WEEK 8 - CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT

RESEARCH & ANALYSIS

Sketchbooks Research & Analysis Ideas for Week 8.

When we get too comfortable in our design process and outcomes, we stop challenging ourselves. Ideas and creativity keep growing by taking an approach to design that digs deeper than the surface (Brown, 2008). I drew on inspiration from David Carson, Tim Brown and Morag Myerscough to find nuances in my design and outcomes that elevated my conceptual direction and possible executions. 
 
Designers should embrace intuition as an essential working process ingredient (Carson, 2003). My conceptual direction came about accidentally after watching an incorrect TedTalk from a previous module about Morag Myerscough's colourful instillations. I immediately saw a correlation between her work and what Adidas could achieve in Africa and pursued this direction with a single-minded focus. 
 
Curiosity is more important than knowledge – Albert Einstein. Curiosity is also an essential ingredient for creativity (Carson, 2003). This week, I adventurously explored townships with my camera on the back of a motorcycle to gain insight and reference locations for my project. 
 
To stimulate creativity, one must develop the childlike inclination for play – Albert Einstein. Children are divergent thinkers, open to exploration and possibilities, capable of producing a wide range of ideas – freely, generously and without an inner critic taking notes. Many designers, including Tim Brown, attribute creative success to playful exploration (Brown, 2008), which became my chosen process for this project. 
 
Spanish artists Omar Perez and Benjamin Shine are two artists whose continued exploration and experimentation have resulted in unique methodology and curious outcomes that have fascinated art critics and buyers. 
 
Omar Perez is well-known for his unusual and astonishingly crafted, picture-perfect paper portraits. The portraits are made with charcoal, Indian ink, and a particular technique of manipulating paper to create constructed shapes and shadows. (Magic on plain paper, 2014).

Fig. 1: Perez, 2021.
 
Benjamin Shine crafts portraits of serene faces using lightweight tulle fabric. The fine netted material allows for dramatic differences in opacity depending on the layering density (Staugatis, 2019).

Fig. 2: Shine, 2021.

Fig. 3: Shine, 2001.

What matters is that you have an intuitive design sense. Listen to it and explore uniqueness through your work – David Carson.
 
WORKSHOP CHALLENGE

Sketchbook Workshop Challenge ideas for Week 8. 

I employed methods of sketch and collage to create eight possible concept directions and executions, using vibrantly colourful materials and patterns, which was both fun and successful. 
 
My playful exploration resulted in creating a toolbox for this project that includes the combination of vibrantly bright colour blocking, patterns inspired by African artists, fashion designers and fabrics, and African sayings in languages specific to a particular community. 

Concept direction and execution moodboards. 
 
REFLECTION
Morag Myerscough's work is successful, in part because she considers the needs of her audience (Myerscough, 2018). I informally presented my ideas, concept direction and mood boards to Ian Thompson from Too Much WIFI and two community leaders in the Langa and Khayelitsha townships. Too Much WIFI provides low cost and free WIFI to rural communities as part of an NGO initiative, and therefore have unique insight into my target audience. 
 
All parties agreed my project would have a beneficial influence on the upliftment and transformation of communities and were eager to trail any of my proposed executions. I gained affirmation that both young and old responded positively to vibrant colours and patterns in townships. Similar projects to paint murals onto walls near WIFI towers resulted in cleaner streets and a sense of community pride in that area. 
 
The workshops would be very well received and could be used as a social currency by trading a good meal for a day of work to transform the community façade. The community leaders were particularly excited about involving teenagers in the painting and workshops to give them a sense of purpose and ownership. 
 
Feedback from classmates was positive and in line with my proposed outcomes. The colour is so warm and welcoming and, most of all, fun for kids – Emma Richards.
Our surroundings can have a significant impact on the way we feel. So this project would get kids and young adults excited and passionate about the sport while giving them a sense of belonging to something exciting and current. I foresee a significant impact on the community – Lou Ely. 

While driving through the townships on the back of a motorcycle, I enthusiastically discovered a mural by Morag Myerscough on the back of a dilapidated building. I took this as a sign that my project was heading in the right direction. 

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