Chapter 1: Why strategic Creativity
You know, I always tell people that I don't think I'm creative, I'm just artistic. I can make things look good and even think of visual design solutions, but I don't see myself as creative. Most of the people I talk to always respond with, "noooo you are soo creative", and I don't know how to get across that they don't understand exactly what I'm talking about with the difference between artisticness and creativity. When reading this chapter, I realized it could be because people don't understand the intricacies of design and the thought that goes behind it. Reading about the Dr. Internet test in Romania brought back so man memories to Robin's talk last year, and all the amazing designs she showed us. I don't know if I could ever come up with a similar solution for self-medication in Romania.
A lot of what Robin talks about is more the experience people are taken on through design, and not the way it actually looks or is visually designed, aesthetically. This is the thing in design that I have always felt I struggled with, so I'm really hoping this book will help in that area. I also think that I've made strides in this area this year, specifically in the way we give feedback in class. These times after presentations for questions and comments have made me appreciate and realize that design really is not linear, and you don't have to rely completely on yourself. It is a lot easier to see creative opportunities in other people's work rather than my own.
As far as how to relate Robin's creative theories and practices into my final project here, I think my judgement gets cloudy the more I work with the project. Robin asks, "Does the creative solution surprise you? Does it cut through? Is it relevant to its audience? Will it change the conversation? Call people to action?" At first, I thought no, my design with Peebles, doesn't do a lot of these things. But then, I remembered how it felt the night I was making the posters and how exciting it felt for me. I remember the way it felt to present my design to the class or even to my parents. People with fresh eyes that had a reaction to the brand I'd created, and I think that gives merit to these questions. It's easy to forget, though, when I'm so familiar with my own work and it can feel stale when you look at it a lot.
Chapter 2: Thinking Creatively
I've decided to try and answer some of the prompts in this chapter.
What would encourage people to take a different route to work—a more scenic or interesting route? What would encourage them to walk or bike part of the way, if possible?
The first thing I thought of was a bike sharing system in the city. City bikes that would have multiple spots across the city to rack them at (like a bus stop), so you could use the bikes then place them at the designated bike rack wherever you're going. Also, maybe have a system like the grocery carts where you put a quarter in for it to release from the rack, but use something more substantial to prevent people stealing the bikes. Also placing bike trails all across a city, next to, and diverging from street centers, would possibly create a culture where more people bike.
Turn an environment or an object found in a built environment into some- thing else, for instance, a tree stump into a pop-up book or a baggage claim carousel into a roulette wheel.
Right now, I'm sitting at my desk and looking at my wall of pictures in front of me. they are scattered and all different sizes of rectangles placed in a diagonal across my wall. The first thing I thought of was seeing these shapes and silhouettes as windows. This is an interesting idea, but I'm not sure if this is what Robin is exactly meaning. I actually think a lot about random things that interest me with their makeup and composition in every day life.
Think of something “That’s a Thing”—a trend, an object, or something people are doing that’s a recent phenomenon.
Overconsumption. Upcycling. Swig cups. Retro things: music devices, flip phones, film cameras, typewriters.
What else can you do with a paper plate besides eat on it?
I actually just saw a tiktok about a girl who used a paper plate for 3D decoration on her wall. She cut them up and geometrically placed them in layers. The comments ripped her apart saying it looked bad. As for what I think you could use a paper plat for: a fan, something to cover a trash can so customers don't use it, something to catch crumbs being sweeped off a counter, a mask, etc.