ACM Interactions

Great design practitioners seem like masters of intuition. They design by habit and instinct. They often produce brilliant concepts instantly. Seeing them work, I ask many questions: Do their thinking skills and their creation of great concepts stem from instinct or education? How can we train young designers to develop such skills? Is it possible to systemize or develop a structured approach to creative design?

Since beginning my design training, I have imagined the ideal scenario in which I would have specific tools and methods (or principles) for design strategies based on creative thinking. It is arguable whether such tools exist; if so, it is not certain if they could be applied in real design practices. Many of my friends who are design practitioners say that intuition, flexible thinking, and freedom from mental constraints are essential for creative design thinking. I also believe that intuition, synthesis, and flexible thinking are key characteristics of successful designers. However, since design drives innovation in the commercial and public sectors, it is important that designers build a comprehensive body of knowledge with specific tools, methods, and creative design principles for better professional practices.

Design is not the only field that faces the challenges described above. The creative writing of screenplays or novels also seems to suffer from the lack of structured tools and methods for good practice and education. Robert McKee presented an interesting approach regarding screenplay writing; he introduced screenwriting principles in the book Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting. I was fascinated that such a book exists for those interested in creative writing. McKee explains that writers can produce excellent screenplays by repeatedly practicing the principles introduced in the book. According to his theory, it is possible to systematically educate someone in creative screenplay writing. In fact, I have heard that the book is regarded as the screenwriter’s bible; furthermore, many film academies around the world use it as a textbook.

My initial reaction after reading the book was that the principles introduced in it may not guarantee a great screenplay. The suggested structure was evident in great films of the past, but it would not have worked for some films that moved or inspired me. For example, my favorite director and screenwriter, Spike Jonze, intentionally violated the principles when making one of my favorite movies, Adaptation. The movie begins with a monologue, contrary to McKee’s recommendations. An expository chapter in McKee’s book includes a section entitled “Show, Don’t Tell.” Interestingly, the movie includes a scene in which McKee delivers a lecture about screenplay writing; yet Jonze violated many of the author’s principles while still creating a great movie.

The book was insightful and inspirational for me and others interested in design education and research, although not all of the content is applicable to my field. I desired to acquire a similar understanding of creative thinking tools, methods, and principles for design practices. Some skeptics think that adding structure or systemizing design tools and methods are almost impossible and limit the intuition and natural thinking processes of professional designers, which are valuable traits for them. When I have been challenged regarding the validity of creative design thinking tools, methods, and principles I have recited the following fable about a dancing millipede (provided in the last chapter of the book): 

High above the forest floor, a millipede strolled along the branch of a tree, her thousand pairs of legs swinging in an easy gait. From the tree top, song birds looked down, fascinated by the synchronization of the millipede’s stride. “That’s amazing talent,” chirped the songbirds. “You have more limbs than we can count. How do you do it?” And for the first time in her life the millipede thought about this. “Yes, she wondered, how do I do what I do?” As she turned to look back her bristling legs suddenly ran into one another and tangled like vines of ivy. The songbirds laughed as the millipede, in a panic of confusion, twisted herself into a knot and fell to the earth below.

On the forest floor, the millipede, realizing that only her pride was hurt, slowly, carefully, limb by limb, unraveled herself. With patience and hard work, she studied and flexed and tested her appendages, until she was able to stand and walk. What was once instinct became knowledge … She could amble, strut, prance, even run and jump. Then ... Now in perfect command of thousands of talented legs, she gathered courage and, with a style of her own, danced and danced a dazzling dance that astonished all the creatures of her world [1].

It is difficult to describe the creative thinking process. Therefore, design experts should engage in professional investigations to establish a framework of practical tools, methods, and creative principles. At times, I believe that tools and principles exist for thinking creatively to generate new ideas, but at other times, such tools cannot be found. It is my impression that the field of design needs more self-reflection. Many practitioners create designs instinctively, thus resembling millipedes that dance without thinking about their legs. It would be difficult for these practitioners to explain how they learned to design; in fact, it is not easy to transfer expertise and skills to the next generation. However, a systematized framework for practical design knowledge is needed, and design practitioners and/or researchers who have a full understanding of design practices would be appropriate candidates for taking on this project.

I think that different views prevail regarding the validity of intellectualized instincts and the possibility of combining a systematic approach with intuition. Nevertheless, I look forward to seeing more books like Story that are pertinent to the design field. Reflecting on how the thousands of legs are controlled to dance will make it possible to engage in a dazzling dance of design, which has not been possible in the past.

Endnote:

1. McKee, R. Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting. HarperCollins, New York, 1997, 418-419.

Tek-Jin Nam