Original ideas?

In the realm of creativity, it is often thought that the role of the designer is to come up with original ideas, that is, ideas that are created personally to be genuine, novel, true, real, actual, or pioneering; in  short, not copies. But whereas the word original suggests the origin or beginning of something, that is, not comparable with what has preceded it, design ideas must also be useful or effective to be creative. Moreover, most design ideas build on what is already there in order to improve existing situations, and whether in product, service or building design. Ideas, then, conjure up change, transformation or variation aiming at making something better or at least making something good. Or, as Robert Venturi, the architect, put it: "It's harder to be good than original".

Reproducing ideas

We know of "photographic memory", or the ability to remember information or visual images in great detail. But "photographic ideation"? Jack Whitten, an American abstract painter, in 1964, came up with a way of describing his artistic vision: “The image is photographic, therefore I must photograph my thoughts.” By this, he meant, “I can see it in my brain, and it’s reproduced. I’m using the word ‘reproduce’ in the same sense that you would use a Xerox copy machine or a computer—any form of a reproduction device.” By using the word 'reproduce', however, Whitten's might involuntary "devalue" his work of art according to Walter Benjamin's held view (1936) that technical reproduction loses the original. But Whitten's artistic vision (visual thought) as represented in external visual form (paintings) is original, not reproduction. A less conflicted way of looking at Whitten's "thought photography" may be that his artistic vision is but visual ideas (images) made concrete in the act of making paintings. In other words, the artistic vision, in the making of art, is not so much a photographic process, of transforming the latent image into a visible image, where the vision is merely illustrated, or reproduced, but a process where the illustration ("photograph") is part of conceptualisation (ideation).

James Sterling and the act of drawing

The act of drawing was vital for the architect James Sterling (1924-92) in the creative process: 'I go through a process and makes doodles of different possibilities. Then, when one begins to understand what one is actually aiming for, one begins to intellectualise about it. It's a combination of what's coming out of the end of my fingers and what I'm thinking at the time. I generally do that in the office, sometimes in aeroplanes'. Interestingly, Sterling's approach to idea development was his use of A4 sheets of tracing laid over existing drawings, using them as a framework on which to sketch additional possibilities. In contrast, models did not form part of the office's design process. (Source: Circling The Square, Exhibition at RIBA London, 8 March - 25 June, 2017)

Idea considerations

When Hong Kong graphic designer Toby Ng was asked: "What is the most important thing for you to consider when you’re coming up with new creative ideas and solutions?", his answer was: "Every idea must be appropriate, meaningful and understandable". His consideration could also be regarded as an expression of what characterises design ideation. That is, ideation is a purposeful activity whereby the idea generated is meaningful, is appropriately developed, and communicated in ways that are understandable.

Open innovation

Traditionally large corporations approach innovation through closed-door policies, where firms rely firmly on in-house resources for innovation. This approach, however, may result in loss of competitiveness when faced with growing R&D costs and tighter profit margins in rapidly changing global markets. The open-door innovation process, in contrast, which means sourcing ideas both from within and outside the organisation, encourages long established firms to form strategic alliances with rivals or to collaborate with startups. For example, Japanese Honda is making greater use of external ideas and technologies realising the efforts of in-house innovation teams alone are not enough. This is not to say in-house teams of big firms are lacking in talent for innovation but rather reflect different levels of risk taking, that is, large corporations tend to have lower risk tolerance than startups.

The creative brief as idea generator

A thorough and articulate design brief is a critical part of the design process. It outlines the aims, objectives and milestones of a creative project and helps develop trust and understanding between the client and designer. Moreover, the creative brief ensures that important design issues are considered and questioned before the designer starts but, like rigorous research questions, the brief also serves as an essential point of reference throughout the project informing and guiding the work. And not least, the creative brief is a prime idea generator.

Idea platforms

The "gig" or "on-demand economy" is creating new digital channels for design innovation. Like most new on-demand services, such as Airbnb (home-sharing), Uber (ride-hailing), crowdfunding sites and social capital builders, such as Facebook and LinkedIn, design ideas can be generated, developed and communicated using shared, collaborative or on-demand platforms that connect ideators with makers and providers of goods and services. In this way, idea platforms make ideas more visible and shareable as well as providing user-generated feedback systems.