Generating Design Concepts

Generating Ideas and Concepts

• Defining the problem is the first step, followed by devising solutions and developing concepts in greater depth.
• Communicating ideas to oneself, team members, clients, and potential end-users is crucial.
• Initial ideas can come from sketches, phrases, or whiteboard notes, which can then be developed into concrete concepts.

Techniques for Generating Ideas

• Casting a wide net around the problem can lead to dozens of concepts, from obvious to outlandish.
• Designers throw open their minds to numerous possibilities before zeroing in on a few.
• Tools explored include generating variations on a single concept, quickly exploring, explaining, and expanding on a single idea.

Brainstorming and Visual Brain Dumping

• Traditional brainstorming is a verbal activity performed in groups.
• Visual brain dumping involves applying action verbs to create fresh and surprising variations on an initial idea.
• Techniques include:
  • Start with a basic concept (e.g., using a target to represent "performance").
  • Apply a series of actions to the core image or idea (e.g., melt, dissect, explode, shatter, squeeze).
  • Step back, review, and refine the ideas.

Action Verbs and Creative Thinking

• Applying action verbs to an idea or image can lead to creative solutions.
• Examples of action verbs include magnify, rearrange, alter, adapt, modify, substitute, reverse, and combine.
• Using action verbs can help rethinking and reimagining familiar concepts, such as reimagining a house or a product.

Case Studies and Examples

• Designer Ryan Shelley created graphic icons combining recognizable brands with unpleasant forms, creating a commentary on capitalism.
• Don Koberg and Jim Bagnall used action verbs to rethink the house in new ways, as seen in their book, The Universal Traveler.