines and exemplifies random grid structures, modular, radial, bilateral grid systems. These structures are outline in theoretical contexts and examples.

This book is fundamental to understanding successful visual communication and the correct application of typography and grid. These delicate combinations are difficult to apply correctly with the contexts of typography and specified grid, however, understanding space and how negative space utilise and emphasises design are imperative to good design.

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The Image Matrix

"Analog is having a burial and digital is dancing on its grave"

I read this article then looked into Arthur Kroker’s background and I was not surprised to learn that Arthur specialises in political sciences.

I understand all images are created by humans and also artificial, with no consideration to whether images are created analogue or digital. Images are translated through various forms by specific coding but within this realm Arthur explains how the “Image Matrix” influences or penetrates imagination.

I feel like this article explores some critical and philosophical areas of images; saving the image for the future. There some areas of this journal article which I did not understand the origins or contexts, such as “It is as if those torrents of words spilled in the decade leading up to the end of the 20th century, those anti-words that stormed the icons of representationality, that spoke of the hyperreality of a coming structuralist reality, finally found their moment of historical truth, not in the echoes of written language but in the language of the disappearance of the image,” however I hope to discuss this article with my colleagues.