Reading Response #2: Introduction, Perspective, Exercises pg. 1-16

What exactly is design?  Well, it's certainly not something that can be easily explained or answered with a simple defintion, as I found out after completing the second assigned reading.  According to Karl Aspelund, a design is "a plan of action, created in response to a situation or problem that needs solving."  Such a plan often needs to be laid out in order to be clearly understood by a viewer. Thus, designing involves forming ideas, planning and explaining the execution of those ideas, and making choices based on the evolution of those ideas that will lead to an end result.  Aspelund describes designing as "a journey that has a number of stops and detours along the way."  Wow...the whole concept of design is much more complex than I ever imagined!  Before taking this class, I've always thought of "design" as simply an image/graphic used in the context of "Hey that's a cool design on your shirt!" and "I really like the designs on the cover of this book."  Design isn't just something that appears on a poster (or a shirt or a book cover for that matter); design is a journey that requires lots of time, effort, and energy.

Aspelund compares the design process to a romantic relationship, which I find really amusing but helpful.  I think it's very creative on Aspelund's part to use an example that people would be able to relate to in order to help them understand how each stage of the design process works.  The design process consists of these stages:  Inspiration, Identification, Conceptualization, Exploration/Refinement, Definition/Modeling, Communication, and Production.  Aspelund explains what occurs at each stage by relating each one of them to a stage in a relationship.  I really appreciate Aspelund's analogy because it definitely helps me understand the design process and how it works.

The assigned reading contains Aspelund's own perspective as a designer.  He graduated from Wimbledon in London as a set and costume designer, and began his design career in theater working with musicals, ballet, and opera.  Aspelund has also designed for films, fashion shoots, and exhibits.  His varied experiences working in the industry led him to realize that all design follows the same process.  I appreciate how Aspelund reflected his personal thoughts and experiences; his strong enthusiasm and passion for design definitely makes this book exciting to read...so far :)