Design Writing

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Grant Heim Art 1302 MiHyun Kim Creative thinking is the process of training and conditioning your brain to think creatively in order to become a more effective designer. Creative thinking takes practice whether its brainstorming, reading an article in a design blog, or mind mapping ideas in a visual it is important to be doing something to spark some creativity, these exercises condition the mind to think creatively . Brainstorming takes place in the ideation process, allowing ideas to just flow out allows for a wider range of ideas for you to choose from as you narrow down what you will choose as a base for how you accomplish the final outcome of your composition. This process of design thinking has less emphasis on balance or overall success compositionally and more of an emphasis on getting ideas onto paper, Niha Khandelwal describes creative thinking process by stating “It [creative thinking] involves looking at the issue at hand from multiple perspectives and thinking about the future possibilities.” allowing yourself to do this will make it easier as you develop your ideas into a final product.. Designers are constantly coming up with new ideas or solutions and as much as you put out you also must have some flow of inspiration or influence back into you. A helpful tool in creative thinking is reading design based articles, blogs or magazines in order to see others approach to design, the way one person goes about creating a solution may give you ideas for how you can reiterate your own work or even inspire you to approach design thinking in a new way. As a beginner designer it can be frustrating to struggle with coming up with new and fresh ideas but it is ok to seek inspiration and a new perspective from others who are a lot more experienced in design. Designer christian beck expressed that “reading is an integral part of growth and online content is an important piece because it helps you stay connected with the community and current on trends.” staying informed with whats going on in the design world not only keeps us connected to fellow designers, but also can inspire new ideas. Another method in creative thinking is mind mapping, which is a good way of organizing your thoughts visually by creating a diagram of pictures, thoughts, ideas and anything you want to consider when deciding what elements to incorporate into a design. The structure of it is simple and according to Bronwyn Kienapple “a mind map always starts with a central point and builds outwards.” With a mind map you can incorporate visual ideas, goals, and brainstorming by starting off with a main theme or idea and building off of it. Furthermore, there are many ways to become a better creative thinker which all help to condition the mind to incorporate conditioned processes. These exercises include brainstorming, reading articles in design blogs or websites, as well as mind mapping your ideas out, which in turn are effective when ideas seem to have run thin, you can go through creative thinking processes to help inspire new original ideas and foster creative thinking.

Grant Heim

[grantheim-blog]

Design thinking is the process by which you create something that achieves your intended effect to solve an issue whether it be through an advertisement,  infographic, menu, art piece,  etc. Design thinking follows a five step process in order to be successful and the final project is a the result of all of these steps building on each other, creating an environment in a composition can be achieved with the design thinking process.   Design thinking begins with the process work, this is where brainstorming and concept development happens, the process work lays out the intended final outcome and shows whether you reach that idea or if it changed throughout, which often happens. The process work often includes sketches/thumbnails, word lists, original photography, and ideas. The process work helps establish the foundational ideas that will guide the direction of the composition, but the most important part in the process is hearing your clients wants and needs and allowing that to guide the outcome. Understanding your clients desires can help communicate the message client wants while also incorporating design elements in an effective and interesting way.   After empathizing with the client there is the process of defining the direction of the work, looking over process work and brainstorming is a good way to start this process, along with speaking to the client personally, clients usually come to a designer because they know what they want but don’t know how to create that in a visual way which emphasizes the importance of this step, after this step there will be an idea of the direction of the project in order to reach main goal.   After the definition process the next step you begin the ideation process in which you take the ideas from the definition step and refine them, organizing information you have gathered along with the general main idea to narrow down the specific direction that will be taken with your project.   The fourth step in design thinking is to prototype, you will work with the client to create an early version of your final outcome that will be subject to either minor or major reconsiderations, developments, and improvements. Working alongside the client allows you to better understand how to creatively implement your definition into an effective visual representation that achieves its intended effect while upholding the integrity or your clients choices. After completing the prototype there is the fifth and final step which is to test your prototype, implementing it in a real way in order to see ways the final outcome can be changed to be more effective. The test process is a helpful implementation of your piece that allows through trial and error to improve your final outcome. Furthermore, design thinking is a helpful process that helps bring together client and designer together in order to create a successful outcome through the five steps which include empathizing with the client, definition of the direction, ideation, and finally the prototype step. Through the developments as well trial and error you can build a final product to satisfy the clients needs in an interesting and effective way.

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#Comdesfoundations