Hugh Dubberly’s ‘How Do You Design?’ is a meeting ground for thoughts on details in process with the assumption that processes determine the quality of products and to improve the quality of products and encouraging the culture of re-design, we also need to improve the way we design. Which is why design process is so important.

This has by itself, been a huge learning for me. Over the years of continually doing client assignments, I ceased to challenge myself any further than meeting the requirements of the clients. I would, of course, follow process, however, this would be a simplified format, following the path of least resistance. During the course of the Units in this Semester for both courses, I have come to realize how important it is to be innovative with process in order to be innovative with the outcome.

While going through the material in this book, I observed that while all processes basically have the similar components of input-process-output, it was the analysis/synthesis of the input and process that leads to the output. And it is the analysis/synthesis steps  that I need to include in my process depending on the kind of assignment I am handling. Within analysis/synthesis there are more steps that can be added in order to shed light on and give clarity to the direction where the project is headed. For example, like how it is explained in the ‘Expanding the Two-Step Process’ after Don Kober and Jim Bagnall (1972) where they add the following :

Analyse-define-ideate-select-implement-accept and then again analyse-define-ideate-select-implement-evaluate-synthesise.

When one considers the Dynamics of Divergence and Convergence after Bela H. Banathy (1996) it analyses boundaries, design options, core values and core ideas before converging by making choices.

Or when one considers Decomposition and Recombination after VDI 2221 (from Cross 1990) where the problem is analysed by breaking it down to its basics before rebuilding the synthesis of the solution.

Then when one looks at Academic models of processes across different streams, one realizes that processes whether simple or complex given the number of steps involved, more or less follows the similar premise of diagramming the process.

Design-Build-Test after Alice Agogino for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab is an interesting example of building into the simple three steps with further deeper analysis.

I found the Eight Phases of a Project interesting

1. Project Initiation
2. Wild Enthusiasm
3. Disillusionment
4. Chaos
5. Search for the Guilty
6. Punishment of the Innocent
7. Promotion of Non Participants
8. Definition of Requirements

Many times I have fallen into the same trap of step 2, 3, 4. Finding myself frustrated, disenchanted before being able to work through the problem. Sometimes the clients come in the way of processes as just when one thinks one has cracked it, along comes the client with a requirement or an addition or omission, which changes the course of the process.

I do realize the importance of process and also, that I need to add more levels of complexity depending on the project at hand, to the input-analysis-synthesis-output. It helps breakdown information on hand, and create alternate patterns to come up with a synthesis that ultimately provides an output.

When I watched Kelli Anderson’s TED Talk where she speaks of disruptive wonder, along with the examples of the work that she showed, what struck me was that the ideas were so very simple. The medium did not resort to using a complicated method to achieve the outcome but however, using simple techniques and a conceptual approach, the outcome presented a disruptive wonder. Aptly named so, as it was a disruption that was produced spank in the middle of an otherwise seemingly conventional approach. The ‘wonder’ in the ideas presented were further proof of the possible positive outcome of this method of design thinking.

Disruptive wonder is perhaps not a new idea as when one sees a well-solved, well-conceptualised logo or symbol perhaps, there is the whole process of disruptive wonder that is introduced in a typeface for the logo to create an extraordinary outcome from an otherwise ordinary typeface. Or a simple twist in an illustration goes on to create a disruptive wonder in the final visual outcome. To apply this method to larger concepts of entire design projects produces surprising results, successfully achieving an interaction with the outcome that is filled with wonderment.

It would be fun to apply this method of thinking to all kinds of different design assignments. I do wonder, though, whether even if I followed process work, even if I worked hand in hand with a team, would we come up with similar brilliant outcome/s? Or are Kelli Anderson’s works strokes of a genius, one that cannot be replicated? I do agree that it is a method of approach, thinking and solution that offers wonderful results. My point is that in trying to replicate a process of disruptive wonder not everyone may yield results as successfully as Kelli Andersons’ attempts.

While I have been aware of the concept of flow, I did not know that it was also referred to as flow. I have known of it in the context of losing oneself in something that one is intensely involved in.

I experience flow, more so now than ever before. I tend to do only what I like to do, as far as is possible. And this makes it easy to lose myself in the ‘flow’ of things. Complete immersion. It leaves me with a sense of deep satisfaction. And I don’t even need for the outcome of what I am doing to be necessarily fruitful. It could be an intense interaction with an article that I find engaging. Or a problem that I am trying to work my way through. It’s a very meditative process. Gautama Buddha has said that the mind is a monkey. To calm the mind and concentrate is meditative.

Concentrated, effortless concentration, I believe, comes only when one loves what one is doing and is completely immersed in the interaction.

Creative Process

Attached above is the link to the diagram which details the Creative Process followed

when creating the direction, content for the thesis.

CREATIVE PROCESS FOR THE THESIS

The Creative Process for the Thesis followed, what I considered, a thorough detailed process which was systematic in helping me to understand the importance of a logical sequence leading up to the final thesis write-up. It honestly makes life amazingly simple when one is taken through the detailed process and made to break down the steps to help create the content and also, at the same time, validate the reference materials and citations. Alongside this thorough process, there is constant peer and faculty review, which eases the process of creating content and writing the final paper.

This detailed process of analysis also helps to find areas that one may have missed out on, or find aspects of the subject that one had never thought existed earlier.

PERSONAL DESIGN APPROACH

I have, for the many years that I was freelancing, been used to working on my own. There was a time when I thought that that was a good way to work as there was less intrusion. However, what I realized over time, is that less intrusion also meant less interaction and that I was the one losing out. While solitary approach works upto an extent, collaborative projects with people in a team who are carefully selected, and are diverse in their approach, an excellent way to tackle a major design project.

The importance of process involved in doing a research piece, saw yet another layer added in this Unit. This time it was a vocal/visual presentation of our thesis topic with an overview of our thesis included in the presentation.

I struggled to think of what I could possibly want to do. I wanted to try out something that I had not done before. I finally hit upon an idea, based on one of the old Bob Dylan music videos where there are these minimal text boards that are revealed as the music progresses. After doing the writeup, however, I realised that the writing needed to be a mirror image and I need to rectify that. It took me over 25 takes before I got some semblance of what I was looking for in the presentation.

I was happy with the outcome of my work. However, I could have done better work with the filming of the clip as also the presentation boards that I held in my hand. I could have worked on the typography and maybe added some more elements of visual interest. But overall, I am happy with the outcome as it was a huge learning in terms of not only the content but mainly the execution. It was nervewracking to see myself speaking into the camera and to look at myself to judge whether the piece was coming along fine or not. To check the tone and the pace of the delivery….Its easier to interact live in real time with my students than to film myself giving a presentation!

I have been up for almost two nights in a row and not slept very much this week. Once a thought permeates my head, it refuses to leave as I seem to weave a mind map inside my brains until I figure a solution.

I wanted a narrative, a story that would unfold with the outcome. I didnt know at the beginning of this Unit what this story was going to be. It still seemed like words were all over the place. My words that I was focussing on, like war, peace, destruction, death, slay, kill, defeat, victory were leading me in a direction where I wanted to explore the idea that we are doomed to repeat history and doomed to repeat our mistakes. That we never learn. Further explorations lead me towards outcomes like perhaps an illustrative book with an interactive element like envelopes within the pages that would hold illustrated cards with information, something to do with rulers/dictators who have left their ‘mark’ in history leaving a trail of death and destruction. Or perhaps a board game…chess?….maybe a different kind of chess??…or how about monopoly? a different kind of monopoly, one that would involve kingdoms.

Suddenly like an epiphany appearing from nowhere, it struck me. What about the fatal game of dice in the Indian epic, the Mahabharata? Where Yudhishthira is invited by his conniving cousins to play a game of dice with their uncle, Shakuni. The stakes are high as Yudhishthira loses his kingdom and finally his wife, Draupadi. The outcome of this game leads to an exile and a fourteen day battle which is a bloodbath. While Yudhishthira and his brothers avenge the defeat of the game of dice, when they finally win the war against their evil cousins, it feels flat and emotionless.

I thought this would be the perfect platform for the game I had in mind. The final outcome shaped into the game of dice that followed the ancient cross shaped board, hand illustrated in Madhubani style (Madhya Pradesh, India). Dice. Player cards, where players choose whom they want to play as (dictators/conquerors). High stakes by the players symbolised by empty pistachio nut shells and a rule sheet. Whoever reaches the centre of the board first wins. However, the winner has a choice : he/she can either lay claim to the stake or return it to its rightful owner, the opponent. This questions the very premise of the game of dice, which is about winning, losing, humiliation, victory. When the winner has the choice of returning the stakes, does it dilute the excitement? the adrenalin rush of the win??

I wanted the outcome to be open-ended, engaging, interactive, thoughtful. I have tried my best and enjoyed the process of the telling of a story while doing so. It has been an interesting journey. I never envisaged the outcome that I ended up with when I first began the explorations. These last few weeks have thrown open new doors to ways in which one can approach concepts with a free mind and play with the elements as they build up. Have fun with work.

It has been an exciting, exasperating, frustrating and rewarding five weeks.

While over the years I have been aware about how design is ubiquitous, something that Erik Spiekermann has said in the film ‘Helvetica’, and how design has the power to change, and though I did understand the importance of process in design, I had not broken it down to the details that helps to dissect the information being accessed and string the story together.

‘Structure helped me think about how I wanted to tell the story.’ Tim Brown when speaking about his book Change By Design. [1] It is the creation of the web of collected information in a tool like the mindmap, for example, that helps to streamline the thoughts regarding a particular topic that has been chosen and list out all the possible areas that one may possibly explore. That design solution is not a lightening bolt that strikes one out of the blue, but instead it is a series of systematic steps taken in a process developed through a logical approach that creates a better understanding of the given topic, has been the revelation through the semester so far.

The emphasis on crit sessions at every step from peers as well as facilitators encourage the direction taken by the topic in consideration to be open to discussion for further possible additions and improvements. Reviews and re-reviews help in working towards a final piece of work that is more or less complete and has taken all possible considerations into account. Assessing the validation of the reference materials and citations, formulating the annotated bibliography, putting all reference materials through the CRAAP evaluation to assess the extent of their validity, all this helps to create work in the area of research in design that lends itself to becoming an informative piece that can be archived for further use and be part of the paradigm shift in design.

The ICOGRADA (International Council of Graphic Design Associations) defined the field of creation that was inclusive of analysis, organization and presentation by offering methods of visual solutions to communication problems. [2] This puts the designer into a larger role as a visionary of the manner in which economy and commerce communicates with people, rather than merely serving the commercial purpose of selling a product or service, or being the business of merely creating artifacts.

The realization in this semester has been that the paradigm shift in design has redefined the area of design research and to look at this aspect of design as playing a larger role in the consequent paradigm shift in commerce and economy in relation to design, its changing role in the larger picture of social and economic structure, keeping in mind good design for good business. I still hold on to my views mentioned in one of my earlier blogs in this semester, that the term Graphic Designer is a limited one, and that a Creative Practitioner is more relevant a term given the larger role that Design is shifting towards.

[1]. Brown, Tim. Change by Design. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMzUnYfACeU. Web. Accessed on 04.02.2013.

[2]. Defining the Profession. ICOGRADA. SCAD Unit 1 Reading – Graphic Design Seminar : Methodologies.

Day 1

After confidently presenting my next thought based on the word play, I am now wondering whether my idea of exploring an infographic poster on the human race being doomed to repeat history and make mistakes, afterall is enough to work with…my mind drifted towards a more sort of ‘this day that year’ direction of thought…that little column in the newspaper…what if there was a little online calendar of sorts with a ‘this day that year’ section that focussed on the follies we as a human race have witnessed in the past and despite all the pain suffering anguish caused by say, war for example, we continue to relive its horrors in different ways, continuously living in a paradox of different realms of realities that we create.

I dont know. Maybe I’ll sleep over it. Wake up and think differently. Pen down my thoughts. Doodle some and post tomorrow.

At the end of the Unit : By the time I went over all the responses to my sketches for the ideas on the word play, I decided that I would stay with the original idea of working with a narration, a play of image and text. I have too many ideas that I penned down on how I could go about it : forms like flashcards/an interactive book or a game. However, the time of completing the next stage within a week leaves me with less time for the final execution and I will have to make a prudent and pragmatic decision on which one of these works best in keeping with the concept and in keeping with the idea of the word play coming together in a cohesive manner to create a design opportunity.

Here’s looking forward to the next Unit.

An outcome of a research on qualitative/empathetic/curiosity based approach to an idea/concept design would be, as per my understanding of the concept, the story of Bunker Roy’s journey from an elitist school/education with amazingly materialistically successful career choices that he had to a remote village in Bihar, where he encountered first hand the people of famine hit Bihar, their suffering, their life and daily struggles. This encounter changed his life. Going ahead on his newfound path, he broke all urban convention of any self respecting affluent, well educated Indian family to go to the village and live there, because he had made up his mind to dig wells. He moved to the village to work with villagers and went on to start the ‘Barefoot Movement’. Years later, the Barefoot College became a reality. It required the teacher to become a learner. It did not require fancy degrees, just an enthusiasm and a skill to work with one’s hands. His approach shows empathy towards society and the individuals living in it. The kind of approach that we as designers are trying to achieve.

Bootleg bootcamp – stanford university’s manual on design thinking methods.

The manual discusses and breaks down systematically different ways to approach a concept, understand, analyse and create something new out of it. Out of all the methods, the ‘Story Telling’ method is an approach that I find I am familiar with and I have used on numerous occasions in my client assignments, even if it is something with as graphic an outcome as say a logo/symbol. I find that the logo/symbol is the story of the service, product, company. And I find that story fascinating as every time it has given me a chance to understand a new industry, product, market etc. Like the logo/symbol that I did for the Archive Department at The Srishti School of Art Design & Technology, Bangalore, India. The symbol is a tortoise. And it signifies the tortoise of the Puranas (ancient Indian text) which, similar to Noah’s ark, carries the world on its back from one age to the next. It also signifies the hare and the tortoise story from Aesop’s fables and finally it connects with the larger than life tortoises that live on the Galapagos Islands – Darwin’s theories on evolution. The tortoise tells many stories, just like the archive department planned it out to be, to archive stories that are being lost with each passing generation.

The ‘Why-How Laddering’ too is another approach that I have used in my work. Especially when trying to solve problems at the ideation stages. To go over mounds of information collected from and provided by the client and then segregate them to get a clearer picture, perhaps discover something that the client has not anticipated a need for. Even the ‘Saturate and Group’ helps in this regard. It helps to sort out the different areas that one is thinking of. It also helps to list out the varied information segregated using different colours.

I do find parallels in what is being discussed in the Unit and generally how I approach my work. The presented research methods have listed out in detail the different ways in which one could approach it. In that sense, the approach is new. However, on closer inspection, more often than not, they are based on a logical approach, one that we as designers may have used in our own practice without really categorising it as such. The presented research methods puts it all in a better, more cohesive perspective.

At the end of the Unit : All the methods presented to us and the systematic way in which we have been asked to approach our thesis for this Unit has definitely made me see the ways in which one can not only zero in on a topic but moreover how one can create a valid bank of references, citations, bibliography, go over the thought processes systematically so as to be better able to write the final paper, which becomes a matter of putting together what one already has with them, collected through the process at different stages, but also in this manner, one is left to dwell on stringing the final piece together with a better relevance to the chosen topic.

Here’s looking forward to the next Unit.