Concept Development | Interviews
It was really interesting to hear how industry professionals approach concept development and get some tips about how to successfully draft out your initial ideas. I found Matthew Jones' triangulate workshop particularly interesting because I spend so much time thinking about my own point of view as a designer that I really need to think more about the client and the consumer, especially in a project such as the Science Museum one.
I also found it interesting when Torsten said you need to start prototyping early - I know I am a bit too much of a perfectionist sometimes so I don't want to start making things until I have a solid idea. I think in this project I will try and make things earlier and really heed the advice of the professionals. I have trouble sometimes letting loose and enjoying the more playful side of design so I am really going to try and introduce this into my projects.
TedX, (2003) Design and discovery
I found David Carson's presentation [1] really charming - it was funny and informative and he showed so many great projects in a short space of time.
I found the part about the treatment of 9/11 in magazines particularly interesting because it highlights the importance of looking at a project as a whole. By putting images of the victims of 9/11 opposite pictures of airbrushed ads with models and people smiling really creates a juxtaposition and is jarring to the consumer.
I do think sometimes juxtaposition can be a useful tool in design and makes people think deeper about subjects that can be tough to communicate, however there is definitely a sensitivity with this. When people have lost people they love I think it really changes the treatment of a subject.
Design Indaba, (2018) Morag Myerscough on transforming spaces with colour and embracing the unknown
I have done a fair amount of research on Morag Myerscough before this so hearing her talk was great. [2] I really look up to her as a designer because she takes such risks with colour and space and this is something I could really learn from.
One of the projects she spoke about that I really loved was the wide open project. The fact that she was able to successfully use patterns to bring people together and create a space for people to come together and share food, stories and laughs I think was a really beautiful thing.
I also liked the Southbank Love project. I thought it was so well thought through - especially the fact that while it was bright and colourful on the outside, this inside was all about letting light in and being reflective. I love how conceptual the project is and that is something I want to take forward into my own projects - thoughtful design.
Artswat, (2007) The Art of Looking Sideways by Alan Fletcher.
While I didn't think Alan Fletcher was the most engaging of speakers and I did find it hard to follow his train of thought, I did think some of the concepts were interesting. [3]
Specifically, I liked when he was speaking about words and letters being the common symbol of language. It got me thinking how we can convey language in a way other than words. This linked to the science museum brief in my head because science is made up for millions of symbols that replace words. Is this something I could consider when answering the brief.
I also found it interesting how Alan laid out the book in thumbnails to see the overall layout and how it works together. Particularly relevant in David Carson's talk regarding 9/11 - this may have been an informative step to take before sending insensitive layouts to print!
Workshop
This week you will develop a series of initial design concepts that are in line with your project needs.
Develop a broad selection of initial design ideas that are appropriate to your positioning (mission) statement and target audience. We encourage you to think laterally and push your ideas above and beyond the project strategy.
Post initial design developments to your blog.
Add your initial concepts onto the Ideas Wall to encourage peer feedback. Reflect on the feedback and summarise the comments on your blog.
Seek advice and feedback from your target audience and key stakeholders, such as industry professionals, research groups or any relevant parties. Post feedback and comments onto the Ideas Wall and elaborate on your blog
Crazy 8s
The first thing I decided to do was the crazy 8 design sprint - 8 ideas in 8 minutes. What a frantic 8 minutes! Here are the results -
I found this such a valuable exercise to get the ideas flowing and I will definitely be doing this in future projects. After a tutorial with Harriet I realised that I was actually going for the easiest option with my first idea - the idea of a game. This might not be the best option, just the most obvious one which is why I decided to do a crazy 8.
I was surprised at some of the ideas I came up with, ones that I particularly like at the minute alongside the game are number 2, the subscription box and number 4, lego x science museum. These are some concepts I want to explore further and see if I can push them further and explore the ideas in a deeper way.
The first one I looked into was the idea of a game. After chatting to Yara about it, I realised that I couldn't really describe this idea in a cohesive way - it is far too complicated. The idea was to have an app where you find geotagged items in the real world, you then explore the items in AR and add them to your library. Then when you get home you can use the items you found to build your own rockets and missions. I think this is trying to do way too much and that is actually 2 apps in 1 - one to find geotagged items and explore them in a real world setting and the second is to build your own rockets.
I love the idea of encouraging people to design and build their own rockets - it fits in perfectly with the Science Museum Group's objective to encourage people to become inventors, scientists and engineers. This is definitely the avenue I would rather go down, I want to use this project to encourage people to be creative and interested in science and engineering.
From the app I developed an idea that relies heavily on the nostalgia theme from my mood boards. It involves having a build your own rockets from the archive function in the form of an old school game - the GameBoy. This encourages people into the archives as this is where you collect the pieces from. However, I think it may be a mistake having it as a separate piece of hardware when people have supercomputers in their pockets.
I don't think this idea should be taken further.
The second one I decided to develop was the idea of a subscription box - there's loads in the market for beauty at the minute but in my research I did not find one designed for adults. My idea is each month, the person signed up receives a box which contains a 3D printed piece from the archive, totally white. Also in the box is a blank information card. They then have to search the archives to find the item and paint the model to match. The idea is at the end of a year (for eg) you have all the pieces to build something. You can either build what was intended or put it together in a new way to create a unique design. There is also a scratch card of hints in there to help people find it on the archive if they need it.
I really like this idea and now people have more time because more people are working from home so no commutes, I think they would really be interested in this. It would be aimed at people already with an interest in science and making.
Summary
I really enjoyed this week because I think I pushed myself to think of ideas in a different way. The Crazy 8 design sprint was such a great way to start coming up with concepts and I think it really improved the way I was thinking about it. I think I definitely started with the most obvious solution to the brief - a game - but after thinking deeper about this and doing my crazy 8 sprint I realised that there is a lot more to the brief than that.
I am also glad I narrowed it down a bit to focus on the idea of encouraging people to build and become inventors themselves. I think this will really help me going forwards, having more of a focus and being able to build on this idea. I am pleased with the concepts I have come up with so far although I think whichever one I pick needs a lot of refining and development but I'm looking forward to it!
References
[1] TedX, (2003) Design and discovery
[2] Design Indaba, (2018) Morag Myerscough on transforming spaces with colour and embracing the unknown.
[3] Artswat, (2007) The Art of Looking Sideways by Alan Fletcher
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