The Design Process: Preface

The first reading assignment to Art 220 Concept Development class is from a book titled, "The Design Process" by Karl Aspelund. The cover is of many unusual circles that look like something I had use to draw with when I was younger where you put your pencil in the stencil and move it in a circle within a circle to create a random design. Confused? Probably, it's hard to explain. Anyways, from the first page and to the preface, the table of contents is very well organized and constructed in a sense where there are certain sections and topics beneath it for the viewer to see what exactly they are looking for. When I look at the book it looks like as if you are in a paint shop with the certain colors coordinated or you are in an office looking for a specific page or document. For the most part, the preface and the acknowledgement section is where most of the reading is compromise from. Aspelund writes about how in his design years there is a difference between how his years are different from today's designs, saying that there is a need for more skills and the freedom of design to create any design being reinforced by Computer Aided Design and Manufacturing (CAD/CAM).

However, because of the demand in designers, the need for business and competition in design is difficult because it involves the development, choices, methods, communication, technology, and other ideas in order to create a design. Aspelund explains that in all his years and throughout his career with theatrical and teaching, it has helped him designed a guidebook that maps out the "road to take" or so to speak. He noticed that in the fourteen years, he has not found a single book that helps students go through or deal with the process of design from inspiration to production. I mean I do agree with him, as students most of us wouldn't know what to think and we do ponder on "What is next?" And as students, we tend to get stuck in that question almost all the time.

So Aspelund designs this book as a guide that he divides it to one introduction chapter to seven chapters that correspond to the stages he has created.

Stage 1. Inspiration - To allow readers to examine various sources to be inspired.

Stage 2. Identification - To identify the concerns and constraints of the project

Stage 3. Conceptualization - To outline the written and visual parts of the project

Stage 4. Exploration/Refinement - To research for other ideas and concepts so that it could run smoothly

Stage 5. Definition/Modeling - To commit to the design and ideas that one has created aside from agreeing with the design and liking them

Stage 6. Communication - To explore the techniques for the the design and start to prepare different ideas and examples of them while preparing a presentation

Stage 7. Production - To outline the ideal to keep track of the design on the product, for further use

Aspelund also provides on each stage what exactly his approach for the process to guide students and includes other guides and helpful ideas to help a student figure out things or ideas that could help them settle on his or her design idea. It is a handbook for students aside from professional designers, practically made for them specifically. That is the service of the book. Although now it is on it's second edition, the first edition was designed or so he states six years ago where he piles information from twenty years of his experiences and thirteen years of his experiences of teaching as well into one book with the help of his students and others alike that he named in the acknowledgement page such as his wife Brenda, his parents Erling and Kolbrun, and students such as Jennifer Penswick who allowed him to use her photos from his class.

First off, there is no way such as a student like myself could ever decide what stages to go through for my own design work. In fact, as a student I would just ponder on and go with the flow with my work, eventually hitting a point where I ask myself What's next? or What to do? Usually though, I do hit a point where I am not satisfied with my work due to the lack of time put into it aside from other things in my life that make me lose focus. It's a hard struggle and balance, but I think it's all due to how I want to construct my design and how much I am satisfied with it. I mean any design could possibly made to at least more then ten different designs, and think of the possibility! Though I think this book would be an interesting read, aside from it's purpose to help assist students with their design as well as being organized about it. Time could only tell! We shall see as the quarter progresses and I hope for a good result.