Complexity and contradiction in ideation

Design ideas. generally speaking can be characterised as either simple or complex where the simple idea proposes a fairly straightforward solution at low risk to implementation whereas the complex idea combines several simple ideas so as to produce one idea but with a less obvious solution and at higher risk or level of uncertainty. Designers deal with both simple and complex ideas although simple ideas are typically easier to generate and communicate to clients and other stakeholders. Overall, simple ideas are preferred as they are easier to understand and execute and are less likely to go wrong. Yet complexity reflects the multi-layered reality of the world around us which calls for deeper levels of understanding and greater problem solving ability on the part of designers. So what about contradiction between simplicity and complexity? Well, design ideas, as elements of thought, are interrelated and expressed through the project. And so, ideation, as part of the design process, is a puzzle of simple and complex ideas put together by the designers and stakeholders involved in the project, and increasingly so with the help of Generative AI, which has become a powerful ideation tool, and a virtual member of the design team.