Wednesday 28th September 2011
Today we got right into discussing different way we go about designing.
Group Exercise – DISCUSSION
Moving On
Discuss these questions in relation to a group creating a design in collaboration
01 – Have you had to abandon any exhibition design concepts so far?
Yes I wanted to design a fridge coffee table and then decided to design an esky coffee table before I stuck with an irrigation style.
02 – If so, was it hard?
It was hard in a sense of not achieving my initial goal of designing it but it was easy to accept that to design something simple first would be more beneficial due to time and budget restraints.
03 – Do you think it is easy to miss a better idea if it is not the first one?
I think you should always hold on to those ideas somewhere in your mind where maybe they can manifest to fruition when the time is right.
04 – Do you have any techniques for creating unpredictable ideas?
Sweeping or mundane tasks tend to inspire the clearest of ideas for me as my mind wanders from the task at hand.
05 – Is logic the best way to attack a design problem?
It is but not totally. Sometimes logic is only based on what we already know. What we don’t know or stumble upon by accident can become the success of being illogical.
06 – What other problem solving methods could work?
- Asking an expert in a certain field
- Drafting plans and building prototypes
- Asking a design education facility to come up with ideas for your project and have a prize and/or recognition for the best solution or interpretation.
07 – Do you ever doubt your design decisions?
There is always an element of doubt. This is healthy as long as you can push through this and see your idea working no matter how you go about it.
08 – Do you ever consciously put on “another hat” to get inspiration?
Always. It is important to look at your work from every angle because in the real world your design will be under the highest scrutiny.
09 – Describe somebody opposite to you in relation to his or her design approach?
I like to draw out plans first with an idea in my head. My brother likes to have an idea in his head and jump straight into making it.
10 – Could you imagine designing like them?
Yes I like how there is no procrastination in drawing however I like to see things clearly on paper so I know it is going to work. Nine times out of ten my brother will be right but I like to make sure everything looks right before proceeding.
Blog Exercise – Encouraging Solutions
In regard to creative collaboration:
Discuss these questions - write a paragraph on each and use examples
1 . Describe how you have contributed to design solutions for other group members
Last semester, one of my classmates Maha incorporated a squirrel into her Absolut Vodka advertisement to emphasise the season of spring. I suggested that she photoshop the tail of the squirrel to wrap around the vodka bottle to make the image look more embedded an attain character.
2. Describe how you have challenged designs by other students in your group
Josie uses a lot of black & white in her designs. I repcect that this is her style yet because we are learning graphic design I encourage her to embrace colour and play around with it to widen her skillset.
3. Are you flexible when others suggest design improvements / changes?
Yes because they are seeing my work from a different perspective. They symbolise an audience who will be critical so I value their input. They may have extra skills I can learn from as well.
4. Choose a design that group input has changed radically. Post before & after images.
MB Irrigation Logo Design
Before
Reference (Image above): WB MB Irrigation Draft 1.jpg
After
Reference (Image above): WB MB Irrigation Draft 2.jpg
5. Describe the process of shifting the design solution radically.
When I presented the “before’ to the class they were initially happy with the design but Mark the lecturer suggested using one sprinkler head as a whole frame so the audience knows exactly what the company is about. Therefor I blew up the image of the sprinkler head and placed the name inside it, changing the font and colour scheme. The blue and green symbolise sky and grass. The “after” logo is not successful in becoming a final logo but successful in exploring another avenue of design ideas and inspiration.
After..The After
Reference (Image above): WB MB Irrigation Draft 3.jpg
The suggestion of radical change from before to after spiked another radical change to my own revamp of something simple and effective. I changed my mind from the traditional square badge style and played around with words and pictures. Mark suggested using green grass instead of the horizontal black pipe could nail this logo.
YouTube Clip
Autistic Artist
Commentary
This is an amazing video about a person that finds it very hard to communicate socially, but put him in a helicopter above the vast city of Rome and re-create it into a drawing with amazing accuracy in the 3 days following. Everyone has a different way of interpreting. Autism has unfortunate social dyslexia but can create super humans with amazing memory retainment capabilities.
Reflection
I liked today’s class in the way it challenges us to look at new ways in how we can go about designing. I would like to challenge the process in which I design. I tend to procrastinate a fair bit so actually jumping in head first on some things may be a great way to begin and then fix up any problem down the track. This will be the most effective in design programs where your work can easily be altered. It’s not so easy in the practical sense where prototypes take time to build and change.
