Reading - Definition/Modeling

On stage 5 of The Design Process Aspelund gives us his insight on what the next step of the design process should be after you have already gone through Inspiration, Identification, Conceptualization, & Exploration/Refinement. This chapter, Definition/Modeling, is about creating a model, the importance of scale, & the importance of using the right materials to send the correct message to the client about the design.

Pay attention to detail is something that we become very good at, especially when working on layouts, it's amazing what moving an object a few picas up or down will do to the design. Designs will never be perfect, it will not always be the simplest thing to take and idea and tell others about it & expect them to understand it and feel the same about your idea. That is when the model comes into play. The model is the first impression that the client will have, & if its done wrong or half assed it can be the end of the beginning. This is where Aspelund suggest that it is important that the model is done well but don't become obsessed with the model because that client has to understand that it is still a work in progress.

"Do something unexpected, and don't be afraid to be weird or engage in magical thinking" (pg.125). I quoted Aspelund while he was talking aboutCreativity because it reminded me of John Maeda and what he was talking about in his TED talk. All the things that Maeda was talking about, and the things he created. He is a "weird" character that "engage[s] in magical thinking". For example the design he did with the field of fries, and the butterflies he did with the chicken nuggets. I was taken back that he went out of his way to do that, he even went so far as to write a software for it. That's passion...

Another topic of discussion is Aspelund's remarks towards "when Is GOOD ENOUGH enough?" I think is something that we have dealt with at point or another, just recently with one of the previous assignments with all the headlines. When did we feel it was good enough? Was it once he had ten, or once we had hundred? I guess it's all about making it perfect versus getting it done. There comes a point that we get fed up with a design, to the point that we just want to get it done this is the point that we have to reinspire our selves once more. Show our sleves once more why it is that we chose to go in this direction, what it was that we feel in love in the first place to make all the blood sweat and tears worth it at the beginning, middle, and all the way to the end.