The Design Process - Karl Aspelund

Stage 1 - Inspiration

Inspiration as stated in the book, is derived from the Latin word "inspirare", which means to breath into; because they believed that all creations were the result of gods breathing life into them. It's the beginning of the creative process. In this chapter/stage, the author details different methods and practices to look for inspiration, how become inspired by many different things and ways, for example some may have to sit alone and listen to music, others go for a drive, etc, to be able to become inspired and generate creative ideas to apply to their work. For me, there is no conscientious approach other than the awareness of deadlines. I don't just wait until the last minut for everything...but, with my important projects, I pay special attention to the amount of time necessary to generate ideas as to how I want to achieve my design/project. So as for inspiration, I guess it would have to be that I am normally happy with myself/life, and the acceptance that I am not happy if I don't do the simple everyday things that make me happy (being with my kids, working/getting payed, school, having personal time with friends, relaxing after a satisfactory day of work). If I am discontent with my life, then I have no driving force to accomplish anything. I find my inspiration in simply living day to day, with the knowledge that I have the need to stay happy by balancing the several different obligations that I have chosen to fulfill with those things that make me happy.

Stage 2 - Identification

Constraints: They key constraints in any design, from my limited personal experience, are " determined by the needs or desires of the end user, designer, or fabricator." Again, from my experience at work (being present and observing the design and manufacturing process of our products with customers, who typically are the middle-man to the end user), the end user has the final say in what the final design will be, but they also are typically the starting point to where the constraints begin accumulating. They typically have a general idea of what they want and they also typically explicitly convey the ideas to us so that we can help them out as best as possible. Then, the technical part comes in, how the product needs to be manufactured; did the end user specify what type of materials, color, or any other technical specifications they are either required to meet, or that they may personally specify. Once that is achieved, the price is then calculated and marked up for profit, and then the total cost of the project is relayed to the end user. If it is too high, we then work with them to see where we can save them money by changing the design. There are countless other constraints, but these are the most common and reoccurring. As stated in this book, many people, municipalities, companies, etc, are requiring and desiring products that are environmentally friendly, so many of our new projects are working with other lighting techonology companies (L.E.D. and Plasma technologies) to develop products that meet the industries new and growing demand.

Stage 3 - Conceptualization

While the author touched on multiple topics in this section, such as the applying of analogies, metaphors, similies, and intuitive thinking as ways of helping you to thoroughly understand parts of the process  so that you can easily and effectively convey them to others. But the most influential part of the section is Brainstorming. I agree with the author in saying that brainstorming is the beginning of your inspiration. This truly is the moment where the ideas start to come in, whether it is merely thoughts in your head (a mental note) or an actual brainstorming session, with pen and paper in hand. Personally, I think of ideas in my head and take mental note of the ones that stick out the most (typically only the ones I remember) and then I discuss them amongst a select few of my friends and relatives. From there I then put the ideas on paper, where then the process begins. I feel it is important for me to talk to these people so that they help me filter out the bad ideas, but also they give their opinion on what they do like, which then allows me to either generate or improve ideas. These people typically never have anything to do with my work/projects at all, they are a few people who's opinions I value for all aspects of my life. The author showed several different methods and ways to brainstorm, and it is very important for designers to find one(s) that work for them, because for a good design to be made, all the crap needs to be filtered out, as well as always taking into consideration all the constraints, both inherent and imposed, so that a successful design is achieved. Which goes into the authors other point, the success of being able to effectively present your concept/idea(s). It's like making a sale, you have to know all about it and be enthusiastic as to why everyone else should feel the same as you. Visuals ALWAYS help in convincing/making the sale.

Stage 4 - Exploration/Refinement

This stage is about sketching to see what the limits are, both least and most. But not just sketching, but also the necessity and the impact it has on the final design, and with your (my) practices/habits as an artist/designer. Putting down on paper what the least you can do to meet the requirements and the most you can imagine is possible per the requirements so that you can explore as much as possible in between to find the best compromise of the two extremes. The easiest way for me to explain the vital role it plays in my learning and creative processes is in the example of learning math, specifically word problems as child. I was always so used to just numbers, but when the math problem turns into a little paragraph and the answer needs to be a number I just could not believe that it was possible. But you learn that by drawing out images of what the word problem is talking about, rendering words into a graphics so that they become understandable. In brainstorming my ideas/designs, I sometimes forget or do not understand what I put on paper when it is a whole page of only words. Other times, they will be sketches/drawings of things with little words and it is WAY easier for me to begin remembering what I was thinking when I drew those images. 

It is important to sketch a lot on one concept/idea so that I can develop a well thought out and explored concept. But I also agree with the author in his stating the importance of discussing what you have explored with others so that they can give you feedback that sparks further exploration. Then I can go back and tweak my concept to what I feel will be more successful.

Stage 5 - Definition/Modeling

In this section, the author discusses the stage in which the process of design moves from the learning and free exploring, and into the more technical and precise phase necessary to create something close to perfection. Everything going into a particular design has already been accounted for, brainstorm, sketching, etc. have all been done and its time to take it to the next level of refinement. At this point, you can envision how you want your design to look, so the next step is to create a model. Depending on what the design is, the medium used to create the model may vary, but it must be created in a way that it will convey intentions of your end-design. This step allows for you, and the end user, to physically see and be able to discuss how the outcome can be improved to meet the desired design. Although it may be very easy to become content with the outcome of the model and settle with the design as is, the better and more successful designs are those that are improved upon after analyzing the model.

Also in this section the author briefly touches on the subject of re-inspiring yourself. He comments that at this point in the creative process, one might become burnt out from the work, or from the thought of the work that is ahead of them. The process just took a drastic turn. It went from the free, almost non-structured process of generating ideas of all sorts, to the step where the decisions in design have to become concisely thought out. The ideas have to be put into action and the model is made to re-evaluate the design and improve upon it.




Stage 6 - Communication
In this stage it is imperative that the designer establishes a selling point for their audience, to decide for them that they need what you are presenting vs. giving them something that they should want. First off, the designer/presenter must know who the audience is so that they can prepare to present to their expectations, in addition to the setting and your appearance for the presentation. You have to prepare for the setting and try to use your surroundings to make yourself appear to be more comfortable, and inevitably more sure of yourself and your presentation. It is important to appeal to the audience so that they stay engaged in the presentation. The most effective way to retain the attention of the audience is to speak and present accordant to the audience in front of you, such as speaking in front of professors vs speaking in front of grammar school children. In addition to being aware and catering to your audience, you must always remain consistant with your ideas, words, etc. during the presentation to convey a definite concept/design/product. Organization is key to this, and being well prepared for the presentation will allow for the presenter to be effectively convincing to the audience. If you were to go in front of any audience semi-unprepared, uttering "uhh's", and , "umm's" in between every other word shows unprofessionalism and unpreparedness. Practice, practice, practice. Without practicing the presentation, there is no way of gauging how you will act when presenting for the first time. You have to work out the awkwardness and find ways that you will be comfortable selling your design.




Stage 7 - Production
The last stage of the design process. As the designer of the end-result, you are the father/mother of the baby. So instead of finishing and polishing off a design to send it over to production, you must engage in the production process to ensure that your baby grows up to be a successful, contributing member of society. As the leader of the team working to create this "end-result" you must appreciate all team members for their role in the process because without them, well, there would be a lot more work for you! But also, you would be missing out on the knowledge and experience from other individuals who have experience in using other mediums other than your accustomed to; which in many cases results in the expansion of ones own breadth of knowledge and understanding of numerous aspects and fields of design and production. These individuals can offer feedback on your design which in future projects you can create higher quality work after learning about specific materials from people who have experience in using materials you are unfamiliar with. However, in most cases feedback is negative. All the same, negative feedback is the best kind for it allows the designer to take in what others think needs improvement, where you can then use this feedback to create better work in the future. And in some cases, the negative feedback can create a complete stop to your process and force you to start from scratch, again, this can be seen as a benefit for you now are seeking to create a true success resulting from failure.


The author then goes into the different types of prototyping and then making the final decision to execute the design. Prototyping is essential so that you and others get a three-dimensional look of how the outcome of the design will appear. The first type is Concept Prototyping which is a representational model of the concept/idea so that you and others can get a quick/rough visual of how it will appear physically so that you may begin fine-tuning the physical design. The next is Throwaway, which is a model that is meant to physically test the design, or a part of it, such as a moving part or any other functional aspect of the design, so that you may tackle the functionality part before moving on to other parts of the design. The third is Evolutionary Prototyping which is a exploration model where you try out different options, interchange things, and learn about the design so that you have experience physically exploring other options. The prototyping is the stepping stone for the final decision making of the final product. All the testing and exploring are all the necessary steps carefully taken so that the designer, along with the production team, are together making an absolute decision to create the final product.

The author also mentions to document the project for record keeping. This allows for the upkeep of a portfolio and for reference for future projects.