OUGD501 - Visual Analysis Notes

Visual Analysis Notes 

The Creative Mind

-        Based on Robert F Elberte seven steps which is a creative problem solving technique with aim of asking questions of the audience.

-        The book draws comparisions between science and creative thinking 

-        The different activities stimulate creativity for a creative audience

Book about creative thinking as well as challenging audience to think in a different way

Uses a variety of creative thinking techniques allowing for the development of different skills

-        Use of quotes to describe the creative process

Makes the audience question the meaning of the excerpts making the book thought provoking and enabling insight into the context of the piece

Acts as a stimulus of ideas for the activities

-        Linked paraphrase – Not a focus on teaching knowledge but enabling the creation of new knowledge

Provides information and context to creative thinking in an engaging format

Allows the audience to understand the importance of creative thinking more if told about the process making the more likely to engage with it.

-        Activities use these as a way of testing the audience

-        Does not influence the creative process by not telling the audience directly how to use the book or sculpture

Uses vague questions that can be understood in different ways leading to different results

The organisation of the questions within the book is not structured or related allowing for discovery within the book and enables the audience to use it in their own way, which reflects the process of creativity.

-        Linked paraphrase – Bringing analogue tools into the creative process allows for play which increases enjoyment and improves the work

Play encouraged through the use of building blocks and interactive element

-        Linked paraphrase - Association and patterns need to be broken to create new ways of thinking

Format allows the audience to draw their own conclusions and connection between information

Sculpture allows the audience to combine different ideas to create something new

Within lateral thinking it is considered that there are multiple ways pf looking at something and that by restructuring and rearranging information these can be explored

Triggers

-        Triggers is a Brainstorming tool for creatives 

-        The questions act as prompts for different ways of thinking about the project

Linked paraphrase – Probing questions allows for things outside the known to be imagined.

Triggers acts as a starting point and source of inspiration for the development of ideas

This enables different thought patterns to be spurred on

Allows the process of idea generation to start with something rather than nothing which increases the speed of the idea generation process

The use of What if?, challenges the assumptions about the project based on lateral thinking technique

Linked Paraphrase – Thinking in the known does not lead to new ideas, however considering the unknown leads to creativity

-        Uses a flexible and easy to use format which is assessible for everyone allowing a range of people to engage with the tool, making everyone in the team an asset for idea generation

-        The design is encouraging and playful through the use of the friendly face which creates a lively feel to the design, reflecting the process of creativity

Disruptus

-        The aim of the game is to improve, transform, disrupt or create ideas

Linked paraphrase - Association and patterns need to be broken to create new ways of thinking

Encourages disruptive thinking which allows for the information to be restructured to create something new  

-        Use of game format is fun and engaging

It encourages creative thinking in a wider audience and shows how these skills can easily be learnt by anyone

-        Linked paraphrase – Judgement of ideas both of others and our own, particularly in the idea generation phase can stop ideas from being developed

Judgement is suspended because there is acknowledgement that out of the box thinking is the aim of the game

-        Linked paraphrase – Ideas are a mix of multiple ideas and are the sum of influences

The game mixes different icons to make new ideas allowing ideas to become the product of combining other ideas, morphing into something new and exciting

-        Linked paraphrase – Nothing is original

The use of structure and some constraints allows for things that would never have been combined leading to the development of completely new and original ideas

Brain Spin

-        Aim of the game to come up with as many interpretations of the shape given and points are earned for unique interpretations

-        The game uses lateral thinking techniques which aim to generate and find as many different approaches to a problem rather than the best approach

Concept focusses on the process of idea generation through associations with the shapes.

Rather than having a quota, which is often used as a goal in lateral thinking, the introduction of competition forces the players to keep going.

-        Linked paraphrase – The speed of generating ideas allows judgement and fear to be navigated around.

The restricted time means that players do not have the opportunity to judge their ideas

The aim of having more obscure interpretations to win the game also means people are less likely to judge their own ideas

-        Linked paraphrase – The constant and repeated practice changes creativity from a habit to a skill

The game repeats the same generative skill which encourages the new way of thinking using an easy to understand format.

-        Shows how lots of ideas can be developed between people from the same stimulus in a short amount of time.