Week 5: Thoughts on Ideas

How do we think?

Our workshop challenge for this week was to research, explore, and find an example of a way of thinking- this can be through any different expression or discipline such as art, design, philosophy or science.

We then have to choose a thinker or a process and summarise it in a black line drawing.

My first thought when reading this workshop challenge was whether or not I should choose an artist or a philosopher as my inspiration.

Having studied both art and philosophy during my time at school, you could say that I grew up with an interest in how everyone thinks, and furthermore, how they come up with ideas for their art or theories.

Before going any further, I decided to do some thorough research into the different ways of thinking (in general) and the different processes that designers take in order to come up with an idea/ create their content.

Left Brain Thinkers Vs Right Brain Thinkers

In the 1960's, the neurobiologist Roger W. Sperry had suggested the theory that everyone has one half of their brain which is more dominant than the other half- and dependent on which side it was, it determined what kind of personality you have.

Fig. 1- Left- vs. Right-Brained https://biomedicalodyssey.blogs.hopkinsmedicine.org/2019/05/left-vs-right-brained-why-the-brain-laterality-myth-persists/

Whilst left-brained people were more analytical, logical, numerical, and fact-orientated, right-brained people were more creative, free-thinking, intuitive, and emotional.

If I were to choose the side of my brain that I thought was the most dominant, my first thought would be the right brain. I'm creative, emotional and intuitive- but what's to say I'm not rational or analytical either?

To say that all creative people are right-brain thinkers is quite outdated as there are hundreds of designers who use a more rational way of thinking, or a premeditated/ analytical process to create their design pieces.

This whole theory makes me think of the song, 'Left Brain, Right Brain' which was created by the comedian Bo Burnham, which although it is quite obviously a comedy song, it also has an underlining and very deep message about how we need to use both sides of our brain in order to be happy- that we should be rational and emotional, analytical and creative in order to achieve our highest selves.

Fig. 2- Left Brain, Right Brain w/ Lyrics- Bo Burnham. Musical Comedy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edmIy21ds2c

7 Different Ways of Thinking:

I came across this really interesting blog that was written by the life coach and wellness advocate, Tatiana Azman. In this blog, she discusses the 7 different (most common) ways in which we think, how you can identity yours, and why identifying your thinking process is important in achieving happiness and success.

Here is a summary of the 7 different ways in which we think:

Creative- Creative thinking is a way of thinking and creating beyond what has already been established (aka 'thinking outside the box').

Analytical- Analytical thinkers have a more structured and methodical way of approaching tasks, coming up with ideas. and creating content. They will often follow a step by step or systematic process when creating a design piece.

Critical- Critical thinkers uses careful evaluation or judgement- they will break down information into different parts, they will explore other elements that could impact the conclusion.

Concrete- Concrete thinkers are more practical and literal and less analytical and abstract- they will often spontaneously create designs without too much pre-thought or pre-planning.

Abstract- Abstract thinkers will often find or create hidden meanings and connections with each element of their design piece. Although they are more detail orientated, they are also curious as to how each individual component will complete and shape the bigger picture/ final product.

Divergent- Divergent thinkers will explore an infinite number of solutions to find the one that is the most effective. As designers, instead of sticking with what they know best, they will explore a wide array of different styles, techniques or ideas to see which one will result in the best outcome.

Convergent- Convergent thinkers will focus on finding one, well-defined outcome. Instead of trying a large array of different styles, techniques or ideas, they will narrow down the possibilities until they find one solution that will result in the best outcome.

Overall, I found this idea quite interesting but I believe that it isn't as simple as

Case Studies

Thomas Heatherwick

Fig. 3- Vessel, Thomas Heatherwick https://www.heatherwick.com/project/vessel/

Thomas Heatherwick is a product and furniture designer as well as an amazing architect; he is predominately known for his very abstract, unique and unconventional designs.

His thinking process can be summed down to this; 'Thinking through making'.

Much like a concrete thinker, Heatherwick will use physical materials such as clay to create different shapes, patterns and models- which helps to add fuel his inspiration and generate ideas. You could also say that he is a creative thinker, as with each of his designs he attempts to think outside of the box.

Karl Gersther

Fig. 4- Karl Gersther https://www.typeroom.eu/article/memoriam-karl-gerstner-1930-2016

On the other hand, Karl Gerstner, a graphic designer, typographer, and author of the book 'Designing Programmes', takes a more logical and analytical approach to design.

Evident in his work and his book 'Designing Programmes', he often follows a strict step-by-step process where he will consider and evaluate all of the small details, elements and possibilities of the design beforehand. He will consider how each change might effect the overall outcome of the design and because of this, you could say that he is an Analytical, Critical and/ or a Convergent thinker.

Paul Klee

Fig. 5- Burdened Children, Paul Klee https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/writing-poetry-taking-line-walk

Paul Klee is an expressionist artist known for his very abstract, yet conceptual art pieces.

Much like a concrete thinker, Klee creates his art pieces without over-thinking and will create without too much pre-designing/ pre-planning.

However, that's not to say his creations are devoid of any meaning, because much like an abstract thinker, Klee will add a lot of hidden depth, meaning, feeling or context behind his pieces.

Although there is not much pre-thought or planning, the inspiration and ideas for the piece can be formed within the development stage- which I believe is a recurring process for a lot of abstract, expressionist and conceptual artists.

Thinking Processes

Linear- The Double Dimond Design Process

During the 1960s, Bruce Archer and Brian Lawson believed that the weight and quantity of the designers considerations had taken a huge toll on their creative process. As a result, they had decided to try and create a simple, linear diagram in an attempt to make sense of the complexity of the situation.

Fig. 6- Bruce Archers Systematic Approach to Design Diagram. https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Bruce-Archers-Systematic-Design-Approach-Council-2007_fig1_328683360

Within these diagrams, the design process is split into three separate sections- Analysis, Synthesis and Evaluation.

The problem with these diagrams however, was that many believed that it was too simple- that it didn't consider the other competing factors and would often make it seem that any problem could be solved in one go.

It was then in 2005, however, that the Design Council decided to create their own graphical way of describing the design process- through the Double Diamond Diagram.

Fig. 7- Double Diamond Diagram. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_Diamond_%28design_process_model%29#/media/File:Double_diamond.png

Divided into four distinct phases, Discover, Define, Develop and Deliver, it maps the divergent and convergent stages of the design process, showing the different modes of thinking that designers use.

Discover- This marks the start of the design process- the initial ideas or inspirations that starts it all off. In this phase, you can explore, research and take into account information, market/ user research, data, trends etc to mould and help form your concepts.

Define- Following on from the Discover phase, this Define phase is the filter where the review, selection and discarding of ideas takes place. The findings from the Discover stage are analysed, defined and refined as problems, and ideas for solutions are pitched and prototyped.

Develop- The Develop phase is where design-led solutions are developed, iterated and tested. Together, the design team will refine one or more concepts that they believe will address the problems or issues identified during the Discover and Define stages.

Deliver- The Delivery stage is where the resulting product or service is finalised and launched in the relevant market. The concept is taken through a final batch of testing and then release to the public- where it will then receive feed back in which will be used to inform future projects.

Non-Linear Design Thinking: A 5 Stage Process

As someone who is definitely not always a step-by-step designer, I wanted to find and include a less linear design process to counteract the Double Diamond. Upon further research, I came across a blog post created by the Interaction Design Foundation who had come up with a non-linear, iterative process that involves five phases- Empathise, Define, Ideate, Prototype and Test.

Fig. 8- Design Thinking: A 5-Stage Process Diagram. https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/5-stages-in-the-design-thinking-process

Emphasise- with this stage, designers will develop upon on their empathetic understanding of the problem they're trying to solve. Through user research, data collection etc, they gain thorough insight into their customers/ clients wants and needs.

Define- at this stage, the information gathered beforehand is condensed, narrowed-down analysed and synthesised so that the designers can define the core problems that the user is facing.

Ideate- With the insight and background of knowledge that the designers have gained from the first couple of stages, it is time for them to think of an array of innovative solutions to the problem.

Prototype- the soul purpose of this phase is to narrow down the ideas and find the best possible solution to the problem. At this point, designers will create inexpensive, rough, mockup versions of the product which will help them to investigate further into their ideas and identify errors or areas for improvement.

Test- although this is the final phrase of the process, it is a repetitive and vigorous procedure that will continue until the designers are able to create a prototype that succeeds.

Rather than being sequential steps that you go through one after the other, designers will go back and forth through the different processes until they create the idea solution to the users problem(s).

Reflection:

Although these processes have a few different similarities and differences, the main element that we can take away from all of them is that they are all created with the predominant intention of serving, engaging or helping a user/client/customer.

Which in all fairness, a big part of being a graphic designer can be about creating content for others.

However, when creating art or design for the sake of yourself, what is the process then?

Part 3- Black Line Drawing

After researching into the different ways of thinking and the thinking processes, I decided to look more into abstract thinkers and atypical processes as my inspiration for my black line drawing.

Not only do I relate to abstract thinkers the most, but often times I find that these thinkers can take the form of artists that are well-known for the practice in abstract, expressionism and conceptual art- which are (funnily enough) my favourite art forms.

An artist I have admired for many years is Tracey Emin. Although simplistic in some aspects, her art holds a lot of complexities that are beyond surface level. They are often seen as confessional, raw and emotional and have consistently reflected upon her most vulnerable experiences throughout her life.

Fig. 9- WET, Tracey Emin. https://whitecube.com/artists/artist/tracey_emin

Fig. 10- Everyone I Have Ever Slept With 1963–1995, Tracey Emin. https://www.widewalls.ch/magazine/tracey-emin-everyone-i-have-ever-slept-with

Fig. 11- Living Under The Hunters Moon, Tracey Emin https://whitecube.com/exhibitions/exhibition/tracey_emin_masons_yard_2020

In my opinion, this makes Emin fall into the category of an abstract thinker, as her work will often contain a lot of hidden context, theories and ideas.

You could also say that because of her ability and determination to push and transcend the boundaries of typical art, that she is also that of a creative thinker.

In some of her art pieces, her process is almost entirely different to the processes I had researched before- especially with her art installation, My Bed.

Fig. 12- My Bed, Tracey Emin https://www.widewalls.ch/magazine/tracey-emin-my-bed

Emin explains how the piece came about after having struggled for four days through an emotional breakdown.

Tracey Emin awoke one day with a new perspective as she saw the 'absolute mess and decay' of her life and decided then and there that it needed to be set up in a gallery.

When presented to the public in 1999, it had initially sparked a lot of controversy and had received a large array of mixed opinions and criticism.

It was seen as grotesque and disgusting but many could also relate heavily to this piece as it 'offered everybody a chance to identify or project one's own painful experience' (Balasz Takac, 2019).

Fast forward to 2019, the piece was reconstructed in the Tate Modern, but was then also presented alongside the work of Francis Bacon which were chosen by Emin herself.

Fig. 13- Tracey Emin on My Bed https://youtu.be/uv04ewpiqSc

The most interesting part about her process when creating this piece, was the fact that this art piece was never planned, which is perhaps why it is so powerful and emotive.

At a glance it can be seen as just a messy bed, but for someone with an abstract way of thinking, it becomes so much more. It becomes an incredibly vulnerable message, a reflection on the ugliness of the human condition, a way for us to relate and emphasise with the creator.

Although the process was not linear in the slightest, she achieved what many designers and artists set out to do with their work- create content that can communicate, engage and move its viewers.

Furthermore, my black line drawing for this weeks challenge is a reflection and recreation of Tracey Emin's bed- as a way to celebrate and embrace abstract thinkers who break the boundaries of typical art and design practices and processes.

At first I decided to hand draw Tracey Emin's Bed, and although I liked how it came out, I thought that it was too simple- that in some way, I could go a step further and try something a little different.

I wasn't sure what at first and was a little stuck with what to do. But one morning, as I was getting out of bed and getting ready for work, I looked down at my unmade bed and decided then and there to take a picture of it.

But one morning, as I was getting out of bed and getting ready for work, I looked down at my unmade bed and decided then and there to take a picture of it.

Later that day, instead I decided to draw it on my tablet as I wanted to play around with colours, patterns, shading and textures- I didn't go into this with any pre-meditated ideas or plans, I just let myself do whatever came to mind.

As a result, the final piece came out in a whole new style that I hadn't ever really tried before.

Overall, I felt that this process had added way more context and depth to the final piece than the last piece had- the fact that it followed a vaguely similar and spontaneous process to Tracey Emin (no pre-meditated ideas or plans)but had ended up creating a simplistic- looking piece that contained a lot of depth and emotion beyond the surface.

This comic book style is new to me as I usually like to use a lot of textures, smooth lines and patterns. The colours I used, are colours that I think represent me the most and overall represent the different layers and aspects that make me who I am.

Reflection

Overall, the reason why I decided to focus on abstract thinkers and the 'no process' design processes, is because it's a way of thinking/ a process that I can relate to with my own work.

Sometimes I start my design process in the typical way- with an idea that was inspired by something (whether that be a brief, concept, workshop challenge etc). But there are a lot of times where I create my piece, or at least start the piece, and then develop on it- backwards and forwards until it reaches completion.

And much like an abstract thinker, I like to delve deep with my art and my design, to add hidden context, experiences, emotions and layers so that it tells a story and engages with my viewers beyond surface level.

I can understand the need for a good and well-structured design process, especially when working within a business and/or when generating high-quality designs for your clients. But I believe that not only is there a process that you'd use for client work, but a process that you use for creating your own art and designs.

Overall, I think that the black line drawing I came up with had come out fairly well- I like how simplistic the drawing is as it resembles the simplicity, vulnerability and truthfulness of Tracey Emins bed. I like how the layers and colours of the bed can represent the different meanings, aspects, and contexts behind the piece, and perhaps behind the creator themselves.

References

Artists - Tracey Emin (no date) White Cube. [Online] Available at: https://whitecube.com/artists/artist/tracey_emin (Accessed: February 21, 2023).

Azman, T. (2022) 7 Most Common Types of Thinking & How to Identify Yours, Mindvalley Blog. [Online] Available at: https://blog.mindvalley.com/types-of-thinking/ (Accessed: February 20, 2023).

Dam, R.F. (2022) The 5 Stages in the Design Thinking Process, The Interaction Design Foundation. Interaction Design Foundation. [Online] Available at: https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/5-stages-in-the-design-thinking-process (Accessed: February 20, 2023).

Edwards, S. (2023) Week 5: Lecture – Thoughts on Ideas. Falmouth Flexible. [Online] Available at: https://flex.falmouth.ac.uk/courses/1165/pages/week-5-lecture?module_item_id=63407 (Accessed: February 18, 2023).

Learman, L. (2019) Left- vs. Right-Brained: Why the Brain Laterality Myth Persists, Biomedical Odyssey. [Online] Available at: https://biomedicalodyssey.blogs.hopkinsmedicine.org/2019/05/left-vs-right-brained-why-the-brain-laterality-myth-persists/ (Accessed: February 20, 2023).

Rush, T. and Burgess, L. (2022) Left brain vs. right brain: Characteristics, functions, and myths, Medical News Today. MediLexicon International. [Online] Available at: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321037#functions-of-each-hemisphere (Accessed: February 20, 2023).

Soelling, K and Finn, T. (2023) Week 5: Workshop Challenge – How do we think? Four Practitioners. Three means of depiction. Falmouth Flexible. [Online] Available at: https://flex.falmouth.ac.uk/courses/1165/pages/week-5-workshop-challenge?module_item_id=63410 (Accessed: February 18, 2023)

Takac, B. (2019) How Art Imitates Life in Tracey Emin's Bed, Widewalls. [Online] Available at: https://www.widewalls.ch/magazine/tracey-emin-my-bed (Accessed: February 21, 2023).

Takac, B. (2022) Inside that Tracey Emin Tent of Everyone She Ever Slept With, Widewalls. [Online] Available at: https://www.widewalls.ch/magazine/tracey-emin-everyone-i-have-ever-slept-with (Accessed: February 21, 2023).