1. Creative Process
Examine The Problem:
Brainstorm:
In defining the meaning, I find looking up definitions help solidify my understanding and change my assumptions.
Using a Thesaurus aids me by allowing me to make visual connections and opens possibilities.
Word Trees allow me to play various creative games such as Random Connections if I am stuck with a particular concept.
Picking Hierarchies is crucial as I am designing a focus which leads me to the Papa-Mama-Baby Bear trick. I usually write a sentence and see what my subconscious picks if I am struggling in determining what to focus on.
Actor-Stage-Action is more of a illustration design trick to create visual analogies.
Examining previous solutions is important two fold. First, it can help set you up not to repeat mistakes or coming up with a solution to close to what has been used before. Second it gives you a history of the marketplace.
Determining the Demographic assists with helping to determine style based upon audience.
Image Banks are great visual resources. They allow designers to source their inspirations for concepts. Slush files are just hard copy versions of Image Banks that are tangible reference examples that a designer can hold in their hand.
Reading and Research allows a designer to explore the product or problem needing the solution, its parameters and its tangibles. A good designer is an informed designer.
Wild Card:
Movies, Video games, Reading a Book are great ways to exercise the imagination and can sometimes give unpredictable inspirations for problem solving.
Thumbnails:
Thumbnails sketches are crucial for exploring design possibilities. These are quick snapshots of possible solutions. Scale, design, gesture are all tested in thumbnails.
Value studies are more important than color studies. Our eyes read light and dark before color so if it works well in value it will work well in color.
Color can be unpredictable if not tested. Test your colors!
Redesign:
Our first instincts are not always correct. I tell my students they don’t want to fly in a plane that has never been tested. A fix is not always correct either. This is when efficiency comes to play. Once you have possible fixes to your solution to get the possible answer, you have to test till get the best answer that time allows.
Hand in finish product.
2. Considering your current skill set and recognizing your weaknesses,
My biggest weakness is at times over thinking an idea. My illustration mode doesn’t always play nice with my design mode. So editing can slow me down.
There are many things I can still learn. I’m not familiar with many self printing methods like book making or web design, so would gladly collaborate with others to learn more. In fact, I enjoy being a student of others as I feel there is always room to learn more in anything I do. Some of my greatest design experiences were on collaborative projects such as working for Jane Goodall on a unreleased video game. We had a very strong team of designers, illustrators, and computer animators. I felt our concept really was a combination of the best of all these worlds and we learned so much from one another.
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