This course culminates each term with students designing a book that tracks the development of their projects from preliminary sketches to final drawings and models. Credit: Naikwan Cheung

Developing A Process Of Design

Basic Design 1 | Course: Studio | Students: 20 | The Ohio State University
Design 251. Autumn Quarters 2010, 2011

After admittance to the program, sophomore students of Industrial, Interior, and Visual Communication Design at Ohio State begin with an interdisciplinary series of studios. These courses introduce basic problem solving processes for designers, focusing on the transition from two-dimensional drawings in pencil and ink to three-dimensional models in paper and wire. Basic visual elements of point, line, plane, volume, and space—and their interaction—are investigated and analyzed through iterative exercises. Students are encouraged to explore the possibilities and limitations of different forms of representation, from simple sketchbook drawings to highly detailed three-dimensional models. Coursework is then collected into a final course document, which serves as a visual record of their progress and as an introduction to document construction, layout, and typography.

Above all, this class reinforces the importance of developing a reliable process of design: finding methods to advance a project through the inevitable failures, sticking points, and wrong directions as well as the ability to communicate progress, advancement, and improvement. Rather than being seen as an activity where ideas are born “whole” and executed in one step, understanding design as a continuous series of small revisions and refinements is crucial. Basic Design 1 encourages students to approach any creative task within this framework.

Below: Two-page spreads from the final project by various students: A book documenting an entire quarter’s worth of studio assignments.