Choreographing ideas

The word choreography comes from Greek and most commonly refers to dance (in the sense, 'written notation of dancing'). Conceptually speaking, choreography is about symbolically designing movement in time and space. But what does it mean in practice? Can ideation, say, idea sketching be seen as a form of dance movement and so be choreographed? That is, think of sketching as notation. While choreographers often “invent” new ways of moving, choreography transcends movements, and gives them meaning. Similarly, the sketch articulates ideas and give them meaning. And so, designers, like choreographers need to think about all aspects of the task in hand and whether based on improvised choices, a brief, assignment or commission. Also, in devising or preparing a choreographic piece requires innovative thinking and skills in interdisciplinary research. Moreover, the means for choreography are broad and varied, from building movement using traditional techniques to developing new visual language. As the art of planned movement, choreography is everywhere where movement happens - in or outside the studio. And so, choreography, in its many forms, can, like ideation be conceived as a kind of enquiry or dialectical practice that, though disruptive in character, is constructive in outcome gesturing towards a state of being-without-limit. https://www.dance-masterclass.com/blog/what-does-a-choreographer-do

 

Dialogic ideation

One of the many approaches to design ideation takes the form of dialogue, or interactive communication between two or more designers, or between designer and client (co-design). The dialogue, however, as an experience of human interaction, is rarely just a rational exchange of ideas. More often than not it involves the participants' attitudes, motivations and feelings when faced with, and responding to a given situation or problem. The dialogue, or exchange of first thoughts and ideas, then, creates and presents scenarios or narratives that triggers emotional responses in both designer and client which highlight the role of designers in shaping AI-driven experiences. That is, designer responsibility and accountability which means designer capability to critical thinking to reduce the negative impacts of AI on society, notably in terms of AI ethics. The emotional elements in dialogic ideation, moreover, may act as a prologue to designing for emotion when the user experience is core, as in, say, product design.

When ideas run into the sand

When Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman proposed building a 110-mile linear megacity called the Line in the middle of the desert near the border of Jordan and Egypt in 2020—the centerpiece of a vast new planned city called Neom accommodating 9 million residents—a dozen of the world’s most prestigious architecture firms signed up. Now, five years later, the idea has run into the sand, literally, with the Saudi government having a change of heart announcing the $1.5 trillion project will be downscaled drastically. And so, the assigned architects are now working on redesigning the megastructure into a more modest, and radically changed project - from metropolis to a hub for data centers to serve the AI industry. The megacity idea, however, was, due to is complexity and construction costs, unrealistic from the start. More generally, expert analysis by Oxford University's Saïd Business School suggests megaprojects are often commissioned for the wrong reason ("unchecked  motivations") and, due to their size and complexity, are pre-determined to systemic failure. As for motivation, then, did big ego, including the architects', get in the way ("lack of ego-control")? If so, does the retreat of the megaproject exemplify design driven by hype rather than evidence-based practice. For example, Neom's presentation videos were a masterclass in rendering a seductive utopia. More contentious, the Saudi decision may reflect how the planning of Arab cities responds to globalism: That is, does "new Arab urbanism" differ significantly from colonialism, that is, the intrusion of a Western lifestyle? http://ndl.ethernet.edu.et/bitstream/123456789/20950/1/11.pdf

The idea of progress

Design ideas are intrinsically linked to the Western idea of progress and the 4 industrial revolutions, from the end of the 18th century to present-day (mechanical revolution, mass production, digital automation and industry 4.0). That is, in evolutionary terms, progress built on the assumption of gradual, continuous change - a self-driven, purposeful and cumulative process. However, since late twentieth-century, the idea of progress has increasingly come under scrutiny as a result of the environmental and social consequences of free-market policies. And so, with industry 4.0, the question is now how AI systems will impact the idea of progress in the perspective of economic and social development, particularly when the effects of AI remain uneven among jobs and economies as exemplified by the introduction of humanoid AI robots. Positively, AI may renew and reaffirm the idea of progress as experimental technology turns into operational technology in homes, offices and on factory floors  However, the uncertainty or disruption triggered by AI - revolution or evolution (?), may erode the historical foundations for the belief in progress as a human force for good. To consider future direction and impact of AI on society at large, understanding how it is used, and why is as important as measuring how widely it is adopted.

Ideas looking for a problem

From loudmouthed AI chatbots to ridiculous e-commerce product summaries, “AI slop”, which is defined as low-quality and generally unwanted AI-generated content, reached a new peak in 2025. Indeed AI-generated articles now make up more than half of all English-language content on the web, according to search engine optimisation firm Graphite. And so, in AI slop environments, designers find  themselves under commercial pressure 'to start from the solution and work backwards to find the problem', say researchers at Nielsen Norman Group. That is, product designers have been tasked with integrating AI almost anywhere and everywhere even when it might make little sense. And so, there has been a reaction against the amount of AI slop spreading on the web although, as the research suggests the tide seems to be turning against AI slop making way for more intentional product design and strategy that focuses on impact. If so, more intentional product design, given he impact of AI, suggests that designers will need to argue their case for what their skills contribute to projects. Interestingly, working backwards from problem to solution has a parallel in the found object art, that is, a non-art item or ordinary manufactured objects is designated as art, as exemplified by Marcel Duchamp's "readymades". André Breton, the co-founder of surrealism, defined a readymade as a ‘manufactured object raised to the dignity of works of art through the choice of the artist'. And so, Duchamp put his idea about the object and then calling it art.  Readymades are considered a viable artist practice although still open to questioning.

Remote ideation

Major changes have taken place in design practices in recent decades strongly impacted by technology, including digital communication. Positively, this means that designers can work from almost anywhere they choose. But freedom to work almost anywhere and at anytime may have drawbacks. For example, social isolation and loneliness may ensue with technology-based remote working as many aspects of design relate to the physical world with its many sensuous qualities, including in-person interaction. Indeed, as held by the philosopher Merleau-Ponty (1908-61), actual human existence is perceived on a sensual-physical level*. Physical studio space, however, is no longer the default setting for designers as AI systems combined with CAD and 3D printing provide for mobility and remote working, from ideation to prototyping. That is, AI assisted design thinking and making are changing the studio experience. Yet most designers feel the need for physical and ambient work spaces not just for work-related discussion and collaboration but for spontaneous meetings and small-talk that provide both social and emotional connections. After all, digital communication, however convenient and efficient is lacking built-in social breaks. And so, to stay motivated and productive, designers want social face-to-face connections. Studio observations, moreover, and both in education and professional practice show that person-to-person interactions foster and enhance creativity and collaborative work as well as giving designers a sense of belonging to a team or community. Text inspired by https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/digital-world-real-world/202512/remote-working-and-loneliness?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-gb  *Merleau-Ponty, M. (1945 French original - 1962 English translation). Phenomenology of Perception. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul

Learning from Frank Gehry

Buildings designed by the architect Frank Gehry (1929-2025), such as the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao (1997), have gained wide public admiration as well as inspiring fellow designers. But equally noteworthy is his design philosophy: 'To design something that one would want to be a part of, something one would want to visit and enjoy in an attempt to improve one’s quality of life.' More specifically, Gehry considered architecture 'to be art' aiming at transferring the feelings of humanity through inert materials. Not surprisingly then, he greatly appreciated the visual arts, notably sculpture which influenced his architectural approach resulting in innovative and unconventional forms. In this, he experimented with industrial materials and methods, such as overlapping glass panels and titanium cladding. But key to Gehry's creativity was the role of preliminary dynamic sketches in generating design ideas (observing here too, for example, Paul Klee’s serpentine lines as the essence of creative thought). That is, he began the creative process with freeform sketching and modelling visualising what he had in mind and then turned the ideas into production-ready drawings and material form with the use of scanning processes and 3D modelling software. Gehry also took a keen interest in education encouraging students to always be curious, and let architecture open up to other subjects, such as philosophy, literature, and music. Furthermore, and although he resisted categorisation as an architect, despite recognisable deconstructivist architectural elements in his work, he advised students to study and learn from the greats, from Brunelleschi and Borromini to Le Corbusier and Zaha Hadid.