Nicole Koukos

Communication Design Student

[indigo-impulse]

Vernacular Type Poster

Statement of intent:

This poster consists of 4 signs that were photographed at The Square in San Marcos, Texas. The signs were manipulated to overlap and create a fluid pattern. In creating it, the signs were randomly moved around to see what would make the best composition. The colors were experimented with as well. I started with the deep pink background color first, and then worked with the filters on each layer. It was important to have a hierarchy in the poster. The main focal point is the yellow ‘218’ sign that appears in the bottom right corner. In the middle ground is the purple, red and green ballet signs that overlap. In the background is the faded white vertical lettering and the ‘open’ sign. In order to have harmony in the poster, it needed large and small text to show the scale of the words. There are many colors used, but they all work together and portray the same mood. There is negative space on the top right corner to leave space for the title, and to not overwhelm the composition with having too many things on it. There are minimal rigid shapes and lines within the poster, but instead more organic shapes that create movement and depth.

[indigo-impulse]

Opposing Forces

Statement of Intent:

This project is based off the theme organic versus mechanical. It consists of a tree with wires growing and hanging off of it, and a faded keyboard in the sky. The concept is about how technology is taking over today’s society. With the rapid advancements of it, and how indulged people are in their devices, it seems almost overwhelming, which is being conveyed in this piece. It was difficult to find a balance between how many wires are on the tree, and how dominant to make the keyboard in the background. The conclusion I came to was that there would be enough wires to look like the tree was being taken over, but not fully covered to show that there is competition between the two forces. With the keyboard being faded and mixed with the normal blue sky it shows that the technology is beginning to overtake the sky but hasn’t fully done it. The composition was not meant to be symmetrical or centered because the tree is supposed to look like it is cut off and losing some of it’s organic elements. The saturation is turned down to create an eerie mood and also make the viewer feel slightly uncomfortable. 

[indigo-impulse]

Letterform and Objects 

Statement of Intent:

For this project, the letters represented are ‘N’ and ‘K’. Serif fonts were chosen for both letters. For the ‘N’ the italicized baskerville font was combined with a hummingbird. It is meant to look graceful, and delicate. The body of the bird was altered to be thinner in order to create balance with the thin strokes of the letterform. The strokes used on the tail and wings were placed methodically in order to mimic the texture of a hummingbird’s feathers. For the letter ‘K’ the Adobe Garamond font was combined with a shark fin and ocean waves. The shark fin accounts for the negative space of the lower part of the ‘K’, and lines up with the negative space for the upper part of the ‘K’ in order to keep the balance and spacing of the letterform. Three waves were chosen to overlap the shark fin. The colors chosen are meant to help create a mood for the image, with the maroon color representing the blood that sharks are so attracted to.

[indigo-impulse]

Pictogram Systems 

Statement of Intent:

The animals chosen for the pictograms are a lion, panda bear, frog, and zebra. The animals are depicted with geometric shapes and are symmetrical. The pictograms show the animals from a frontal view and only include their heads. The style was inspired by origami and is meant to be playful and fun. The balance between positive and negative space in each pictogram is balanced so that one does not overpower the other. The lines chosen are all straight, there are no curves in any of the animals in order to keep the system unified. There are large and small shapes to define the features of each animal and make them recognizable. 

[angelamm251]

Design Thinking- Is there a specific way to do it?

I did some research on a book called Design Thinking: Understand, Improve, Apply, and I found some interesting assertions in the chapter called The Co-evolution of Theory and Practice in Design Thinking. I discovered that there are many experts on the field of “design thinking” that do not approach the actual subject of design thinking in the same manner. There are many differing expert opinions on design thinking methods, and in the way to implement design thinking in the process of creating new innovations that benefit the users of the product or design. I will attempt to dissect some of the differing approaches, as well as highlight the commonalities between them.

In one example, when some experts on design thinking were interviewed for the book, there were widely varying opinions on whether innovative design work should be outsourced or not. For many of these experts, it was held truth that they should try to collaborate outside of their respective field in order to avoid getting “trapped” in their own methods and routines of design thinking. They argued that creative thinking should be expanded beyond the specific field, so the development of original design ideas should be done by an outside designer(s). However, there were other opinions that an integrative “in-house” approach was more beneficial, and that the designated team (comprised of representatives from different departments) could oversee the creative process from beginning to end stages. This approach is where the collaborative team from fields within the business would be responsible/oversee their respective steps in the design process like research, ideation, and implementation, etc. 

Although there are many differing opinions in the leading experts in the field of “design thinking,” there are some common themes that they mostly agree upon. One commonality that most design thinkers agree upon is the benefit of the diversity of disciplines within the design team. It is important to have many different leaders in any collaborative team in order to keep the ideas and innovation flowing. Another one of these commonalities is the idea of focusing on “user needs” as the central focus of designer innovation.

 A great design team should not just try to come up with a solution to the first obvious problem, but they should be trying to identify and improve the issue that is at the heart of the users problem. By rethinking or “reframing” the initial design challenge, they can begin to understand what the users actual needs are. Once this is identified, the team can approach the design challenge and apply the problem within their chosen design procedure. This procedure should include many different methods, both unusual and common. Finally, by keeping an open dialogue with the user, the solution will eventually come to fruition. 

Since taking part of some of the communication design classes at Texas State University, I have come to understand the vast importance of collaboration with others in the field of design. When creating a unique design solution to an issue (professional or otherwise) it is SO important and helpful to have outside influence and opinions in the refining process. Regardless of the “expert” opinions of the “right way” to be involved with/or direct the creative and design thinking process, the importance of collaboration is paramount.

Plattner, Hasso, et al. Design Thinking: Understand, Improve, Apply. Springer, 2011.

[indigo-impulse]

I enjoyed reading your essay and I strongly agree with everything that you have said. I also think that it is extremely important to collaborate with people when creating a project and coming up with ideas. It is always stronger to work in a team because multiple brains put together will accumulate many more solutions than one brain alone. What you said about having people from multiple fields work on the same project is also something that I agree with. It is always a good idea to have outside opinions from people who are not necessarily designers because they bring another outside element to the table. If you only work with people that are designers, you will tend to have a similar mindset to them. However, if you collaborate with people that are in fields unrelated to design you can create an outcome that benefits a greater portion of the population and opens up the designs to more users. 

[mallorytxstate]

Creative Thinking

“You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.”

-Jack London, American Novelist 

How does a creative person arrive at a “Eureka!” moment? Are some people just more in tune with the right side, the creative side, of their brain than others? Are we supposed to wait around until inspiration strikes? According to psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman, scientific director of The Imagination Institute in the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania, the neuroscience behind the creative process is much more complicated and is largely comprised of four basic stages which engage both the creative right side and analytical left side of the brain. The four stages of the creative thinking process are as follows: preparation, incubation, illumination, and verification. 

Preparation is square one of the creative thinking process, it begins by identifying a problem, a specific need, or an otherwise area where a solution is needed. In this phase, you must focus on collecting as much information and doing as much research as possible. Immerse yourself in the subject. This will serve as the foundation and planning stage by which the additional three phases are built on, so being as thorough here as possible is advisable. Ultimately, this is the phase where you are putting every observation and idea on paper, nothing is too silly to be off limits. 

Once you have a gained a thorough understanding of the subject and sufficient research has been completed, the incubation phase will begin. In this phase, the information you have gathered will spend some time in your subconscious allowing you to form more complex opinions and create new connections with the subject matter. Use this time to look over all the information gathered and begin narrowing it down while also remaining open to forming new thoughts. Allow your subconscious mind to digest and consider everything you’ve learned, this is often the stage by which creative ideas strike, often unexpectedly. The incubation period can be short or it can be long. 

Eureka! Sometime during the incubation period, when all of the information is circulating through your subconscious, you’ll finally have an light bulb moment. This phase is appropriately named the illumination stage, this critical moment generally appears very suddenly and is normally accompanied by a feeling of certainty. You will feel as if a missing puzzle has been put into place. This finally brings us to the the final stage of the creative thinking process, called verification, in which you will test and evaluate your idea to determine if it will work. If it works, you must polish and refine the idea as well as figure out how to appropriately package the idea so the message comes across to your audience. In some cases, an idea may not work out, and the creative process must begin anew. 

The creative process, just like everything else, is something that requires practice  before you can become skilled at it. There is not an exact formula behind being creative, but this process can provide a tried and true framework to generate and refine creative ideas. Use this as a general approach to creative problem solving, and over time, tweak it to better serve your specific needs. 

Works Cited

Sharp, Callum. “The 5 stages of the creative process.” The Writing Cooperative, Nov. 2019, https://writingcooperative.com/the-5-stages-of-the-creative-process-4f8037b7119f

“Creative Thinking Process” The Peak Performance Center, Nov. 2019, http://thepeakperformancecenter.com/educational-learning/thinking/types-of-thinking-2/creative-thinking-process/

Stillman, Jessica. “The 4 Stages of Creativity” Inc.com, Nov. 2019, https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/the-4-stages-of-creativity.html

[indigo-impulse]

I really enjoyed reading your essay, and how you made it come to life by using imagery and language that displayed excitement. I like the information you found on the psychological side of the creative process. I also researched about the creative process, however the stages that I found were similar but less relatable than the ones you described. The steps you talked about in the essay are exactly what I go through when I am trying to generate ideas and create something. The way you explained each stage in the process was very thorough and instructional, almost as if you were guiding me through it much like a caregiver or teacher would. I could really visualize what you were trying to explain, which made it more engaging. Overall, I thought this was a very informative essay while still being fun and entertaining to read. 

[austinfarar8451]

Human–Centered Design

When researching human centered design and the thought of creative origination, I came across David Kelley’s belief that creativity lies within anyone and everyone. Kelley is the founder of IDEO, a community of designers, entrepreneurs, engineers, teachers, researchers, and more. In his younger years, he went to a psychologist (Dr. Bandura) at Stanford where he discovered the thought process behind phobias and the confidence to overcome them. Bandura presented a concept to Kelley known as “self–efficacy”: “the belief in one’s capabilities to organize and execute the courses of action required to manage prospective situations.“ In other words, self–efficacy is a person’s belief in his or her ability to succeed in a particular situation. Bandura described these beliefs as determinants of how people think, behave, and feel.

For wanting to work in a creative environment surrounded by people he liked, Kelley created IDEO, and made a commitment to making great things happen in the world. His passion is to “help unlock creative confidence in everyone from students to business executives.” He is a jack-of-all-trades; he received his masters in engineering as well as product design, and was awarded an honorary recognition that “distinguishes contribution to design education.”

After reading articles about Kelley and his accomplishments, his ideas about design thinking and human-centered design cannot go unnoticed. His communities of designers in multiple places around the world focus on helping their clients and partners at the individual, organizational, and societal level. They assist clients by building their creative capacity and ability to grow, adapt, and routinely innovate. Human–centered design is a large contributor to the process of innovative advancements in our modern world, and a quote from IDEO’s website that draws my attention is that “you can move forward faster if you take a look back.” Meaning, we advance in the design world by looking back at previous concepts and constantly push the idea that they can always be evolved into something better than before.

As humans, we always want more, or the next big thing—this is where the designers come into play and reflect on whether something needs to be revisited. As the technology of the modern world continues to be ever-advancing, human needs seem to accelerate. Therefore, complex problems are best solved collaboratively. “Even as our methods evolve in response to new, complex challenges, we’re always designing solutions for people first. We’re building to learn, and learning as we build, through inspiration, ideation, collaboration and implementation.” Nevertheless, we must not forget how important the past is helping us shape the intention for the future.

Kelley, David, and Tom Kelley. “Creative Confidence.” IDEO Is a Global Design and Innovation Company., Oct. 2013, www.ideo.com/post/creative-confidence.

Tillman, Ashley, and Chelsea Takamine. “Open Reflections: Looking Back on a Year of Impact.” OpenIDEO, 2017, www.openideo.com/content/open-reflections-2017.

Cherry, Kendra. “How Self Efficacy Helps You Achieve Your Goals.” Verywell Mind, Verywell Mind, 7 Oct. 2019, www.verywellmind.com/what-is-self-efficacy-2795954.

IDEO. “About IDEO.” Our Story, Who We Are, How We Work, 2019, www.ideo.com/about.

[indigo-impulse]

This was a very thoughtful and well put together essay that I enjoyed reading. It was interesting how you brought Bandura’s theory of self efficacy into your essay. It is a topic I have come across before in psychology class, and I think it relates heavily to human-centered design. It takes time to develop self efficacy much like how it takes time to develop creative ideas that benefit the audience you are designing for. They are very similar because they are not concrete ideas that can be taught by steps, but rather they are abstract concepts that must be developed through ideation. You mentioned that as humans we are always looking for the next best thing. This is something that I strongly agree with because we are constantly looking for innovations and how to make our lives easier. Overall, it was interesting to read your essay and it explained very well the concept of human-centered design. 

[lindzburns]

Design Thinking

       From what I have read about design thinking, it is the process in which businesses take in order to solve a problem for a specific project, and then from there, they choose the best and strongest solution. Design thinking is definitely a smart strategy and a part of the creative process. In one of the articles that I read, a quote that caught my attention by Mike Joyce, said that “design thinking has the power to change the way you approach problem-solving by always referencing the ‘why.’ Why are we doing this? You learn to question you assumptions every step of the way.” I strongly agree with this statement. In my opinion, it is good that you question things because you are recognizing it as a potential issue that you would like to fix and thinking about the different affects and variables of what the outcome would be. It is also a good way to stay organized with your thoughts. For example, when I begin a new project or simply just my homework, I sometimes have to force myself to sit down and ask myself “what’s the most important thing I need to do first?” or “what’s due soon?” This helps me to destress and to efficiently work on my homework accordingly. In another article I had read, it continued to explain what design thinking was: “Design thinking is a shorthand that the business world has adopted to describe the combination of creativity and pragmatism that a design mindset brings to the development of new products and services,” followed by, “design thinking is a toolbox of resources and methods that teams can use to systematically recognize opportunities and solve problems they’ve never seen before…it is an intimate process—collaborative, empathetic, visual, iterative—where user insights and epiphanies become the DNA of new or improved experiences.” 

       Design thinking, I have come to learn, is an extremely crucial part of any creative process. It is true when they say to “trust the process” because that is what leads up to your final product. It is also true when they said it is an “intimate process.” I think the most challenging part for me personally is the design process/creative process. Normally, I am the type of person who just thinks of an idea, go with it, and hope the turnout is good, and I honestly end up  with the results I was expecting. However, this only happens on special occasions. Until I became a Communication Design major, I did not always take the design process seriously. Though at the time I was originally a Studio Art major, I was never really taught how much the importance of the design process is emphasized in the art field. However, I feel like the more I use design thinking, the better artist I become. I am learning how to do projects the right way in order to get the best results. It has not been easy trying to “trust the process” and not just “go with the flow,” but little, by little, I feel like I’m getting the hang of it and learning just how important design thinking really is.

[indigo-impulse]

I enjoyed reading your essay, and admire how you related the topic at hand to your own personal experiences. I agree that asking the question of ‘why’ you are doing something is extremely important in the design process. Because graphic design projects relate to a specific audience you are designing for, it is essential that you understand the problem you are trying to solve. In order to do this, you must always question why you are doing things a certain way. The part where you talked about ‘trusting the process’ is a thing that I struggled with too, because it is something that doesn’t always seem necessary to complete a project. However, looking back, every step of the process was helpful to get to the next step and to complete a project to it’s fullest potential. 

[indigo-impulse]

Design writing 2

Catering to the public’s needs and wants is extremely important when creating products or services. Human centered design and design thinking go hand in hand in creating solutions to a variety of problems. Design thinking is the main solution to the problem while human centered design makes sure the solution is relevant and benefits those who were experiencing the problem. This essay will focus on exactly what human centered design is, and how it is used in real world situations.

Human centered design consists of three main steps. According to IDEO, The first step is inspiration. In this step, it is vital to empathize with the targeted audience that the design is being made for. This is to truly understand the problems that the group faces to generate an effective solution. The second step is ideation in which ideas will begin to start forming. Once the needs of the targeted group are understood, possible resolutions will be introduced and altered until the best one is achieved. The final step is implementation. This is when the best solution is finalized and implemented into a physical product and finally hits the market. 

The Human centered design approach was used when a tv network for children in Africa called ‘Ubongo Kids’ created an educational program. The targeted audience was for children ages 3-6. Human centered design was applied to achieve the greatest level of learning and entertainment for the kids. A show called ‘Akili and Me’ was released in 2016 where it was then tested against various other educational programs. Children who watched ‘Akili and Me’ showed higher performance against those who watched other educational tv shows in areas such as number recognition, counting, english language skills, and drawing. After seeing the results, it was found that the children watching the program were at a very early stage of literacy. It was decided that the show needed to focus more on developing the first steps of early literacy. The team then used human centered design to come up with a solution on how to improve the show. They first started with understanding how languages are learned, and how children process the information they are receiving. They did this by sitting down with a child and observing and taking note of how they learned. After the research, ‘Ubongo Kids’ was able to define the two objectives they were hoping the children would learn after watching the show. The first one was the children being able to correctly identify a letter they had learned and the second was for them to be able to say it. They spent months reiterating ideas to teach the children letters, and finally reached a solution. They then did a 1 week trial where they had children watch the videos daily, and the results showed an increasing ability to identify letters and pronounce them. The human centered design process helped the tv network understand the problem faced with teaching young children and create an effective show that children can learn from. 

With the creation of the first computer mouse, human centered design was used. Apple asked IDEO to create the first mouse to accompany their new computer in 1980. Designs that had been made so far were too expensive and difficult to make. The team had to iterate many different solutions to aspects of the mouse such as the sound and feel of the click, and the rubber ball in the middle. The final result that they came up with was affordable and mechanically successful. The design of that mouse held its place and is very similar to most mouses that we use today. 

In conclusion, human centered design is very important in creating products for the public and meeting their needs. Without empathizing with the customers, solutions will be less effective. In order to create a product or service that is popular, it is first essential to understand the criteria that needs to be met. It is then important to generate multiple solutions in order to find the best one. 

Sources:

https://www.designkit.org/human-centered-design

https://www.ubongo.org/case-study/co-creating-videos-for-better-letter-learning/

https://www.ideo.com/case-study/creating-the-first-usable-mouse

[warakami-vaporwave]

Supercolor Rainbow

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[seamlessoo]

Arrive

[indigo-impulse]

Design Writing 1

Coming up with original and innovative ideas is something that is very difficult to achieve. It demands a different mindset than most tasks. This type of creative thinking is essential for growth and progress in society. Unlike critical thinking, which requires one to think analytically and factually, creative thinking is all about looking at the bigger picture and trying to find a solution that is outside of the box and unexpected. In this essay, the focus will be on how anyone can increase their creative thinking. 

Creative thinking is a process that is separated into five stages. The first stage is empathizing, which involves truly understanding the problem at hand on a personal level. The second stage is defining the problem, which helps further develop an effective solution. The third stage is ideate which is the brainstorming phase of the process and allows for multiple possible ideas. The fourth stage is prototyping which is where the ideas get put to the test and physically made. The final stage is testing, which is when the ideas are deemed to be either a good solution or not. These stages however are not a concrete structure and are bound to be reordered depending on how the process is going. 

There was a study conducted by Siyuan Liu and Allen Braun where they were studying freestyle rappers and tracking their brain activity using an fMRI scan.  Freestyle rapping activates the creative side of the brain because words have to be thought of on the spot and at a very fast pace.  In the study, 12 rappers recited both a rehearsed set of lyrics and lyrics made up on the spot while their brain was being monitored. They did this in order to see which areas of the brain were being activated in both situations. The results found that during the improve lyrics test the participants had less activity in their frontal lobes which help regulate basic functions. Along with this, there was increased activity in the medial prefrontal cortex which is responsible for higher cognitive functions. This study shows that freestyle rappers are able to isolate certain parts of their brain in order to think quickly and creatively. 

Higher levels of creativity have also been seen with spending time outdoors and being immersed in nature. With today’s society being so focused on technology, it sometimes makes it hard to get away from. Especially with a subject like graphic design which relies heavily on computers, it is important to get outdoors to boost creativity. A study conducted at the University of Kansas investigated the creativity levels of 56 participants who backpacked for 4-6 days with no technology. 24 of the participants took a creativity test the morning before their trip and scored an average of 4.14. The rest of the participants took the same test on their last day of the trip and scored an average of 6.08. The study was not fully conclusive, but does give insight into how nature can affect creativity. 

In conclusion, creative thinking comes in many different forms and can be used to help a variety of tasks. It is a tool that when used correctly can greatly benefit society. It can be understood in five stages that are not fully structured and can be somewhat left to interpretation. There have been multiple studies conducted to try and determine where creativity comes from and how to boost it, such as the freestyle rapping study and the nature study. Anyone can improve their creative thinking skills, and although it might take some time to master, it is possible. 

Sources: 

https://www.designyourway.net/blog/design/what-is-creativity-and-the-importance-of-creative-thinking/

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/brain-scans-of-rappers-shed-light-on-creativity/

https://www.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/stories/getting-back-to-nature-inspires-creativity-new-study-shows