40 Questions
What is the main characteristic of the creative movement that questioned the notion of a reliable reality?
Deconstruction of authority
Which style of photography captures and details defining moments of real life?
Reportage
What is the term for the repeated geometric design that covers a surface without gaps or overlaps?
Tessellation
What is the term for the moral and intellectual trends of a given era?
Zeitgeist
Which movement sought to release the potential of the unconscious mind?
Surrealism
What is the term for the everyday language through which a group, community, or region communicates?
Vernacular
Which movement challenged traditional boundaries in music, art, and design?
Psychedelia
What is the term for a creative movement that returned to earlier ideas of adornment and decoration?
Postmodernism
What is the primary purpose of an ideas book in the design process?
To accumulate inspiration and visual stimulation
What is lost in the print reproduction of painted works when they are reproduced at a small scale?
The brush detail and paint texture
What is the primary source of creative stimulation for designers?
The work of other people in the field
What is the name of the art movement characterized by its use of organic and sinuous lines?
Art Nouveau
What is the primary characteristic of Abstract Expressionism?
Its focus on emotional expression
What is the name of the art movement characterized by its use of geometric shapes and metallic materials?
Art Deco
What is the primary focus of the Arts and Crafts Movement?
Emphasis on traditional craftsmanship
What is the term for the avant-garde art movement that emerged in the early 20th century?
Dadaism
What art style was the brand identity for Galvin Bistrot de Luxe inspired by?
Art Nouveau
What is the purpose of creating characters that represent the target audience?
To exemplify the characteristics of the target audience
What is meant by 'resolve' in the context of design?
To decide on a final design
What is meant by 'resonate' in the context of design?
To be received or understood by the viewer
Where do designers often seek inspiration for design?
In many forms, including the latest trends and styles on the street, in films, on TV, in magazines, and in shops
What is the term for creating a design concept that reflects the characteristics of the target audience?
Target audience persona
What is the term for the process of generating design ideas?
Idea generation
What is the term for the process of developing a design concept that reflects the characteristics of the target audience?
Design thinking
What is the main idea behind 'sparse is better than dense'?
To remove unnecessary elements from a design
What is the purpose of white space in design?
To give key design elements room to breathe
What is the goal of text minimization?
To keep sentences short and impactful
What is the main goal of user-centered design?
To place the user's needs at the center of the design process
What is ergonomics focused on?
Optimizing performance and minimizing discomfort
What is TIMTOWTDI?
The idea that a problem has multiple solutions
Why is scale important in design?
To ensure text and graphics are comfortably readable
What is the goal of graphics in design?
To create a visual impact that reinforces text communication
What does the acronym KISS stand for in the context of design?
Both A and B
What is the main idea behind the 'Focus' principle in design?
To select only the key message elements as the focus for the design
What is 'Top down and bottom up' an approach from?
Information technology development
Who is attributed with the principle of Ockham's razor?
William of Ockham
What is the main idea behind Ockham's razor?
To pare back a design to its essential elements
What is another name for Ockham's razor?
The law of economy
What is the benefit of using Ockham's razor in design?
It reduces the risk of introducing inconsistencies, ambiguities, and redundancies
What is the purpose of the 'Focus' principle in design?
To communicate a complex message effectively
Study Notes
Design Principles
- KISS (Keep It Short and Simple): pare back designs to their essential elements, requiring a clear understanding of the message and audience.
- Focus: select key message elements as the focus for the design, providing information about other aspects of the company through other communications.
- Top down and bottom up: an analytical approach that looks at a design problem from a system perspective and drills down to add detail, or focuses on basic elements first and works upwards to link them together.
Ockham's Razor
- A principle attributed to William of Ockham, stating that elements not really needed should be pared back to produce something simpler, reducing the risk of inconsistencies, ambiguities, and redundancies.
- Also referred to as the principle of parsimony or law of economy.
Design Thinking and Idea Generation
- Python philosophy: tenets include beautiful is better than ugly, simple is better than complex, sparse is better than dense, readability counts, practicality beats purity, and refuse the temptation to guess.
- White space: allows key design elements to breathe and be easily seen, helping the viewer focus attention on them.
- Text minimisation: keep text to a minimum, with sentences pared back to short, sharp phrases that have a meaningful impact.
- Graphic impact: graphics should create a visual impact that grabs attention and reinforces text communication.
- Scale: designers must think about scale, ensuring that text and graphics are of sufficient scale to be comfortably read.
- User-centred design (UCD): places the needs, desires, and limitations of the user at the centre of every stage of the design process.
- Ergonomics: designing in accordance with physical human needs to optimise performance and minimise discomfort.
Inspiration and References
- Inspiration is essential in any creative activity, and designers draw inspiration from various sources, including magazines, music, literature, and the urban environment.
- Designers can cross-reference elements of contemporary life with those of bygone days, and delve into the rich tradition of art and design history for visual stimulation.
- An ideas book is a collection of cuttings, photos, sketches, and found objects that accumulate to inspire.
Themes of Thinking
- Postmodernism: a creative movement that returned to earlier ideas of adornment and decoration, questioning the notion of a reliable reality by deconstructing authority.
- Psychedelia: a counter culture that challenged traditional boundaries in music, art, and design, and saw the use of bright and eclectic colour schemes, interference patterns, and curves.
- Reportage: a style of photography characterised by images that capture and detail defining moments of real life and the joys and horrors of the world.
- Surrealism: a movement that sought to release the potential of the unconscious mind by depicting the real without being constrained by reality.
Miscellaneous
- Tessellation: a repeated geometric design that covers a surface without gaps or overlaps, used in wallpaper design to provide a seamless pattern.
- Vernacular: the everyday language through which a group, community, or region communicates, often incorporated through 'found' items or slang.
- Zeitgeist: the moral and intellectual trends of a given era, reflected in everything from fashion and art to design.
- Resolve: to decide, bring to a conclusion, or end, with a design idea being resolved when it is worked up into a final form.
- Resonate: to be received or understood, with a design resonating when the viewer understands and appreciates the various aspects of the message communicated.
Learn about design principles that help designers fit large quantities of information into limited space. Discover the importance of simplicity and clarity in design.
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