Stage 4: Exploration/Refinement Reading Response

So, I read through Stage 4 which was considerably shorter than the previous stages and for good reasons. Its really about gathering up defining ideas of a designers concept through every possible exploration. To make a design come to life so to speak, the author of the book Karl Aspelund feels that drawings and visual forms of exploration are necessary to get your ideas on paper. This includes sketching many ideas out, and to draw as much as you can in order to understand all the aspects of a design. This is the stage where everything in your design begins to take visual form and meaning. Modeling is another form of visual representation that will help in creating a successful path for a design.

In order to get a good sketch or drawing, there has to be a form of visual language which basically means images and shapes that resemble something and as one gets older, their understanding of the drawing technique as well as the object changes over time. I think this is important for any artist and designer because being able to generalize or break something down into a simple sketch or drawing is crucial for quick concept ideas. Drawings in design aspects is a visual aid that helps the understanding of what the design is all about. The author also goes on to explain that these drawings and sketches don't need to be precise and clean cut, because its simply to show others as well as yourself what the essential parts of a design are visually.

I like how the author includes some positive and negative points in relation to sketches. The positive points range from quick sketching sessions to consistency in the sketching and the negative points range from keeping the sketches out of others view for constructive criticism as well as editing the drawings in any way. Just let the pencil move and what ever shows up on the paper, thats where you can develop further. You wont get it right the first time, so just keep on drawing.

I think this stage is important because the visual activity can really help designers in getting their ideas of a project or design out on paper. Its crucial for designers to get their ideas on paper so they can see exactly how to go about it from a development standpoint.