"Thinking on Paper" - notes on how to write and design

 In 1989 I got the book "Thinking on Paper : Refine, Express, and Actually Generate Ideas by Understanding the Processes of the Mind" written by V. A. Howard and M. A. Barton as a gift by my PhD advisor Professor Kristo Ivanov. Kristo gave this book to all PhD students for a while. I assume that he did not appreciate how little we all were writing. Anyway, I really liked the book. 

Recently I re-read some parts of it. I found my own notes and comments from 1989 in the book and realized that this book has in many ways shaped my thinking about writing but maybe even more about design. 

The core ideas that the authors present, while aimed at writing, are all highly relevant for the process of designing. To me, the book presents two core ideas that I still return to, and also generously share with my students and colleagues. 

The first idea is that that writing is, what the title says, 'thinking on paper'. The authors explains the difference between writing as articulation and as communication. Most writing has to start as articulation and if the writer sees it as communication it becomes a problem. Articulation is the discovery and formulation of ideas, while writing for communication is a process of critique, testing, assessment, and evidence. In relation to this, the authors also make perfectly clear that writing is not something that happens to you, instead it is an activity, something you do. There is no "waiting for the Muse". 

The other core idea is also visible in the title and that is that to become a better writer you have to understand writing. They write "The first step is to get clear in your mind what writing is, and what it isn't." And the reason for that is because "what you think writing is (or isn't) can profoundly affect how you do it." 

To me, this means that the most useful knowledge for design is knowledge about design. This is also a philosophy that I have followed over the years and also why I always stress the importance of theory and philosophy as the most practical ways to improve as a designer. Of course, you also need hands-on skills and knowledge which also the authors take seriously (which is why the second part of the book is very hands-on advice based on the notion of 'thinking on paper'  on how to structure your writings, how to make an argument, even some about grammar and punctuation). 

Anyway, if you are someone who struggles with writing, this is the book for you. If you are a designer, this is a book that presents a highly useful theory about design!

Maybe the best study ever on the nature of creativity among designerly professionals

 A few years ago, I found the book "The Creative Architect - Inside the Great Midcentury Personality Study" by Pierluigi Serraino (The Monacellli Press). Like most people interested in design, I have read a lot about creativity. Some texts are good, but most are too superficial and almost trivial. The Serraino book is a wonderful contrast. It provides the story and findings from a large, serious, and ambitious creativity study from the late 1950s. The study was done with a number of the most renowned architects of the day.

I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in creativity.

Here is the book description from the publisher:

"The story behind a little-known episode in the annals of modern architecture and psychology - a 1950s creativity study of the top architects of the day, including Eero Saarinen, I.M. Pei, Philip Johnson, Louis Kahn, Richard Neutra, George Nelson, and dozens more - is now published for the first time.

The story of midcentury architecture in America is dominated by outsized figures who were universally acknowledged as creative geniuses. Yet virtually unheard of is this intensive 1958-59 study, conducted at the Institute of Personality Assessment and Research at the University of California, Berkeley, that scrutinized these famous architects in an effort to map their minds.

Deploying an array of tests reflecting current psychological theories, the investigation sought to answer questions that still apply to creative practice today: What makes a person creative? What are the biographical conditions and personality traits necessary to actualize that potential? The study's findings have been gathered through numerous original sources, including questionnaires, aptitude tests, and interview transcripts, revealing how these great architects evaluated their own creativity and that of their peers.

In The Creative Architect, Pierluigi Serraino charts the development, implementation, and findings of this historic study, producing the first look at a fascinating and forgotten moment in architecture, psychology, and American history."

Well, not much....but a couple of book suggestions

Not much is happening on this blog, but I intend to change that moving forward. My last post (and copy on LinkedIn) got a lot of feedback. I have not been able to move on that yet, but I will soon. So, until then, a couple of book suggestions.

An old favorite: R. G. Collingwood's "The Idea of History." This is one of the books that has most influenced my own thinking. I read it as a PhD student, and it still sits on my desk. The important section of the book is "Part V. Epilegomena"

Another absolute favorite is chapter 2, "The Discernment of Perception: An Aristotelian Conception of Private and Public Rationality" by Martha Nussbaum in her book "Love's Knowledge"

Of course, these texts do not look as if they are about design theory, but they truly are. They touch on foundational aspects of what it means to be rational, how to evaluate quality, etc., all at the core of design.

Ok, enough for now. 

Design Process Model Workshop

I wrote the text below on LindkedIn the other day asking if there are any interest in a workshop. so far about 125 people have replied. I am quite surprised. I will work on some plans on how to perform such a workshop. 

"I am considering conducting a 2-hour online workshop to present and discuss a design process model I have developed over the last decades. I would like to do it with a very small group, maybe 10.

But I wonder if anyone would be interested?

The model is not normative in any sense. It captures all kinds of design processes (user, client or value-oriented). The model's strength is as a thinking tool."

If you have comments or are interested, please email me at estolter@gmail.com

Taking Design Seriously

Yesterday I had the pleasure of giving a talk to a large group of UX specialists at the Lilly company in Indianapolis (thanks Samantha Merrit for the invite). 

I chose the title "Taking Design Seriously." The purpose of the talk was to discuss the idea that design must be understood at a higher level than it usually is. Design is not a method or particular process. Instead, it should be understood as one of the major approaches that humans have developed to cope with their reality, such as science, art, politics, economics, etc. Each approach has been designed to fulfill certain purposes and to deal with specific aspects of our reality.  Designing has to be seen as being one of them. Each approach has its own disciplined logic of thinking and action. 

In the talk, I compared some of the approaches, their similarities and differences, to each other and to design. Understanding this makes it easier for designers to understand the challenges they face when dealing with people from different approaches. 

To me, this way of understanding designing is crucial and it creates a foundation for all other aspects of designing. 

 Back to my old blog site

Well, after some time, I am back to my old blog site. I am getting closer to retirement, so I do not expect a lot of activity here, but who knows?

The Challenge of Improving Designing

 Happy to see that my latest article called "The Challenge of Improving Designing" now is published in the International Journal of Design. And the article is free to download to anyone.

https://lnkd.in/eExbDY4