Design Notes

I. Augmented Reality
II. Museum
III. Identification
IV. Inherent
V. Imposed
VI. Constraints
VII. Knowledge
VIII. Imagination
IX. Willingness
X. Serendipity (Unintended Consequences)
XI. User Constraints
XII. Physical
XIII. Semantic (The Meaning)
XIV. Cultural
XV. Conflicting
XVI. Aesthetic
XVII. Usability
XVIII. Budget
XVIX. Time
XX. Ease Of Production
XXI. Durability
XXII. Production
XXIII. Capability
XXIV. Quality
XXV. Delivery
XXVI. Schedule
XXVII. Unintended Consequences
XXVIII. Constraints Of Sustainability
XXIX. Needs And Constraints

I. Every Design Project Has Inherent And Imposed Constraints.

-Inherent Constraints-

II. Inherent: Restrictions That Naturally Come With The Type Of Project You Are Working On.

-Imposed Constraints-

III. Imposed: Restrictions That Come From The Client... Budget, Timeline, Etc.

IV. Constraints Are To Be Examined, Acknowledged, And Accepted Or Overcome, But Never Ignored.

V. Designers Must Be Aware Of The Larger And Often Unintended Consequences Of Their Work.

VI. Sustainable Practices And The Protection Of The Environment Are Concerns Today's Designers Cannot Ignore.

-Semantic Constraints-

VII. Meaning Controls Action

VIII. Rely On Knowledge Of Situations And The World.

IX. Are There Barriers Of Language And Meaning Between Your Audience's World And The One You Have Created?

X. Are These Barriers Desirable.

XI. People And Societies Rely Upon Cultural Conventions.

XII. Difficulties Arise With New Machines And Technology When There Is No Frame Of Reference.

XIII. Does Virtual Space Have Cultural Constraints? Should It? What Are They?

-Inadequate Knowledge-

XIV. Become An Expert, Or Find One.

-Murphy's Law-

XV. "Anything That Can Go Wrong Will - At The Worst Possible Time."

-Imperious Immediate Interest-

XVI. Your Desire For A Certain Outcome Must Not Blind You To Other Possible Results.

Observe And Test

I. Determine What The Idea Os Capable Of; Then Push It To Its Limit.

II. Test The Concept's Viability Before Committing To Specifics.

Drawing Is A Language

I. Your Drawings Are A Personal Method Of Communication. Develop Your Visual Language.

II. Sketches And Illustrations Are Your Most Important Tools.

Sketching - Do's

I. Sketch Quickly And Repeatedly.

II. Sketch Constantly.

III. Sketch Large And Small.

IV. Avoid Limitation Use Different Media.

V. Consider The Purpose Of Your Sketching.

VI. Practice.

Sketching - Don'ts

I. Edit Yourself.

II. Keep Your Sketches To Yourself.

Aim To...

I. Capture And Hold Your Audience's Attention.

II. Create An Aura Around Your Design That Fuels Your Audience's Imagination.

III. Enhance Your Credibility.

IV. Invest Your Idea With A Reality That Cannot Be Taken Away.

-Notes-

I. Decide On A Number Of Sketches, And Then, Once You've Sped Through Those, Pick The Best.

II. Find The Space Between Where You Feel Most Interested In Your Project And Where Your Energy Begins To Fail; This Is Where Your Best Sketches Will Show Up.

III. Sketch Every Thought You Have. Carry Around A Small Pad And Put Every Sketch In It.

IV. Sketch Big, To Get A Feel For Scale And To Envisage Detail.

-Notes-

I. Sketch Small When You Want TO Focus On Form And When You Want To Avoid Going Into Too Much Detail.

II. Look For The Benefits Of Speed, Color Quality, And Accuracy.

III. Have A Good Grasp Of The Personality Of Your Design.

IV. Consider The Purpose Of Your Sketching.

-Notes-

I. Sketch Something Every Day. Make It A Habit To Sketch Freely For At Least 10 Minutes.

II. Use Your Intuition; Logic Can Come In To Play Later.

III. Overcome The Fear Of Sketching In Front Of Clients.

IV. Practice A Diagrammatic Style Of Using As Few Lines As Possible So That Your Sketches Are Immediately Clear To Your Audience.

V. Sketches Are Not An End In Themselves. They Are A Tool To Aid In The Exploration And Refinement Of Your Ideas.

Models

I. Rough Models Can Give A Sense Of Space And Form That Is Then More Easily Interpreted On Paper.

II. Try To Create A Rough Model.

III. Choose A Material To Use That Will Come Closest To Depicting The Characteristics Of Your End Product.

IV. Be Creative In Your Choice Of Materials.

V. Don't Bind Yourself To The Use Of One Specific Material.

-Dialogue-

I. The Concerns Of Each Group Are Different And Varied.

- The Clients

- The Production Staff

- Fellow Designers

II. Do Not Assume That The Opinions Of 'Experts' Are Always The Best.

III. Don't Be Discouraged If You Don't Get Positive Feedback. Be Grateful That You Are Getting Opinions At This Stage, Before It Is Too Late To Make Changes.

I. Focused Reflection

- Actively Solve Problems Or Seek New Solutions. Take Time To Go Through Your Idea, Piece By Piece, Element By Element, And Question It. Ask Yourself: Does This Work? Does That Work? And If The Answers Are No, Figure Out A Way To Make Them Work.

II. Indirect Reflection

- Look At The Problem From Another, Unexpected, Direction. Back Your Mind Into A Corner From Which The Only Escape Is Realization.

I. Explore Materials.

II. Explore Form.

III. Explore Color.

IV. Explore Usage.

V. Explore Production.

VI. Explore History.

-Constraints-
I. Every Design Project Has Inherent And Imposed Constraints.

II. Inherent; Restrictions That Naturally Come With The Type Of Project You Are Working On.

-Imposed Constraint-

I. Imposed; Restrictions That Come From The Client... Budget, Timeline, Etc.

II. Constraints Are To Be Examined, Acknowledged, And Accepted Or Overcome, But Never Ignored.

III. Designers Must Be Aware Of The Larger And Often Unintended Consequences Of Their Work.

IV. Sustainable Practices And The Protection Of The Environment Are Concerns Today's Designers Cannot Ignore.

-Semantic Constraints-

I. Meaning Controls Action.

II. Rely On Knowledge Of Situations And The World.

III. Are There Barriers Of Language And Meaning Between Your Audience's World And The One You Have Created?

IV. Are These Barriers Desirable?

V. People And Societies Rely Upon Cultural Conventions.

VI. Difficulties Arise With New Machines And Technology When There Is No Frame Of Reference.

VII. Does Virtual Space Have Cultural Constraints? Should It? What Are They?

-Inadequate Knowledge-

I. Become An Expert, Or Find One.

-Murphy's Law-

I. "Anything That Can Go Wrong Will - At The Worst Possible Time!"
*Special Note: ='Prime Chaos'=

-Imperious Immediate Interest-

I. Your Desire For A Certain Outcome Must Not Blind You To Other Possible Results.

A Designer Must Be Inspired
- Inspiration Is A Tool To Further Designs, Not An End In Itself.

- Inspiration Needs To Be Sought, Not Waited On.

- You Do Not Wait For Inspiration To Come To You; You Invite It Or Go To It.

- Creative Thinking Is Not A Birthright; It Is A Talent And It Needs To Be Developed.

- Emotional Imbalance Is Not A Prerequisite To Creativity.

- Thoughts And Ideas Have Power.

- Inspiration Should Be The Energy Behind Creativity; It Should Not Lead It.

- Keep Your Eye On The Road.

- Where Is Your Inspiration Driving You.

Play Outside Of Your Comfort Zone

- Know What Is Going On Out In The World.

- Be Continually On Alert For New Stimulation, New Challenges, And New Approaches To Old Problems.

I. "All Work And No Play" Doesn't Work.

- Playtime Is A Necessity, Not A Luxury.

- Our Brains Require Processing Time To Make Connections And To Explore Possibilities.

- The Moment Of Revelation.

II. Inspiration Is Only The Beginning

- Be Careful Not To Get Lost While Researching, Acquiring New Knowledge, And Delving Into New Worlds.

- Time Is Limited, Playtime, Research, And Pondering Have To Have An End - And A Purpose.

- If You Are Within Your Time Frame And Deadline Obligations, Go Ahead And Have Fun! If Not, Move On!

Your Design Journal

- Write Down Everything That Comes To Mind, Make Lists, Write Keywords, And Jot Down Impulsive Thoughts.

- Allow Time For Reflective Thinking, Then Revisit Your Notes.

- Edit Your Noes & Clearly Answer Your Questions.

- Add Visuals To Go With Your Thoughts.

The Muse

- What Have You Seen, Read, Or Heard That Made You Understand Something In A Way You Had Not Before?

- What Can Make Your Perception Clearer.

- What Can Help Focus Your World?

- What, Where Or Who Could Be Your Muse?

I. Energy Transferred

- Have You Been Completely Thrilled And Energized By A Poem, A Piece Of Writing, A Work Of Art, A Film, Or A Performance? What Was It?

- Describe What Happened. How Did The Energy Manifest?

- Why Do You Think This Happened?

- If You Haven't Been Energized Yet, Find A Work Of Art That Transports You. Where Will You Go To Find It?

II. The Beauty Of The World

- Think Of People Who Affect You Strongly And Positively.

- What Are Their Best Qualities?

- What Excites You About Them?

- What Do You Admire?

- Who Is Your Favorite Person? Why?

III. Irresistible Force

- What Interests You To The Point That You Are Drawn To It With "Irresistible Force?"

- What Could Make You Need To Create?

- What 'Puts You Over The Edge?'

- How Do You Come Back From There?

- What Is The Wildest Impulse You've Ever Had?

- Did You Act On It? If Not, Why Not?

IV. The Noise That Keeps You Awake

- Where Are You From?

- What Made You Into Who You Are?

- How Does Your Current Environment Affect Your Opinions And Tastes?

- What Makes You Feel 'Alive' And 'Awake?'

- What Do You Need To Experience To Keep Your Ideas Fresh?

- Experience Some Artistry That Is Unfamiliar To You.

- What Type Of Artistry Is It?

V. Influences

- Who Or What Would You Like To Be Influenced By?

- Where Will You Go For This Influence?

- How Will You Use These Influences To Make Your Creations Uniquely Yours?

VI. Communicate A Feeling

- Where Does Your Imagination Like To Go?

- What Bores You?

- How Would You Change The World If You Could?

- What Are Your Favorite Adventures, Dreams, Fantasies? Why?

- What Is The Spirit Of Our Time? (Thought Or Feelings That Typify Age/Period).

- When Have You Best Been Able To Accept New Knowledge.

- Define "Normal."

- Have You Ever Gone Against The "Normal" Mode Of Thinking? How? Why Or Why Not?

- When Are You At Your Strongest?

- What Needs To Happen For You To Be-


VI. Gestalt - German - Totality Or Whole

- Information Is Disorganized When We First Experience It, We Impose An Order In A Predictable Way, Creating "Good Gestalt" Or Recognizable Whole.

- We Structure Information Based On Associative Connections With Prior Knowledge And A Tendency To Organize Things Perceived Into Coherent Structures.

VII. Proximity

- Things Close Together (In Space As Well As Time) Are Grouped Together.

VIII. Similarity

- Things That Are similar In Nature Are Grouped Together.

IX. Closure

- An Unfinished Pattern Is Filled In.

X. Continuity

- Patterns Are Perceived As Continuing In Their Initial Shape, Direction, Tendency

XI. Pattern Recognition

- Missing Parts Do Not Limit Our Understanding Of A Previously Learned Design.

XII. Simile

XIII. Metaphor

XIV. Analogy

- A Comparison In Which Different Items Are Compared Point By Point.

Brainstorming

I. SCAMPER

-Substitute
-Combine
-Adapt
-Modify/Minimize/Magnify
-Put To Other Uses
-Eliminate/Elaborate/Edit
-Reverse/Rearrange

II. DO
-Practice Presentation
-Cover All The Bases
-Speaking To Your Audience
-Be Enthusiastic And Excited
-Welcome All Feedback
-Present Options
-Bring Samples And As Many Visuals As You Can

III. DON'T
-Panic
-Spend More Time On Presentation Than Content
-Assume Knowledge On Behalf Of Anybody
-Assume That Anything Is "Obvious"
-Glass Over Gaps Or Problems
-Present "Fillers"
-Spend More Time On The Presentation Than The Content
-Present Inaccurate Or Half-Finished Models Or Drawings