I just started Making Ideas Happen and plan to write a complete review when I finish the book, but I wanted to share a couple of opening insights from the book. First, creativity is not enough. Every well-known creative has a system for realizing their ideas, and as Belsky suggests, that system is rooted in organization, community, and leadership. Second, a number of creative people will never realize the fruits of their labor, because they believe that creativity has to occur in an unstructured, chaotic environment. To steal an idea from Dee Hock, I think that creativity thrives in a chaordic environment, where order is brought to chaos. Third, every project, creative of otherwise, is composed of many baby steps that lead to a point of realization. Managing those steps is often the key to success. More to come, but I thought that I would share a few thoughts as I dig into the book. Get your copy and read along. I’d love to hear what you have to say.
The Living Principles
At MAKE/THINK, AIGA announced The Living Principles, the first quadruple bottom-line framework for design. The principles outline four tiers of responsibility: environmental responsibility, social equity, economic health, and cultural vitality. Download the Genealogy, which illustrates how the principles have evolved over time within the design community and beyond. This is important thinking for a new generation of designers.
IDEO Method Cards
I stumbled across the IDEO Method Cards in a San Francisco store. I think that they might be difficult to find, these days. However, they seem like a treasure trove of design thinking goodness. I love the way they connect experimentation back to IDEO’s customers. It isn’t simply about experimentation for the sake of creativity; it’s about experimentation that puts you in your customer’s shoes. Check out IDEO online for more. I also like their new web site.
You Got Served
Behance is launching a series of inter-connected blogs, called Served, from industrial design to fashion. Typography Served is a great resources for new and fresh type work.
Little Big Planet
There is an interesting article in the February issue of Print Magazine about Little Big Planet. Parsons hosted a 24-hour game design session, where teams of students designed levels for Little Big Planet. A number of students created visual elements that they imported into their levels.
The game was designed by Media Molecule, and they also participated in the 24-hour design jam, proving, yet again, the power of students to produce incredible creative results.