I recently attended the Georgia Chapter PDMA Summit 2008 that discussed the Politics of Innovation. It was fantastically practical with great speakers. You can download their presentations by clicking here. My favorite speaker was David Owens, Professor of Management at Vanderbilt University and former CEO of Griffin Technology. He had the great thesis that “creative people must be stopped” and he fought against “thinking outside the box”. My hope is that he will one day be able to erase that cliche from the face of the earth. What David Owens is getting at in terms of product development is that thinking outside the box make no sense because the constraints of “the box” are good constraints can be agreed upon, measured, offer focus, and constraints drive adoption.
Designers fight back with constraints because by the time you design a product that fits all the constraints you end up with a puny idea that is not all that interesting. David Owens then jumps in with what he considers the drive to innovation. Owens says that innovation doesn’t come from coming up with wacky ideas outside of constraints, he instead encourages designers to find ways to expand your constraints. When your constraints are broader, your ideas have more room to grow (see his diagram above).
British reporter Riz Kahn put together a great piece on the education process as it relates to teaching creative fields. Ken Robinson is the subject matter expert that creates a very unique argument.
I’d like to take this opportunity to summarize some points of extreme importance for you as a beginning designer. I have followed these principles throughout my career and have used them to guide me in the development of your graphic design program. I call this methodology the Michael R. Nelson “12-Point Program for Successful Designers.”
1. Be humble and ready to learn. Even after you complete your program, there is still a vast world of design out there for you to learn, experience, and absorb.
2. Always enter into a design project with clear objectives and criteria.
3. Establish a clear design process with a methodical intent of reducing possible solutions until a clear solution rises to the top.
4. Don’t be afraid to revisit parts of the design process as many times as needed to get it right.
5. Have a clear hierarchy of information in the graphics you design.
6. Respect typography.
7. Make your imagery meaningful. Don’t be overly simplistic with your imagery. Make sure it’s appropriate and communicates your core message.
8. Always push your designs for a higher level of excellence.
9. A successful designer must be willing to self-educate. Never stop learning about design and exposing yourself to creative outlets.
10. Make your own opportunities. Designers do not have the luxury of sitting back and waiting for prospective clients and employers to come to them.
11. Be discriminating in defining what good and bad design is. Whether you are critiquing yourself or work you randomly run across, or you are participating in a formal group critique, hold the work to a high standard and have the confidence to declare it successful or unsuccessful. Allow proven, high-quality work like we cover on this blog define your standards of good work.
12. Don’t let computer programs “own” your designs.
If you can excel at these 12 points, you will be well on your way to becoming a good designer. Let me know how you are progressing through your program and please reach out to me through this blog if you need any direct assistance. All you have to do is leave me a comment and I’ll follow up with you right away. I’m here to do whatever I can to make this learning experience a successful one for you!
Thanks to Starck Ting for permission to use this Photo.
Throughout his career, Philippe Starck has positioned himself ahead of the design curve, practically ignoring it, but not through the prescient recognition and/or early adoption of trends. Starck instead relies on ingenuity to reinterpret the concept of design itself, reworking the most mundane of objects (clocks, silverware, computer mouses, etc.) until they are capable of being perceived in different contexts—with new meaning and functions. In this conceptual sense, one can detect traces of Marcel Duchamp and his influential readymade objects. The following video offers a fine introduction to the vision of Philippe Starck. Starck’s vision will inspire you. Click on the image above to watch this video. Let us know what you think.
Ryan Rode
Interactive Services Manager
Ashworth University
Feng shui (“wind and water”) is a well known ancient Chinese art of placement. According to this art, the way in which energy flows through a garden or a home has a negative or positive effect on the owner of the place. Nowadays, according to modern feng shui theory: marital bliss, business success and even fame can be a part of one’s life if the furniture is placed properly in the house and there is a balanced Feng Shui
Garden landscape design.
Deborah Gee, an expert in the art of using feng shui has made a video to aid people tie together and use chi, the “life force” properly. The concept of chi is central to the principles of Feng Shui. To correctly handle and apply chi in a garden requires handling of three basic elements:
Water – it is represented by ponds, streams or fountain in feng shui, (feng shui fountains) or also a river of stones; and symbolizes wealth and prosperity.
Mountains – it can be symbolically signified by planting beds that are raised, shrubbery and tall trees and symbolizes energy.
Greenery – this can be represented by the green grass and anything which is green around.
One of the key factors that need to be considered with feng shui is balance. The three basic elements of water, mountains and greenery should be placed close to each other. Sharp items should be placed near pathways. They direct sharp chi at people who pass by and disrupts the internal flow of energy, in turn causing a lot of stress and tension. Circular or meandering pathways in the garden are much better; straight ones and the latter create a wave of fast moving chi that may be the cause of feeling uncomfortable. Making the garden flat is a common mistake that most garden designers make. A flat garden does not encourage chi flow. Different levels and layers make chi flow smoothly in the garden. Additionally, curves in the garden help in improving the chi flow. (more…)
LiLEKS is a great website sharing some old photos of the first computers. The photos are beautiful and those machines are so insane looking. The site also has some other quick retrospectives of things like matchbook covers, motels, and restaurants from the 50’s. As a designer, it’s important to know the history of different aesthetic trends and stylistic movements, so be sure to spend a few minutes exploring this vintage site. Beyond the professional insights you’ll gain, it’s simply a very entertaining collection of photos!
Michael R. Nelson Graphic Design Instructor
Ashworth University
The design applications provided by the latest in motion capture/rapid prototyping technologies are empowering new designers to experiment like never before. Front is a furniture design company based out Sweden and they have pioneered the use of this amazing technology, which allows the user to take their traditional free hand sketches and translate them into 3-D digital files; the process doesn’t end there though. These virtual design files are then transformed into actual physical models that mirror what one originally began as a free-hand sketch! It’s quite an abstract process to describe with words, so I’ll let the following video show you what’s it all about. Whether you’re a graphic, web, fashion, or interior designer—you should feel excited that such tools are becoming increasingly available on the market at affordable prices. Have you had an opportunity to work with a design program of this nature? Let us know.
Thanks to Paul Peracchia for permission to use this Photo.
When it comes to how to lay wood flooring, it does not depend on the version one intends to install. Wood flooring is a type of flooring that is made from timber obtained from hardwoods, spruce, or hard pine. It is valued for its beauty, durability, and is a good substitute for carpeting. The unfinished version of wood flooring is first installed and then sanded, i.e. it is finished on site. The other newer version is the pre-finished flooring, that which is finished in a factory and then installed at the required place. Before carrying out wood flooring installation, it is important to allow the wood strips to get acclimatized to the moisture in the house as wood may expand or contract with change in humidity level. This needs a time period of about 3 to 5 days.
There are four techniques that can be employed for wood flooring installation :
Free float is meant for the individuals who have little or no experience with wood flooring installation.
Glue down makes use of a wood flooring adhesive or a wood flooring glue, and is recommended for those who have some experience. If the subfloor is flat and calls for minimum preparation, then this method is suggested.
Staple down method makes use of powerful wood flooring tools and thus needs good amount of experience.
A special kind of stapler called the flooring nail gun or flooring nailer is needed. The nail down method also needs specific wood flooring tools.
One may also give some thought to laminate floorings. Laminate vs. wood flooring comes under consideration when one wants the beauty of wood flooring but is also asking for a low maintenance material. Laminate flooring is made out of synthetic material but looks like wood flooring. These are usually less expensive and more durable than the regular wood flooring. They also prove out to be a reasonable solution when the question of easy installation pops up. (more…)
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