How often do you find yourself having to explain that the thing you’re trying to create ‘isn’t’? As in ‘it’s not a timeshare, it’s a not-hotel’ (which is a real thing, or a not real thing. Possibly. I’m not sure.)
The criteria for ’not-ness’ is an important part of the design process; it could hardly be otherwise. How else can we build the mental scaffolding necessary to help others cross from then to here? But it worries me. Denying the thing is hardly helping the case other’s should consider moving to it; that the ’is not’ thing runs the danger of turning the tables against you - that by trying to link by dis-similarity you’re implying ‘not this’; don’t buy into this idea.
Science has an interesting way of thinking about this ‘not-ness’ in another way. Where the behaviour of things that are novel or new or hard to explain - when they know the outcome and want to convince of the validity of it without directly observable proof - they say the thing looks ‘as if’.
‘As if’ makes the case for a thing that might exist if the conditions were right. Those conditions - which could be social, economic, cultural, whichever - can be used to frame this new thing. And you use the context for it needing to be - rather than (not) comparing it to what already does.
Which leads me to make an admission. This is not a strategy I’ve tried. I just thought it up (but like all my ideas, likely it already exists and you’ll be thinking ‘not him again, catching up with the rest of us’) but it did strike me that taking the negative out (or as a tutor once reminded me ‘Richard, you need to accentuate the positive’) might be a better place to begin?
So next time I’m going to try and not reach for not-comparison mood board, and start with why what I’m presenting fits a bunch of situations. Not by non-comparison, because it already had a shape; it just needed the background to help us see what was missing.
If that fails, it’ll not be for want of trying to say what it is. Isn’t. Ain’t anymore.
Comments
More Inspiration
Inspiration
#MemberSpotlight on product designer Rajeev Karemane
How did you first get into the industry? I was born in small village in western ghats of Karnataka India. When I was 10 years old, I used to create collages by cutting out people's photos from newspapers and magazines, mixing and matching them in...
Posted by: Creativepool EditorialInspiration
The 3D printed kids’ headphones made from waste #CreativeCaseStudy #SustainabilityMonth
Product design and innovation consultancy Morrama in partnership with circular manufacturing company Batch.Works, recently announced the launch of a pair of pretty unique headphones. Kibu headphones have been designed and manufactured so that kids...
Posted by: Benjamin HiornsInspiration
Reconnecting the urban landscape with the natural world #BehindTheBrand #SustainabilityMonth
Something a little different today! We’re speaking to Chris Trotman, Creative Director at Run for The Hills, about his agency’s work creating the brand identity and interior design for a very unique and very sustainable workplace. COAL...
Posted by: Creativepool Editorial