On the first day of studio, I articulated the following goals:
- develop a better understanding of how people move, behave, and interact within interior spaces
- develop better time management skills to reduce stress and improve the quality of my work
- have more confidence in my work as I develop a more professional outlook on interior architecture and design in general
- integrate the principles and elements of design more fully into my work and my descriptions of it
- develop a clearer identity of my unique design style
Although none of these goals are fully accomplished, all have been addressed during the course of this semester. The biggest development seems to be an improvement in my time management skills. There were certainly all-nighters this semester, but surprisingly few of them. Along with time management skills have come improved confidence and a clearer perception of aesthetic quality in my own work as well as the work of others. Overall, I also have a better understanding of how interior space can be manipulated to accommodate the needs of people. I still find it difficult to pin down exactly what my design style is. As far as design preferences are concerned, I appreciate innovation in design and a more minimalist approach. For the most part, traditional design styles and decorations are no longer attractive to me, although ideas and elements can be drawn from them for inspiration.
Along the way, writing has been a catalyst for the clarification of ideas. Reflecting on my own thoughts and intentions through written language has occasionally helped to resolve ambiguities in my thought process. The conceptualization involved in narrative writing exercises evokes new ideas as one mentally walks through a proposed design. While writing one of my narratives for Jenga 1.0, I stumbled across the notion of spiraling "thought paths," which eventually led to the design of my "crystallization of an idea" unit. The idea was already in my mind; I simply needed the writing exercise to draw it out.
Reflective writing, on the other hand, synthesizes and reinforces what has already been learned. It helps to have learning experiences documented in some readable format so that they are not lost to time or memory.
Because they offer more learning experiences, I still prefer group projects over individual ones. My group of three (team Evolve) demonstrated a good balance of skills and strengths. I feel that our writing successfully complemented our deliverables and explained aspects of the design process. Kelly's prolific flow of ideas, Cassie's abstract thinking, and my attention to detail resulted in well-chosen words and sentences. The most appreciated learning experience came in our group of six (team Trepide), as multiple ideas and opinions came together to produce a harmonious and well-considered design. In a group of this size, a favorable outcome can be achieved, with the added benefit of five other individuals to learn from along the way.
During this phase, our written group analysis benefited from the efforts of three other group members, especially Sharon's clean and descriptive writing style.
In a group of twelve, however, too many differing ideas and a lack of sufficient communication can result in confusion and discordance within a design. Although our group Portmanteau functioned well when fractured into smaller subgroups, we had difficulty deciding on anything as a whole. In the end, however, we were able to produce a respectable design. My process of writing for the prospectus helped to clarify design intentions and group responsibilities.
Following is a list of lessons I have learned or have been reminded of during the course of this semester:
- design is a process; produce deliverables as you design, not simply afterwards
- trust the competency and creativity of your peers; there is always something they can do better than you can, and it is important to learn as much as you can from them
- design primarily with people in mind; mentally put yourself in the place of potential occupants of your design
- question traditional assumptions of how designed objects should look or function
- in writing, limit passive sentences and formulate active ones in their place (but passive sentences still have their usefulness)
- customized scale figures are a great way to be just a little more creative! (inspired by Cassie Bradfield)
Note: Audrey Hepburn scale figure, via Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator
More lessons will no doubt come to mind in the coming days. As I mentioned before, I have gained more confidence in my abilities as a designer. My writing and rendering skills have been honed, although there will never cease to be room for improvement. While holding onto my positive "left-brained" attributes (attention to detail, insistence on accuracy and carefulness, etc.), I still strive for more creativity and a superior understanding of the whole in relation to its parts.
