What is Design?

DESIGN
To design means to plan. Almost everything we come in contact with has been designed by someone. The people that design these things used a surprisingly similar process.

COMPOSITION
The products of design are compositions- arrangements of the visual elements. They are as varied as the objects you see around you. This class will specialize in the design and composition of two-dimensional artwork. Much of the class will be spent investigating the design principles, the organizational tools used in the process. You will also learn the design elements, the visual building blocks of design.

The Value of Confusion

Are you confused about how to proceed with your hottest new idea or project? Puzzled? Baffled? Disoriented?

If so, take heart! Confusion is not always bad. In fact, it is often a necessary part of the creative process.

The weirdness enters when you start to judge yourself for being confused. Then, instead of benefiting from this normal stage of "not knowing" you end up in endless rounds of self-talk, procrastination, and worry- none of which will serve you on your way to creating something wonderful.

What IS confusion, really?

Technically speaking, it's a state of mind in which the elements you are dealing with appear to be indiscriminately mixed, out of whack, or unable to be interpreted to your satisfaction.

Everyone from Einstein to Mickey Mouse has had this experience. It comes with the territory of trying to innovate.

Most of us, unfortunately, have a hard time acknowledging it.

"Not knowing" has become a euphemism for "ignorance" or "being unprofessional." And so begins our curious routine of appearing to know and giving bogus answers- to ourselves and others- in a pitiful attempt to mask our confusion and maintain a sense of control, brilliance, and selfhood.

Our fundamental discomfort with not knowing- much in the same way that a person who breaks up with their sweetheart often rushes too quickly into the next relationship- prevents us from mining the value of this potentially fertile time of dislocation.

Picasso puts it well: "The act of creation is first of all an act of destruction."

Translation? Great breakthroughs emerge after times of dissolution, chaos, and confusion. Jump too quickly into the next thing and you may be short-circuiting a critical stage of the (yes, often uncomfortable) creative process.

Wasn't the universe itself created out of chaos?

llya Prigogine, a leading brain researcher, describes this phenomenon as the "Theory of Dissipative Structures". Simply put, it means that when things fall apart, they eventually reorganize themselves on a higher level (if they don't first become extinct).

And while this transition stage certainly looks and feels like confusion, what's really happening is that the old structures are giving way to the new.

Lao Tzu, one of China's most revered sages, knew all about this phenomenon:

"I am a fool, oh yes, I am confused. Other men are clear and bright, but I alone am dim and weak. Other men are sharp and clever, but I alone am dull and stupid. Oh, I drift like the waves of the sea, without direction, like the restless wind."

Somehow, he knew that "things" needed to be a little mixed up for there to be sufficient space for something new to enter his life. He knew that sometimes it was wisest just to let life unfold - and that any knee-jerk attempt to clear up what he perceived to be confusion would only leave him with his old habits, patterns, and routines.

There is no need to fight confusion. Let it be.

It's a stage we must pass through on the road to creation. Fighting confusion only makes it worse- like trying to clean a dirty pond by poking at it with a stick.

And, besides, even while our conscious mind is telling us we're confused, our subconscious mind is processing a mile a minute to come up with some amazing solutions, in the shower, while we're exercising, driving home from work, even in our dreams.

Look at it this way...

First, we REFUSE (to have our status quo threatened). Then, we get CONFUSED (trying to sort out all the new input). Next, we try to DIFFUSE the process (by regressing or denying.) Eventually, we get INFUSED (inundated by new insights). And, finally, we get FUSED (connecting with previously unrelated elements to form a new and unified whole).

So, what is your next step? Allow confusion to be what it is- the catalyst for new and more elegant solutions in your life. And if you really can't stand the confusion, know there are simple things you can do to go beyond it:

1. Take a break from the problem at hand


2. Get clear about what's confusing you


3. Talk about your confusion with trusted friends or co-workers


4. Seek out missing information


5. Redefine your problem or challenge


6. Pay attention to your dreams and other clues bubbling up from your subconscious


7. Ask for input/feedback from others


8. Let go


9. Realize it took years for the post-it (an accident in the lab) to go from idea to commercial product


10. Find the humor in it

http://www.ideachampions.com/weblogs/archives/2010/06/the_value_of_co_1.shtml, The Heart of Innovation, Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at June 2, 2010 01:44 AM

LINE

is an element of art that is used to define shape, contours, and outlines, also to suggest mass and volume. It may be a continuous mark made on a surface with a pointed tool or implied by the edges of shapes and forms.

All lines have direction - Horizontal, Vertical or Oblique. Horizontal suggests calmness, stability and tranquility. Vertical gives a feeling of balance, formality and alertness. Oblique suggests movement and action.

CHARACTERISTICS OF LINE ARE:

Width - thick, thin, tapering and uneven

Length - long, short, continuous and broken

Direction - horizontal, vertical, diagonal, curving, perpendicular, oblique, parallel, radial and zigzag

Focus - sharp, blurry, fuzzy and choppy

Feeling - sharp, jagged, graceful and smooth

freeform lines creating movement

Horizontal

Vertical

TYPES OF LINE:

Outlines - Lines made by the edge of an object or its silhouette.

Contour Lines - Lines that describe the shape of an object and the interior detail.

Gesture Lines - Line that are energetic and catches the movement and gestures of an active figure.

Sketch Lines - Lines that captures the appearance of an object or impression of a place.

Implied Line - Lines that are not actually drawn but created by a group of objects seen from a distance. The direction an object is pointing to, or the direction a person is looking at.

Using stippling and crosshatching to create value

Stippling is the creation of a pattern simulating varying degrees of solidity or shading by using small dots. Such a pattern may occur in nature and artists frequently emulate these effects.

Crosshatching is the drawing of two layers of hatching at right angles to create a mesh-like pattern. Multiple layers in varying directions can be used to create textures. Crosshatching is often used to create tonal effects, by varying the spacing of lines or by adding additional layers of lines. Crosshatching is used in pencil drawing, but is particularly useful with pen and ink drawing, to create the impression of areas of value, since the pen can only create a solid black line.

crosshatching

stippling 

Thumbnail Sketches- Grab those sketchbooks!

Before beginning any work of art every artist or designer needs to keep in mind every composition begins with an idea. To use the design principles effectively it is necessary that the artist have an idea to express or an objective in mind. This is vital to the success of any art or design work. Without an objective, the most diligent attention to the principles of design will result in uninteresting work. 


Every designer’s goal should be to create a composition that is both unified and interesting to look at. 

Thumbnails are Memory Aids and Planning Tools: 
Thumbnail sketches can serve as a memory aid to help you remember important features of a subject, when making notes for a painting or drawing. They are also useful when visiting a gallery, to help you remember important pieces. Often artists use thumbnail sketches to plan pictures. You can quickly experiment with format and composition, placing just the major features - such as the horizon and any large objects, and indicating movement and balance.

How to Draw a Thumbnail Sketch: 
Imagine your subject or picture stripped of all details, through squinted eyes, or in poor light. All you see are big rough shapes and some lines. That is all you need for a thumbnail. First, sketch a rough box, smaller but in the same proportions as the finished picture might be. Then sketch in the horizon line, hills, or any major verticals or horizontals. The outline any key shapes, and quickly hatches in any strong dark areas. There are no right or wrong ways - that's my approach, and it might work for you.

This is a rough sketch of a Halloween costume I designed. I think I scribbled more notes than I sketched. Sometimes when I am stumped for visual ideas I also write out word lists that are associated with my design idea. 

Thumbnails can be in Color: Thumbnail sketches are a great way to plan color schemes. Use text, colored pencil or watercolor to put in major areas of color in your picture. Small but intense colors can also be noted, as these can attract the eye, but don't get bogged down with detail.

INTRODUCTION TO DESIGN

Good design always starts with an idea.

Before beginning any work of art every artist or designer needs to keep in mind every composition begins with an idea. To use the design principles effectively it is necessary that the artist have an idea to express or an objective in mind. This is vital to the success of any art or design work. Without an objective, the most diligent attention to the principles of design will result in uninteresting work. With an idea, however, even though the principles may be forgotten and used intuitively, a beautiful composition may emerge. 

Every designer’s goal should be to create a composition that is both unified and interesting to look at.

Things to think about: 

what the element is

how the element relates to the picture plane

where the element fits with the other elements on the picture plane

The Principles of Design

The principles of design are the recipe for a good work of art. The principles combine the elements to create an aesthetic placement of things that will produce a good design. How we apply the principles of design determines how successful we are in creating a work of art.

EMPHASIS - is an area that first attracts attention in a composition. This area is more important when compared to the other objects or elements in a composition. This can be by contrast of values, more colors, and placement in the format.

 Emphasis using color

BALANCE - is a feeling of visual equality in shape, form, value, color, etc. Balance can be symmetrical or evenly balanced or asymmetrical and un-evenly balanced. Objects, values, colors, textures, shapes, forms, etc., can be used in creating a balance in a composition.

Asymmetrical balance

Symmetrical

UNITY - brings together a composition with similar units. If your composition was using wavy lines and organic shapes you would stay with those types of lines and not put in just one geometric shape.

Unity- grouping of similar objects

Unity- proximity of objects

CONTRAST - offers some change in value creating a visual discord in a composition. Contrast shows the difference between shapes and can be used as a background to bring objects out and forward in a design. It can also be used to create an area of emphasis.

Contrast in color

Contrast of hard light and dark tones

MOVEMENT - is a visual flow through the composition. It can be the suggestion of motion in a design as you move from object to object by way of placement and position. Directional movement can be created with a value pattern. It is with the placement of dark and light areas that you can move your attention through the format.

The lines in this design create movement

RHYTHM - is a movement in which some elements reoccur regularly. Like a dance it will have a flow of objects that will seem to be like the beat of music.

PATTERN - is the repetition of an element (or elements) in a work. An artist achieves a pattern through the use of colors, lines or shapes.

ELEMENTS OF DESIGN

The elements and principles of design are the building blocks used to create a work of art. The elements of design can be thought of as the things that make up a painting, drawing, design etc.

LINE - is an element of art that is used to define shape, contours, and outlines, also to suggest mass and volume. It may be a continuous mark made on a surface with a pointed tool or implied by the edges of shapes and forms.

SHAPE - is a self-contained defined area of geometric or organic form. Shapes are flat. Some shapes are geometric, such as squares, circles, triangles, rectangles, and ovals. Other shapes are organic or irregular, often found in nature, like leaves or seashells.

TEXTURE - is the surface quality of a surface or substance - rough, smooth, soft hard glossy etc. Texture can be physical (tactile) or visual.

VALUE - is the lightness or darkness of a color. Value is also called Tone.

COLOUR - is the quality of an object or substance with respect to light reflected by the object, usually determined visually by measurement of hue, saturation, and brightness of the reflected light; saturation or chroma; hue.

SPACE - refers to the area that a shape or form occupies. It also refers to the background against which we see the shape or form. Space can be defined as positive and negative. The positive space of a design is the filled space in the design. Negative space is the back­ground.