Ideation workshop: January 2020

Wednesday, 15 January 2020

Ideation language

Words, written or spoken, play an essential role in the ideation process because language forms our thoughts and ideas. Ideas as language, then, recalls the Swiss linguist Saussure (1857-1913), who argued that language is a system of signs expressing ideas. His structural model of language, that is, of relations among words, thoughts, concepts, metaphors and process, might then be applied to ideation. That is, ideators use a range of ideation tools, viz. words, sketches, models, and computing, to shape, form and manipulate design elements, which include both verbal and visual components, in order to express their ideas. The design elements, then, can be regarded as a system of signs expressing ideas. Now, when ideators use a combination of tools, say words and digital software, such combinations may help building a relational grammar or system of rules for ideation. This, in turn, may help advance not only the role of digital software in the ideation process but also that of Artificial Intelligence or Machine Learning.

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Welcome

This blog is for ideators engaged in design and architecture.

An idea was needed, well thought out, clearly presented.

Le Corbusier

Also:

https://design-ideation.blogspot.com

https://twitter.com/DesignIdeation

IDEATION WORKSHOP

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: To raise awareness of design ideation* and provide participants with an opportunity to reflect on their own design practice through the use of ideation tools**.

FORMAT: Self-directed, hands-on studio activity where participants work alone or collaboratively, in pairs within the group. Driven by curiosity, the workshop is informal but rigorous, non-judgmental but constructive and ends with ideas presentation to the whole group (plenary).

THEME: Each workshop has an ideation theme or task agreed beforehand. Themes can relate to place, function, artefact, or narrative, and be either common, universal or specific.

IDEATION PROTOCOL: The workshop has an optional research component whereby participants keep track of their ideation process using a protocol specifically designed for the workshop ("Reflection-in-action").***

WORKSHOP RESOURCES: Participants should have their own sketchbooks, laptops and simple crafting tools for making "stuff", using scrap materials.

LEARNING OUTCOME: Participants gain greater awareness of design ideation and the role of ideation tools in their own creative practice ("learning by doing"). The Ideation protocol acts as a self-diagnostic tool ("Reflection-on-action").

TIMESCALE: Each workshop lasts 3-4 hours (morning or afternoon session) or, alternatively, a full working day.

PARTICIPANTS: The workshop is suitable for design students (all levels) and practitioners alike. Group size: 6-12. The workshop language is English.

CONTACT: To participate, please contact Ben at studio.ben.jonson@gmail.com

* Design ideation is seen as a matter of generating, developing and communicating ideas, where 'idea' is understood as a basic element of thought that can be either visual, concrete or abstract. It is a purposeful activity (in the sense that a design is of practical service) that goes beyond the randomness of "brainstorming", but stops short of evaluating ideas per se. Idea development means moving from the general to the particular of the idea (through filtering and refining), and idea communication means the need for ideas to be externalised, or nobody else would know about them.

** Ideation tools are design tools which are purposefully used to help generate, develop and communicate ideas and include freehand drawing (sketches), words (spoken and written), sketch modelling (physical models), and computing (2D/3D software and AI technologies).

*** The workshop can be a vehicle for research in and of itself.