Final Thoughts

I did not expect History of ID to be taught the way it did. Writing blogs and timelines in the early part of the semester, I did not see the linear progression of a typical art history course that I often see at RISD. At first I did not like this, as how would I organize the information in my head? In retrospect, I am glad that we were given the ability to explore what interested us personally, and collectively as a class, our blog entries span a great range of ID History.

One of the most commonly recurring issues in question in my work not only in ID History, but in my studio work as well, has been the design process. The design process that one takes in their path to find great design is often more interesting than the final result. This is why we have mid-term and final critiques here at RISD. The way that one arrives at a specific design solution is the sum of every little thing that occured along the way of the semester for a student designer. Whether they sought out the first day, with a very specific design in mind, or meandered through the process to arrive at a unexpected result, the design process is one that varies greatly from person to person. One of the most interesting things I have noticed this semester is the difference between my design process, another peer's process, a veteran designer's process and a faculty design process. In a educational setting, it cannot be denied that we are all influenced by each other, and for me, there has been a range of influences in the design process akin to the number of shades between white and black. I meet some who come up with methodical and regimented design process, some who meander through to a quirky solution, some who have strong concepts and follow through, and some who take inspiration from fine arts and humanitarian and literary source. My rhetorical question of the semester is then:

How should one go about the design process?

I believe that there is no one standard answer to this question, and certain methods may be taught and encouraged, while others may seem to work better for the individual. It is during one's education that they are allowed the freedom to explore the different range of design processes and find the one that is most successful for them. I feel that this "exploration" over the three years in the ID department is one that chimes in with RISD's pride in multidisciplinary study. Unlike other institutions who have one way and one way only of designing, there is a great range of experiences and philosophy here, and it is up to the indivudual to find the path that will lead them to either the quirky smile on a user's first impression, or the heirloom-quality craftsmanship, the true innovation, beautiful form, humanitarian impact, environmental change, high design or whatever he/she embraces and aspires to in their work.