Design (In Squiggles)

Design is an art of exploration. We come up with an idea, follow a thread, reject it, generate another idea, reject it and on until we eventually come out somewhere new.  There is a subconscious grounding that often lets us 'start of on the right foot' without us knowing it.  Through our collective experiences, training, observations, and abilities we are really able to rapidly synthesize information and formulate complex and comprehensive approaches to solving the design challenge on our table.  The ability to layer and edit information as we explore solutions is a designers strength, but how does that process really work?


I came across this diagram about the process of design which struck a chord;

Image copyright by Damien Newman
Source


Its almost as if a beginning thought is like the big bang. An explosion alive with possibilities that are ultimately shaped by interactions, requirements, observances, and rejections. Atoms of uncertain ideas spinning a bit out of control, circling around, combining and colliding until there are certain realizations and meanings placed upon them. What sticks and what doesn't. Through that chaos comes clarity, as if the idea is brought under control and wrestled into an even state of being.  And out of that comes the true art of exploration - the navigation of uncertainty and the ability to focus chaos. 


So I've decided to design in squiggles, not in circles.

Behind the Skin - East Wing, National Gallery of Art, Washington DC

Its not often you get to see what is underneath the skin of a famous landmark building. Currently the East Wing of the National Gallery of Art, designed by the architect I.M Pei, is undergoing a reconstruction and the limestone cladding has been removed, and beneath it is revealed the concrete frame structure and brick infill.  

A fascinating look behind the curtain don't you think?