Design for Living: Creative Processes in a Changing World

Written By Jonathan Biggs

CREATIVITY IS THE DEFEAT OF HABIT BY ORIGINALITY

ARTHUR KOESTLER

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Being creative is what scientists, philosophers, artists,

writers, poets and people in general have been doing for

centuries, as the human species is naturally creative and

creativity is evident in all aspects of our culture. The verb to

create was for many centuries confined to the pages of the

Bible: God did the ‘creating’ and humans got on and did the

INTRODUCTION: WHAT IS CREATIVITY?

best with what they were given. However the course of history

is littered with examples of humans being creative.

Chris Sharrock describes the origins of human creativity:

‘Our prehistoric ancestors, using pieces of shattered flint,

sharpened twigs, animal guts and bits of bone to solve the

problems they faced in order to survive are all the evidence

we need to prove that we are a naturally creative species’

(Chris Sharrock 2008). However in contrast to the idea that humans

have always been innately creative, a more traditional view is

that thinking, or indeed creativity, was not a necessity. Plato,

Aristotle and Socrates established the notion that ‘In a stable

world it was enough to teach ‘information’ because this would

last for the student’s lifetime. Information would tell you what

to do. Thinking was unnecessary. Once there was knowledge

then all else would follow. However this is an old fashioned

absurdity. Knowledge is not enough. The creative, constructive,

design and operating aspects of thinking are just as important

as knowledge’ (Edward De Bono 1982). Increasingly, in many aspects of

society, the role of creativity and thinking is as valued as much

as the importance of knowledge.

The creative act however is a relatively problematic one

to define as it involves a complex set of processes. Saul Bass

described how he ‘didn’t attempt to explain what the creative

process is, except note that it looks peculiar, is frequently

contradictory, takes surprising turns and occurs under strange

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THE CHASE

DESIGN STUDIO

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The Collins English dictionary gives the following definition for the adjective

creative:

Creative (Kri:’eitiv) adj. 1. Having the ability or power to create. 2. Characterised by

originality of thought or inventiveness; having or showing imagination. 3. Designed

to or tending to stimulate the imagination or invention; creative toys. –cre’tively adv.

–cre’ativeness n. -, crea-tivity n.

The Oxford English Dictionary gives the following definition of the noun: Creativity

(Kri:’eitiv) The use of imagination or original ideas to create something; inventiveness.

WHAT IS CREATIVITY THE CREATIVE PROCESS

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circumstances’ (Saul Bass 1996). Similarly, William Beck has said that

‘No one seems to know where creativity comes from or how it

works. I have thought about the nature of this creative process

and have reached a somewhat aberrant conclusion. I don’t

understand it and I don’t think anyone else does either’ (William

Beck 2001). Yet Oliver Sachs attempts to articulate a rationale for

creativity that ‘involves the power to originate, to break away

from existing ways of looking at things, to move freely in the

realm of the imagination, to create and re-create worlds fully

in one’s mind – while supervising all this with a critical inner

eye. Creativity has to do with inner life and with the flow of new

ideas and strong feelings’ (Oliver Sachs 2001).

A basic definition of for the creative act would be

the combination of different elements merged together in

a new way, but of course creativity also has many different

characteristics: it is about looking at things in new ways, taking

risks, making unlikely connections, discovering concealed

relationships, challenging assumptions, following curiosity

and being open to new methods. Indeed these processes are

integral to the unexpected and surprising nature of creativity.

Albert Einstein asserted that ‘imagination is more

important than knowledge’, and today creativity informs many

aspects of everyday life and disciplines such as science,

mathematics, medicine and engineering. Creativity is not just

the exclusive preserve of the arts. People however often make

the mistake of thinking of creativity solely in regard to the arts,

even though today the widespread importance of creativity is

generally unquestioned. ‘Too often we think of creativity just as

“art”, but art is not in fact a very high expression of creativity

because art can be wonderful without much change in ideas

or perception’ (Edward De Bono 1996). This emphasis on creativity

being about a change in ideas and perception is significant

because it informs the way good designers now approach

client briefs: it is no longer enough to simply be innovative in

formal or aesthetic terms. Instead there are now economic,

social, environmental, ethical and cultural factors that have

to be considered. Design does not exist in a vacuum. Bruce

Mau is at the forefront of this trend to make design more

aware of, relevant to, and connected to the wider world in all

its complexities: ‘We use our creative and analytical design

method to invent and visualize the highest purpose, and the

greatest economic, social and cultural potential for your

business or product, your city or country, your organization or

initiative’ (Bruce Mau, 2010).

I plan to look at the role of creativity in graphic design,

and how it not only influences the design approach but also has

the capacity to persuade, influence and even change people’s

thinking and decisions. In looking at how creativity in graphic

design is utilised in today’s society I plan to analyse how the

creative process works. This will involve me researching how the

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ARTHUR KOESTLER

THE ACT OF CREATION

1964


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brain and the unconscious work within this complex process. I

will discuss the different creative strategies that professional

designers use to help generate new ideas, by looking at

selected designers who have developed their own personal,

distinctive creative strategies. I will discuss the importance of

designers generating new ideas, as, without being prepared

to continually look for new alternatives, designers will remain

trapped in the same circles of approach, producing the same

works and coming up with the same solutions.

Researching creative strategies will help me to question

just how creative the designer can be, given the inherent

restrictions contained in a client’s brief. To what extent can

a brief restrict the creative approach of the designer; or

conversely can the limitations of the brief actually help the

creative process? I will also focus on the subject of creativity

on demand. Finally, I will discuss the broader context of

creativity and how design cannot ignore social, economic,

environmental, ethical and cultural considerations.

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MATHEMATICIAN

CREATIVE PROCESS THE ROLE OF THE BRAIN

Creativity is the result of a complex set of processes, it is not a mechanical

process that can be easily followed, but more a personal process that designers

learn and develop over time. People have their own ways of stimulating this

ideas-making process: the poet Schiller would keep rotten apples in his desk so

he could smell them when he needed to find the right word; Ivan Chermayeff does

most of his thinking in taxis; the mathematician Jacques Hadamard gets his ideas

by being awoken by a loud noise; Thomas Edison would sit in front of a roaring

fire holding a large ball bearing in his hand - as he nodded off the ball would fall

and awaken him so he could remember and capture any idea he was having at

the time. In this way he would circumvent the domination of the conscious mind

through sleepiness. The point is we all have different wiring, but it is down to the

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individual to gain their own understanding of the creative

process. As Chris Sharrock has said, “If I laid out the

basic operation of a combustion engine and how it drives a

motor vehicle, merely reading this would not make you able

to drive a car, nor would it make you a brilliant Formula

One driver. However, someone driving to the supermarket

in a car and someone careering at high speed around a

racetrack are both operating within the same basic system.

Their ability to use that system, and how much they can

control it, will depend on them” (Chris Sharrock 2008). However it

does not automatically follow that practice improves a skill.

The fact is that the mind thinks with ideas not information,

so acquiring knowledge is useless unless one learns how to

use it. A dictionary may contain all the words but no one can

tell a poet which to choose or what to write.

The mathematician Jacques Hadamard devised a set

of phases for the creative process: preparation, incubation,

illumination and verification. Preparation is the acquiring of

information and incubation is allowing the brain to process

this information (I will return to illumination and verification

later). The human brain is at the centre of everything we

do and yet our understanding of the brain and how it works

is very limited, ‘we know more about the inside of a star

than we do our own brain’ (Richard Gregory, 2001) and if our brains

were simple enough to be understood, then we would be too

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simple to understand them.

The purpose of the brain is to enable us to survive and

to cope, not to be creative, so for us to use our brain in a

creative way we have to get it to start understanding how

to think in this way. An idea is essentially a new combination

of elements but the capacity to bring old elements into new

combinations depends largely on the brain’s ability to see

relationships. Edward De Bono is a leading author in the

field of thinking techniques. He puts forward the theory that

the brain is a pattern-making and pattern-using system.

De Bono claims that the brain provides a means whereby

incoming information gets organized into a pattern, and

once a pattern is formed then the mind no longer has to

analyze or sort information, any information that reaches

that pattern or channel will flow along it always in the same

way, always establishing the pattern ever more definitely.

An example of this would be: ‘when you are reading poor

handwriting it may take a while to recognize a word. Then

suddenly it becomes clear. With print we recognize the

words so rapidly that we are hardly aware of this ‘pattern

recognition’. This is because the mind works to recognise in

the outside world familiar patterns’ (Edward De Bono 1982).

It is this pattern recognition that allows our experience

to form certain concepts, patterns and organizations. We

follow a pattern but in order to progress we may have to

FRANCIS CRICK

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THE BRAIN THE CREATIVE PROCESS

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backtrack and change to another pattern. This would mean

that working within existing patterns will not in itself lead to

new patterns or ideas, and this is essentially how creativity

works. If we are always thinking in the same way and going

through the same routines then nothing new will be created,

just rehashes of other, previous work.

This theory is supported by James Webb Young who

believes that ‘the mind follows an operative technique which

can be learned and controlled: and that its effective use

is just as much a matter of practise in the technique as it

is the effective use of any tool’ (James Webb Young, 1965). Similarly

John Gorham believes that ‘the conscious part of the brain

can only think in terms of what it knows, what it has learnt,

what it has seen. So if you think of a good idea, you must

have seen it somewhere else. It is their subconscious which

comes up with the unexpected’ (John Gorham, 1996).

De Bono offers a thinking technique called ‘lateral

thinking’, the purpose of which is to offer a more deliberate

means for pattern switching than relying on mistake or

accident. It is about reasoning that is not immediately

obvious, and ideas that may not be obtainable by using

only traditional step-by-step logic, although he does state

the unconscious, stating that he has ‘always been drawn

to the theory of an unconscious mind, I’ve always known

there was a part of me that works even when I’m asleep

or when I’m thinking about other things. My unconscious

mind feels as real to me as do my heart, lungs and liver.

I can’t see any of these vital organs, but I know they’re

CREATIVE PROCESSTHE ROLE OF THE UNCONSCIOUS MIND

Albert Einstein asked “Why is it I get my best ideas in the morning while I’m

shaving?” The answer is the role of our unconscious mind in the creative process.

This phenomenon is the belief that ideas appear out of the blue through the

unconscious mind, a flash of inspiration; and it would appear to be a commonality

in all the creative endeavours, yet it is a theory that academics and scientists

struggle to explain. The theory is that your subconscious still works on a problem

while your mind focuses on other things. You could say that it is the borderland

between sleep and full awakening. Adrian Shaughnessy supports this idea of

THE ROUTE FROM A TO B

IS VERY DIFFERENT FROM

THE ROUTE FROM B TO A.

LATERAL THINKING OFFERS

A MEANS FOR PATTERN

SWITICHING (DE BONO,1982)

that sometimes ‘we use these techniques and come up with

nothing at all, sometimes a good idea no better than the

existing idea will appear, but sometimes (occasionally) we

use it and come up with a better idea’ (Edward De Bono, 1982). His

technique involves trying to look at the problem from many

angles instead of tackling it head-on, using idea generating

tools to break current thinking patterns, and focus tools to

broaden the search for new ideas. This is essentially how we

can be more creative: by trying different methods of thinking

which in essence should lead you to new and unexplored

places.

THE BRAIN THE CREATIVE PROCESS

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there. And I also know the unconscious mind is where ideas

come from and over time I’ve learnt to trust it and to treat

it with respect’ (Adrian Shaughnessy, 2009). Marty Neumeier agrees

with this, stating that ‘the history of invention can be seen

as a series of marriages of incompatible ideas, or at the

least ideas that previously had not been introduced. The

matchmaker in most of these marriages is the unconscious

mind’ (Marty Neumeier, 2001). Shaughnessy says that over time

he has ‘learnt to trust’ his unconscious mind, yet when Saul

Bass was a young designer he stated that when he did a

good piece of work outside of the rational process he would

distrust it and felt it was an accident. However he now

realises his unconscious mind is an key part of the creative

process.

It is fascinating that our mind can work on a problem

even when are not thinking about it, but that is because

of the complexities of the brain and the creative process.

James Webb Young offers an example of this phenomenon:

‘You remember how Sherlock Holmes used to stop right in

the middle of a case and drag Watson off to a concert? That

was a very irritating procedure to the practical and literal

minded Watson. But Conan Doyle was a creator and knew the

creative processes. Drop the problem completely and turn

to whatever stimulates your imagination and emotions’ (James

Webb Young, 1965). I acknowledge that this is a relevant factor in

EXTRACT FROM

THE ART OF LOOKING

SIDEWAYS

the creative process and that it is important to allow time

for your unconscious to digest the relevant information to

produce a worthy idea.

However the unconscious mind doesn’t necessarily

produce amazing ideas, it can only work with what it knows.

That is why when you hear of scientists and designers

talk about this ‘flash of inspiration’ or their ‘moment of

creation’, it is not because their unconscious is a smart

entity which told them, it’s because they have a vast wealth

of knowledge on the subject and a great understanding of

how the creative processes work.

John Cleese believes that you get better results when

your unconscious has worked on a problem. He started to

observe ‘what was going on when I was creating. The first

thing I would notice was when I was trying to write a sketch

at night and I would get stuck I would go to bed and when I

woke up in the morning, not only was the solution immediately

apparent to me, but I couldn’t remember what the problem

was the other night. I realised that the explanation for this

was my unconscious part of my mind must have continued

working on it while I was asleep, with the result that when

I wrote it out it was better’ (John Cleese, 2010). Arthur Koestler

believed this is because the unconscious aids creativity by

keeping the problem constantly on your mind, while your

conscious is occupied elsewhere. He states that ‘without

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PENTAGRAM

THE UNCONSCIOUS MIND THE CREATIVE PROCESS

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believes that in every brief there are a number of instructions

and demands: ‘Follow these and we will probably end up with

an acceptable result. But in most briefs there is also a hidden

and unspoken element, a key that unlocks the creative solution

to the task’ (Adrian Shaughnessy, 2009). A good designer will understand

this, they will look closely at the details of the brief, making

connections between the different snippets of information in

search of a creative solution - but it isn’t always easy to find.

The American artist Robert Rauschenberg stated how

‘he tried never to come into the studio with an idea. If he

has an idea, he goes for a walk to get rid of it. He said that

CREATIVE STRATEGIES IN THE PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE OF GRAPHIC DESIGN

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if he does start with an idea, chances are he’ll only come up

with stuff that he or somebody else has done before him. He

wants all the insecurities and doubts of the working process

to become part of the final piece’ (Stefane Sagmeister 2008). However

as a fine artist Rauschenberg rarely has the pressure to work

to tight deadlines and can afford to be as freely creative as

he pleases. But does the graphic designer have the luxury to

be able to adopt this approach? Adrian Shaughnessy wrote

that ‘most designers look at books when they want ideas.

Others pound through the Internet. This is fine, but we should

force ourselves to go to unlikely books and unlikely places in

cyberspace; if we are all looking at the same hip design books

we mustn’t be surprised if everything we do looks the same as

everything else’ (Adrian Shaughnessy, 2009). Both Rauschenberg and

Shaughnessy recognise the importance of trying to work in

different ways to the norm. The difficulty can lie in originality.

There is such a vast plethora of design work out there that it

can be very easy to fall into the trap of repetition or recycling

someone else’s earlier idea. If the designer is repeating

another designer’s work they are not creating but merely

mimicking. Good designers learn how to borrow and adapt

ideas, as well as discovering new ideas. Many designers have

developed their own distinctive working method to help them

respond to briefs and help with the creative process, some of

which I have researched.

In the professional practice of graphic design it is important to respond to

briefs with fresh new ideas, yet this can be difficult given the inherent restrictions

of the brief. But no matter how detailed the brief is it always leaves something

unsaid. This is where the designer can use their creative skills. Adrian Shaughnessy

this constant pressure, a favourable chance constellation would pass unnoticed.

The unconscious helps in bringing forms of ideation into play which otherwise

manifest themselves only in dreaming states’ (Arthur Koestler, 1996).

Of course not everybody works in this way; this is just one of many ways

of getting an idea. If you do have a so called ‘eureka!’ moment it’s never as

glamorous as Newton and the falling apple or Archimedes and his bath tub - it

is still just an idea which you have to bring into the real world and make work.

CREATIVE STRATEGIES CREATIVE STRATEGIES

20 21

OBLIQUE STRATEGIES

The Oblique Strategies were devised as a set of cards in the 1970s as a way of

circumventing the repetition of thought process and to help with creative blocks that

arose through studio practice. Both Schmidt and Eno understood that the pressure of

time tended to steer them away from the ways of thinking they found most productive

when the pressure was off: ‘The Oblique Strategies evolved from being in a number

of working to deadline situations. If you’re in a panic, you tend to take the head-on

approach because it seems yield the best results’ (Brian Eno Interview). But of course, that

often isn’t the case. The idea is that the user draws one of the Oblique Strategies

cards at random and applies the instruction on the card to the problem at hand. My

personal favourite instruction is “Honour thy error as a hidden intention”, as it can

be all too easy to discard a mistake for what it is - a mistake. As Bruce Mau puts it:

‘Capture accidents - the wrong answer is the right answer in search of a different

question. Collect wrong answers as part of the process. Ask

different questions’ (Bruce Mau, 1998).

This strategy is a systems-based approach to creativity

and I acknowledge that these instructions offer a creative

solution. However, I would question whether the user would

automatically get better results using them. You would certainly

get mixed results. I think the Oblique Strategies cards are more

suited to, say, a fine artist than a graphic designer because the

results would be rather more unpredictable. This of course is

acceptable within graphic design, but given the limitations of

the brief, they may not be suitable to use. They would however

ABOVE

THE OBLIQUE STRATEGIES

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be helpful to use in response to briefs for more experimental

projects.

I would argue that what Schmidt and Eno’s cards do

well is allow the brain to take a different train of thought. The

random instructions serve to tap into lines of thought that might

otherwise have stayed hidden. Musicians such as Coldplay,

MGMT, Phoenix, U2 and the German composer Blixa Bargeld

have all used the cards when recording albums, with mixed

results - Stefane Sagmeister stated how he was ‘working with

Brian Eno’s Oblique Strategy cards every once in a while with

mixed results’(stefane sagmeister 2010). Louis Pasteur said ‘Chance

favours the prepared mind’(Louis Pasteur, 1848) and essentially this is

how these cards work. If you have the right understanding of

the brief then a preferable chance constellation is more likely.OBLIQUE STRATEGIES

STATEMENTS

OBLIQUE STRATEGIES CREATIVE STRATEGIES

22 23

De Bono offers a similar technique to Oblique

Strategies called the ‘random stimulation method’, which

is provided by a random object, word, person, magazine

or exhibition: ‘The main thing is that it cannot be chosen

because if it is chosen then it is chosen through its

relevance to current ideas and therefore will reinforce

rather than change them. It is a matter of exposing oneself

to a random influence or deliberately producing one’ (Edward

De Bono, 1982).

Chris Sharrock gave an example in a lecture of how

he blindfolded a student and spun him around. The first

object the student saw would have to be applied to the brief

RANDOM STIMULATION METHOD

Brief: come up with ideas for a new deodorant.

Random stimulation : Umbrella

Idea: An Umbrella is used during wintertime.

Design special winter / summer editions.

Idea: An Umbrella is used according to climate

conditions. Design a deodorant that reacts to

changes in body temperature.

Idea: Some umbrellas can be folded to a small size.

Design a small deodrant pack to carry in your bag.

as a restriction. Another example (Stefane Sagmeister’s)

would be to open the dictionary on a random page and

choose the first word you find, apply that word as you

see necessary to the brief. The random influence helps

as a restriction as it allows you to free yourself from the

endless possibilities of a restriction-free brief. De Bono

believes that ‘in our thinking we move out of a certain area

along the traditional route. If we toss in a random word

it has its own associations. Sooner or later these link up

with the associations of the problem. We can now move out

of the problem along this new route and see what we can

find’ (Edward De Bono, 1982).

As with Oblique Strategies the value of this method

is debatable; the key is the random aspect as it allows

the brain to make chance constellations it would otherwise

not have made, had it not been subjected to a random

influence. Whether this chance constellation works is

another matter. The fact is that this method will throw up

both intelligent ideas and ridiculous ideas. I would imagine

both this method and Oblique Strategies would take a lot

of practice before these techniques produce worthwhile

solutions.

EXAMPLE OF THE

RANDOM STIMULATION

METHOD

THE

GR

EA

TES

T D

AN

GE

R F

OR

MO

ST

OF

US

IS

N

OT

THA

T O

UR

AIM

IS

TO

O H

IGH

AN

D W

E M

ISS

IT

BU

T R

ATH

ER

TH

AT

IT I

S T

OO

LO

W A

ND

WE

RE

AC

H I

T

MICHAELANGELO

ARTIST

RANDOM STIMULATION METHOD CREATIVE STRATEGIES

24 25

THE HUMAN BRAIN CAN

ONLY GENERATE 30 WATTS

ILLUSTRATION BOB BLECHMANnot otherwise dare to make for the fear of the idea being

ridiculed. No idea is too ridiculous to be put forward. It

is very important that no attempt at evaluation of ideas is

made during the session.

Brainstorming can have genuine advantages if used

at the right stages of the creative process. It can be a

reminder of how rigid your thinking has become and can

help your mind to free itself of rational thinking: ‘At worst

it can be hostile to the creative process as it leads to

the proliferation of ideas exclusive of merit’ (Ralph Caplan,

1996). It can also stifle creativity, as the very competition it

fosters establishes one of the biggest blocks: the fear of

making a mistake. So to be effective brainstorming should

be used wisely. It would most probably prosper in a studio

environment where designers can bounce ideas off one

another.

BRAINSTORMINGAlex Osborn came up with the concept of

brainstorming in the late 1930s. The main features of a

brainstorming session are cross stimulation, suspended

judgment and the formality of the setting. The technique

involves a group of people trying to solve a problem

together by very rapidly throwing out ideas. It requires

that the session be a short period of time, all ideas should

be written down so that everybody can see them and that

there be no censorship. Brainstorming sessions provide

an opportunity for people to make suggestions they would

ALE

X O

SB

OR

N S

PP

LIT

THE

MIN

D I

NTO

TW

O P

AR

TS. TH

E

JUD

ICIA

L M

IND

AN

D T

HE

CR

EA

TIV

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IND

- B

RA

INS

TOR

MIN

G

WA

S H

IS M

ETH

OD

TO

EN

CO

UR

AG

E C

OP

IOU

S I

DE

ATI

ON

W

HIL

E D

ISC

OU

RA

GIN

G P

RE

MA

TUR

E J

UD

GE

ME

NT.

MIS

OM

ISM

IS

A P

SYC

HIA

TRIC

TE

RM

FO

R A

N U

NR

EA

SO

NIN

G

FE

AR

AN

D H

ATR

ED

OF

NE

W I

DE

AS

.

EXTRACT FROM

THE ART OF LOOKING

SIDEWAYS

EXTRACT FROM

THE ART OF LOOKING

SIDEWAYS

BRAINSTORMING CREATIVE STRATEGIES

26 27

JAMES WEBB YOUNG & CHRIS SHARROCK

Both James Webb Young and Chris Sharrock offer an identical creative

strategy. Young wrote the book A Technique for Producing Ideas (recommended

by Sagmeister and Craig Oldham). Both author’s methods relate to the theory of

the unconscious mind and to Jacques Hadamard’s set of phases: preparation,

incubation, illumination and verification.

Young and Sharrock are by no means suggesting that creativity is a simple

process which – following the steps listed above - will automatically make you

creative. They are simply laying out the basic mechanisms that underpin the

complexities of the creative process. If you understand these steps then it will help

you to become a better thinker. The key to this method is allowing your mind to gain

the right knowledge and understanding of the brief in order to give yourself more a

chance of finding an acceptable creative solution. Without an understanding of the

project the ideas you produce will lack relevance to the subject.

JAMES WEBB YOUNG

STEP ONE

‘Allow your mind to gather all the raw materials of the project. Think about the project from any possible point of view. From yours, the clients, the audience.’

STEP TWO

‘The process of masticating these materials, What you are seeking now is the relationships; little tentative or partial ideas will come to you.’

STEP THREE

‘You drop the whole subject and put the problem out of your mind as completely as you can, turn the problem over to your unconscious mind and let it work while you sleep. You stimulate the unconscious creative process’

STEP FOUR ‘The idea will strike you when you don’t expect it.’

CHRIS SHARROCK

STEP ONE

‘Gather all the data and information you can on the subject. Illustrators often form a personal opinion first and then research around this.’

STEP TWO

‘Think about the subject of the brief. Don’t be frightened of it, take risks, jump into the unknown. Play with it. Don’t be scared of it. It won’t bite you.’

STEP THREE

‘Forget all about it. You have the information, now let it go and turn to what stimulates your imagination.’

STEP FOUR

‘The Idea. This often comes when you least expect it’

STEP FIVE

‘Show it to other people and get their opinion remember you are trying to communicate with others, not yourself.’

JAMES WEBB YOUNG

A TECHNIQUE FOR

PRODUCING IDEAS

1939

A TECHNIQUE FOR

PRODUCING IDEAS

COVER

JAMES WEBB YOUNG

1965

HOW TO BE CREATIVE ON

DEMAND

CHRIS SHARROCK

2010

CREATIVE BLOCK & NO RESTRICTIONS

YOUNG & SHARROCK CREATIVE STRATEGIES

28 29

Webb Young gives an example by the writer De

Maupassant that I think epitomises the importance of good

research: ‘Go out into the streets of Paris and pick out a cab

driver. He will look to you very much like every other cab driver.

But study him until you can describe him so that he is seen in

your description to be an individual, different from every other

cab driver in the world’ (James Webb Young, 1965). I think within graphic

design this method provides useful advice in getting the right

results and producing high quality work. When working for

clients you will need to make them look individual and different

from their competitors, even though the difference may be

minimal. The right knowledge and research of the problem will

help this process.

Young claims to have received feedback from people

entirely outside of design, such as poets, painters, engineers,

scientists, and even a writer of legal briefs, who all say that

Young has described their own experiences with the creative

process. This supports the idea that the creative process can

be the same for everyone even when applied to different fields

of work: so the creative process in science would be the same

as in art and design.

YOU

HE

AR

PE

OP

LE A

LL T

HE

TIM

E S

AY

ING

RID

ICU

LOU

S T

HIN

GS

LIK

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LD W

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E A

BO

OK

OR

, I

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ULD

CO

MP

OS

E A

PIE

CE

OF

MU

SIC

. W

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O

F C

OU

RS

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HE

Y C

OU

LDN

’T T

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Y M

IGH

T H

AV

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OU

NTS

VIVIENNE

WESTWOOD

FASHION DESIGNER

Mau wrote The Incomplete Manifesto for Growth, an articulation of statements

exemplifying his beliefs, strategies and motivations. Mau stated that he ‘tried to

articulate the way that we work - day to day, moment by moment - so that others

might learn from the method we had developed’(Bruce Mau, 2009). They are thought

provoking statements that are useful in helping designers move beyond the design

process mindset they can often get stuck in.

Often designs conform to the latest patterns or software tricks. Mau’s

statements challenge assumptions on how to approach design work but also help to

BRUCE MAU - THE INCOMPLETE MANIFESTO FOR GROWTH

There is a long tradition of artists creating manifestos to express their views

of the world and their approaches towards art. Amongst the first art manifestos

was that of the Futurists in 1909, followed by the Vorticist, Dada and Surrealist

manifestos. All these defined a moment. Much later in 1998, design guru Bruce

MASSIVE CHANGE

BOOK COVER

BRUCE MAU

BEGIN ANYWHERE BILLBOARD

NEW YORK

BRUCE MAU

INCOMPLETE MANIFESTO FOR GROWTH CREATIVE STRATEGIES

30 31

1. Allow events to change you

2. Forget about good

3. Process is more important than outcome

4. Love your experiments (as you would an ugly child)

5. Go deep

6. Capture accidents

7. Study

8. Drift

9. Begin anywhere

10. Everyone is a leader

11. Harvest ideas

12. Keep moving

13. Slow down

14. Don’t be cool

15. Ask stupid questions

16. Collaborate

17. ____________________.Intentionally left blank

18. Stay up late

19. Work the metaphor

20. Be careful to take risks

21. Repeat yourself

22. Make your own tools

take an alternative route to the ‘norm’. These statements have

a different purpose to the Oblique Strategies: they are more

a philosophy for designers to follow than a statement to apply

to a project.

Mau believes it is important to disregard what people

think is ‘good’. People who have brought about true innovation

were focused on trying to change things. Good is acceptable;

innovation however comes from pushing the boundaries.

Daniel Nettle wrote that ‘when we have good ideas about

how to be happy, they come to us through means very different

from instinct but through long, difficult learning; through study,

through reflection; through spirituality; and through art. It is

as if our untempered impulses constantly lead us astray and

we need an input of wisdom to keep us on the right track’ (David

Nettle 2009). This is how I think these statements work. They act

as an ‘input of wisdom’, which helps the designer think about

and approach projects in different ways.

2.

FO

RG

ET

AB

OU

T G

OO

D.

GO

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IS

A K

NO

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AN

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. G

OO

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TH I

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SS

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ILY

GO

OD

. G

RO

WTH

IS

AN

EX

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RA

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N

OF

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LIT

RE

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SS

ES

TH

AT

MA

Y O

R M

AY

NO

T Y

IELD

TO

OU

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ES

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H.

AS

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NG

A

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CK

TO

GO

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YO

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ER

HA

VE

RE

AL

GR

OW

TH

INCOMPLETE MANIFESTO

FOR GROWTH

BRUCE MAU

THE INCOMPLETE MANIFESTO FOR GROWTH(STRIPPED VERSION)

23. Stand on someone’s shoulders

24. Avoid software

25. Don’t clean your desk

26. Don’t enter awards competitions

27. Read only left-hand pages

28. Make new words

29. Think with your mind

30. Organization = Liberty

31. Don’t borrow money

32. Listen carefully

33. Take field trips

34. Make mistakes faster

35. Imitate

36. Scat

37. Break it, stretch it, bend it, crush it, crack it, fold it

38. Explore the other edge

39. Coffee breaks, cab rides, green rooms

40. Avoid fields

41. Laugh

42. Remember

43. Power to the people

INCOMPLETE MANIFESTO FOR GROTWTH CREATIVE STRATEGIES

32 33

THE IMPORTANCE OFEXPERIMENTATION

As a designer keeping ideas fresh is important. Clients want work that is

new and original so as to differentiate from the competition. Stefane Sagmeister

believes in the importance of refreshing his work and so takes a year long sabbatical

from design around every seven years, during which he declines to take projects

from clients so he can concentrate on experimentation. He feels that his work can

often become repetitive and so believes in the importance of experimentation:

‘under pressure, the chances are that I revert to something I did before. When

I stop the pressure, I can relax, I can look at things or start developing things

that I have no clue about. Almost every designer whose work I really admire has

some sort of set period set aside for experimentation’ (Stefane Sagmeister Interview). In 2000

Sagmeister took a year-long sabbatical. Although most designers can’t really do

this, it is necessary to have time set aside for experimentation. It is important

STEFANE SAGMEISTER

THINGS I HAVE LEARNT IN MY LIFE SO FAR

2009

LOV

E Y

OU

R E

XP

ER

IEM

NTS

AS

YO

U W

OU

LD A

ND

UG

LY C

HIL

D.

JOY

IS

TH

E

EN

GIN

E O

F G

RO

WTH

. E

XP

LOIT

TH

E L

IBE

RTY

IN

CA

STI

NG

YO

UR

WO

RK

AS

B

EU

ATI

FU

L E

XP

ER

IME

NTS

, IT

ER

ATI

ON

S,

ATT

EM

PTS

, TR

IALS

AN

D E

RR

OR

S.

TAK

E T

HE

LO

NG

VIE

W A

ND

ALL

OW

YO

UR

SE

LF T

HE

FU

N O

F F

AIL

UR

E E

VE

RY

DA

Y.

BRUCE MAU

INCOMPLETE MANIFESTO

FOR GROWTH

to keep yourself thinking in different ways. If your brain is

always doing the same routines and working methods, your

focus may well become narrow and you will get into the habit

of doing things the same way, your work stagnating as a

result. Having experimentation time allows you to explore

different ways of working which may not be possible under

the pressures of ‘creating on demand’. It is the act of

reflection that allows us to make sense of and balance our

thoughts and feelings.

There is a question of whether or not you view

work for clients as experimental or personal work. Adrian

Shaughnessy believes that all his work is personal: ‘The

fact that it’s not self initiated doesn’t mean its not personal;

the fact that I have a client with a brief and a deadline and

a budget, and a sack full of prejudices, restrictions and

limitations, doesn’t stop me trying to do personal work. Its

all personal’ (Adrian Shaughnessy, 2009). I agree that it is important to

make your commercial work personal, however the extent to

which this is possible is down to the inherent restrictions of a

brief. It will also depend on what type of work the studio does

for clients: if you are stuck doing work which doesn’t really

involve a high level of creative input it may well be hard to

make the work personal. Other briefs however do allow the

designer to really engage with the project and really stamp

their own creative input on it.

EXPERIMENTATION CREATIVE STRATEGIES

34 35

CO

PY

MA

GA

ZIN

E G

AV

E U

S S

IX S

PR

EA

DS

AN

D W

AN

TED

US

TO

FIL

L TH

EM

W

ITH

SO

ME

THIN

G A

NY

THIN

G R

EA

LLY.

TH

IS S

OU

ND

ED

IN

ITIA

LLY

EXC

ITIN

G

BU

T F

ILLI

NG

TH

E P

AG

ES

WIT

H N

O B

RIE

FS

AN

D N

O B

OU

ND

AR

IES

TU

RN

ED

OU

T TO

BE

MU

CH

MO

RE

CH

ALL

EN

GIN

G T

HA

N I

HA

D N

AIV

ELY

E

XP

EC

TED

. A

S T

HE

WE

EK

S W

EN

T B

Y M

Y S

EA

RC

H F

OR

CO

NTE

NT

BE

CA

ME

IN

CR

EA

SIN

GLY

FR

AN

TIC

STEFANE SAGMEISTER

THINGS I HAVE LEARNT IN

MY LIFE SO FAR

CREATIVE BLOCK & RESTRICTIONS

Creative block can happen to any designer and can

be down to any number of reasons. Anything, from the

pressures of creating on demand, to a reliance on the

same working method, can cause it, or just the fear of not

being able to come up with anything. Having a brief with no

restrictions can be another cause: designers need a brief to

be able to stimulate thinking about an idea. Personally I am

not the sort of person who can come up with ideas out of the

blue. One might imagine having a brief with no restrictions

would make a designer very excited, however I would agree

with Sagmeister that it is quite the opposite: ‘Unlimited

freedom can be a curse, particularly for a design studio

used to working with tight briefs and deadlines. How to go

about it? Where to start? Should we run portfolio pieces?

Jokes? What do I want to say when I can say anything? ’

(Stefane Sagmeister, 2006). Michael Beirut also believes that having

no restrictions can be a curse: ‘Thought that the poster

for America’s most progressive design competition, the

One Hundred Show, would be the ultimate easy problem to

solve – no restrictions whatsoever, an audience of other

designers, nothing but commonality, how could I help but

be brilliant? But people crash and burn on jobs like this. I

was frozen by it. I put it off repeatedly, even when I was

pestered to make decisions about colour and size’ (Michael

Beirut, 1996). Restrictions are a necessity that allows the

brain to start working, which is why Saul Bass would

‘frequently set up some sort of absurdist condition

that forced him into considering the relationships and

ideas and experiences which would be conjured up

within the r¬estrictions of the familiar world’ (Saul Bass,

1996). The thought of no restrictions then can lead to

a creative block – indeed, it should be said, any brief

could lead to a creative block. In this situation Chris

Sharrock offers a fallback method that he calls the

‘Basic Ideas Of The Universe’.

THE ONE HUNDRED SHOW OF

AMERICAN CENTER OF DESIGN POSTER

MICHAEL BEIRUT

1992

‘WE

CR

EA

TE S

OLU

TIO

NS

IN

RE

SP

ON

SE

TO

PR

OB

LEM

S. TH

E M

OR

E

SP

EC

IFIC

TH

E D

EF

INIT

ION

OF

TH

E P

RO

BLE

M, TH

E M

OR

E D

IRE

CTE

D

THE

EF

FO

RTS

AT

SO

LVIN

G I

T. C

ON

STR

AIN

TS A

RE

NO

T YO

UR

E

NE

MY,

BU

T YO

U F

RIE

ND

’

RICK EIBER

DESIGNER

CREATIVE BLOCK CREATIVE STRATEGIES

36 37

BUNNY LAKE IS MISSING

FILM POSTER

SAUL BASS

1965

THE BASIC IDEAS OF THE UNIVERSE

The basic ideas of the universe

is a fallback method offered by Chris

Sharrock for when a designer is

suffering from a creative block. The

method is a group of 10 techniques

which the designer can use to apply to

a project. This method is primarily aimed

at students who may not have a great

understanding of the methods which

designers have at their disposal.

1. THE MEDIUM AS THE MESSAGE

JIF LEMON PACKAGING

EDWARD HACK

1956

PAUL WENMAN BUSINESS CARD

ABI STONES

2004

BASIC IDEAS OF THE UNIVERSE CREATIVE STRATEGIES

38 39

2. VISUAL METAPHOR

BOOTS DISHWASHER POWDER

ROBINSON LAMBIE-NAIRN

1991

THINGS ARE FINE

CAMPAIGN

BORDERS PERRIN

NORRANDER

CARTOON OF DAVID CAMERON

THE GUARDIAN

STEVE BELL

3. DEBUNKING

POSTER FOR JACK GOLD’S

FILM RED MONARCH

JOHN GORHAM

ADOLF, THE SUPERMAN SWALLOWS

GOLD AND SPOUTS JUNK

JOHN HEARTFIELD

KAISER ADOLF

JOHN HEARTFIELD


40 41

4. ADAPTION OF SOMETHING WELL KNOWN

PROTEST POSTER

UNKNOWN DESIGNER

1970

A VISUAL RUNDOWN OF

THE FILM THE LAST OF THE

MOHICANS

ATELIER WORKS

1994

POSTERS FROM THE SERIES OF THIRTY

FIVE IN THE ‘GREETINGS FROM SARAJEVO’

EXHIBITION IN ZURICH

TRIO SARAJEVO

1994


42 43

5. REBUS

IBM LOGO

PAUL RAND

1991

TRICKETT & WEBB BROCHURE TITLE

DESIGNER UNKNOWN

1991

6. THE DESIGNERS EYE

FEDEX LOGO

LINDON LEADER

1994

LOGO FOR MAGAZINE THAT WAS

NEVER PUBLISHED

HERB LUBALIN & TOM CARNASE

1965


44 45

7. WORDS AS PICTURES

SHELL LOGO

RAYMOND LOEWY

1971

TELECOMMUNICATIONS PLESSEY LOGO

NORBORT DUTTON

1959

SLOGAN FOR NEW YORK

MILTON GLASER

1975

8. INVERSION OF SCALEOR OPTICAL ILLUSION

FUKUDA EXHIBITION POSTER

SHIGEO FAKUDA

1975

BOOK ILLUSTRATION

SHIGEO FAKUDA

1984


46 47

THE WHITE RABBIT ALICE

IN WONDERLAND

JOHN TENNIAL

1865

9. ANTHROPOMORPHISM 10. 1+1=3

JEEP HUSKY AND CAMEL

GARY LIM

2008


48 49

I believe preparation is the most important aspect in the creative process.

A good understanding of the subject will give you a solid platform from which to

find the best answers to the brief. This process is dependant on the brain’s ability

to discover new ideas. The creative strategies I researched all involve the brain

making connections, whether it be through an instruction, a random word or your

unconscious. The brain needs time to find concealed relationships, it needs time

to find a solution to the brief - this is the incubating aspect of the process. Next

is illumination: the creative process allows discovery of new ideas, but whether

these ideas work is up to the designer - an idea is still only an idea until it is made

real and it works. The last step in the process is verification. There is no point

in creating something if it doesn’t fulfil its purpose. It is very important to get

people’s opinions on a piece of work, remembering that in most cases it has been

created for somebody else and it will be their opinion that matters the most, not

your own.

Having understood how the creative process works and the skills designers

have at their disposal I will now discuss the broader context of creativity and its

role within today’s society.

CREATIVE STRATEGIES OVERVIEW

Having researched how the creative process works and having looked at a

number of creative strategies, I believe Jacques Hadamard was right to assert

that the creative process works through the stages of preparation, incubation,

illumination and verification.

important issues facing the world, and need to think of the

ethics of what they do, and what projects they choose to

apply their creative skills to. In there day-to-day working,

the Liverpool design studio Non Conform promotes a practice

that is more environmentally anchored. They are a ‘carbon

neutral company’, a ‘tree 250 company’ and a member of

the PFH (procurement for housing), as well as using a ‘cycle

to work scheme’. Studios like Non Conform recognise the

importance of having principles that clients can relate to.

Similarly clients are becoming more ethically aware and so

will search for designers who have ethical principles in line

with their own.

So for a designer it is important to decide what one’s

ethical stance is. This can be problematic if one’s ethical

principles do not correspond with those of one’s clients.

Adrian Shaughnessy offers an example of an instance that

requires an ethical response: ‘you are asked to design the

packaging for a new fizzy drink which contains sugar and

other dubious chemicals but which promotes itself as fun. If

CREATIVITY IN TODAY’S SOCIETY

As outlined in the introduction, it is no longer enough to simply be

innovatively creative in formal or aesthetic terms. There are now other factors to

be considered. Creativity cannot be impervious to social, economic, environmental,

ethical and cultural considerations. Design studios are now more aware of

TOP

PROCUREMENT FOR HOUSING

BOTTOM

CYCLESCHEME

CREATIVE STRATEGIES OVERVIEW CREATIVITY TODAY

50 51

you feel the drink is contributing to poor health among the

young and vulnerable you may decline to work for them. But if

they were producing a product that did not claim to promote

health, and if they made the contents clear on the packaging,

most of us would find it professionally expedient to take on

the project. If, however, the company claimed their drink

offered strength and vigour this would become a moral issue

as they are asking us to lie.’ (Adrian Shaughnessy, 2009)

Ethically designers have a choice to make on what

kind of work they will accept, however they may still be

compromised by whom they work for. The simple answer

would be, don’t take the project, but that’s not always that

simple: it is not that easy to decline work when other factors

come into play, such as the need to keep earning money or

career motivations. A designer’s relationship to a client

is often one of complicity, so how, when doing a job, can

they challenge the underlying principles, particularly of

big companies? Patrick Burgoyne believes the competitive

nature of the graphic design industry has contributed to

unethical tendencies in graphic design: ‘many designers

professionally engaged in advertising do have sensitive

consciences, high ethical standards and a strong sense of

responsibility. But even for them external pressures from

the clients who commission their work as well as from the

competitive internal dynamics of their profession can create

powerful inducements to unethical behaviour’ (Patrick Burgoyne,

2007). It is morally and ethically wrong for designers to use

their creative skills for exploitative, manipulative or corrupt

purposes, and yet certainly the last of these purposes is part

of how communication design works. One could argue that by

being complicit with a company’s manipulation of customers,

designers have contributed to some degree to ‘oiling the

wheels’ of successful brands, making them hugely desirable

and instantly recognised within the environment of global

capitalism. It may be going too far to implicate designers in

the negative effects that ‘unethical’ corporations are having

on the world, for instance their exploitation of developing

countries, dwindling natural resources and contribution to

climate change.

CREATIVITY IN HUMAN BEHAVIOUR

It is generally agreed the currency or worth of creativity in human

behaviour is a positive force, but creativity can also be utilised for questionable

purposes. Designers can hide behind the term ‘creative’ because it is seen to

equal good, when in actual fact designers are being paid to use their creative

skills to persuade, manipulate and control people’s decisions – persuading people

they need something that they don’t.

Patrick Burgoyne believes that ‘today, some advertising

is simply and deliberately untrue. Generally speaking, the

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problem of truth in advertising is somewhat more subtle: it

is not that advertising says what is overtly false, but that

it can distort the truth by implying things that are not so

or withholding relevant facts’ (Patrick Burgoyne, 2007). It is this

aspect of creativity that is questionable. Advertising aimed

at children can exploit the way they are highly suggestible,

in the hope they will put pressure on their parents to buy

products they don’t need. This is the manipulative power that

creativity has, the power to persuade and control people’s

decisions. And it is this aspect of creativity that I believe

contributes to the negative effects of global capitalism. We

live in a world of want and greed, which has led to high levels

of consumerism that is becoming unsustainable and is putting

pressure on the world’s diminishing resources. Creative

designers therefore have a responsibility to question if and

how they have used their creativity to contribute to this by

persuading high levels of consumerism.

Creativity as a human trait is used in both positive

and negative ways. On the positive side people want to use

creativity to make a better, more liberal world, to tackle

the problems we face. Yet on the negative side creativity

is used to persuade and control people’s decisions, which

in themselves contributes to the very problems that need

solving. So maybe now it is time for designers to, instead

of supporting the status quo, focus their creativity on

issues that are critical of the established order. What then

can designers do to reverse the problems brought about

by uncontrolled free market capitalism and rapacious

globalisation?

The designer can be more proactive through their

creative design by consciously working with more ethical

companies and organisations. Yet a lot of the problems

more ethical designers would want to tackle stem from the

way greedy and unethical companies conduct themselves

around the world, following the mantra that ‘we are only

going to express our values when we’re communicating

but when we’re manufacturing and doing all these other

things, we don’t have to worry about it, because those

things aren’t visible’(Warren Berger 2009). It is this attitude that

has led to the problems we face in the world today. However

the public is certainly now more aware of and concerned

about how companies conduct themselves both ethically and

environmentally. There is now a sense of urgency within

large corporations that a change in their behaviour is a

must if they are to survive and progress under the scrutiny

of today’s society. This is where designers can contribute to

tackling contemporary problems. But precisely how can they

use there creatively in this?

Bruce Mau is at the forefront of a movement that

embraces new ways of thinking in graphic design. He believes

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that everything in the world today is ready for reinvention

and recombination, and that creative thought can be applied

to businesses to not only communicate the values of the

business, but to actually redesign a business to become

more sustainable. In this way Mau sees design and creativity

having a broader role in engaging with pressing issues today.

One of his mantras is ‘design what you do’: companies should

now not just design their product but design the way the

business works as well.

Mau helped create a global green platform for one of

the world’s best-known brands, one that has a reputation

for being environmentally irresponsible and promoting

poor health among younger people. Bruce Mau Design

transformed Coca Cola through a global sustainability

programme called Live Positively. ‘Live Positively represents

Coca-Cola’s commitment to making a difference in the world

by redesigning the way they work so that sustainability

is part of everything they do. Working with Coke’s top

executives, we pulled together efforts scattered across many

divisions into a cohesive strategic vision and a framework to

guide future development, articulating broad sustainability

goals across all categories of their business and culture.

Then we communicated this message to Coca-Cola’s 700,000

employees and to the world’ (Bruce Mau Design) . Interestingly Coke

were doing a number of things to become more sustainable

before Mau got involved but the public did not know about these, as they weren’t

part of a larger visible coordinated effort. Mau’s approach is to see the overall

operation of a company as a creative design problem. He believes that companies

should demonstrate their values through their actions and should now be looking

for ways to be more sustainable and focused on being more ethically and socially

aware. If Mau can get a huge global brand like Coca Cola to redesign the mindset

of its corporate structure, this could convince smaller companies to follow suit.

RIGHT

COCA COLA LIVE

POSITIVELY WEBSITE

SHOWING SUSTAINABILITY

INITIATIVES

BELOW

COCA COLA LIVE POSITIVELY

MESSAGES ON BINS

COCA COLA LIVE

POSITIVELY

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CONCLUSIONThe challenge for creativity in society today is to find

ways of applying creative thought to tackling the issues that

face the world today. I believe that for creative designers

it is no longer acceptable to be creative purely in terms

of aesthetics or formal considerations. Designers are

now actively taking on board considerations beyond those

relating to a brief, considerations that relate to factors

that affect the world, whether this be through being more

environmentally conscious, like Non Conform, or approaching

projects with the Bruce Mau ‘design what we do’ approach.

As designers have to continuously think of ways to do things

better and more conscientiously, this is the direction that I

see creativity and design taking in the future.

The general public recognises the importance of

good design, which shapes their whole world around them.

Designers should now be focused on design’s potential to

solve problems and change lives. Creative designers have

the ability to communicate the importance of tackling broader

global issues. Maybe it is time for designers to collectively

encourage substantial change by utilising the creative skills

at their disposal. It is creative design that communicates the

essence and values of a company, and yet many of the larger

companies and corporations have brought about dwindling

natural resources and climate change. So now instead of

helping to encourage high levels of consumerism, which

contributes to global capitalism, designers should be looking

more ethically at ways to question the underlying principles

of large companies and also question how advertising

manipulates to negative effect for the globe, fuelling the

desire to consume. This is very much how Bruce Mau

approaches creativity and design.

Creativity has the power to encourage substantial

change in the way people think about and view the world. In

challenging perceptions and attitudes, innovative design I

believe has the capacity to make us see the possibilities of a

better world.

CONCLUSION CONCLUSION

58 59

REFERENCE LISTSECTION ONE - THE CREATIVE PROCESS IMAGES

SECTION TWO - CREATIVE STRATEGIES

SECTION THREE - CREATIVITY IN TODAY’S SOCIETY

Adrian Shaughnessy. (2009) Graphic Design: A Users Manual. London: Lawrence King. pp.148, 154-155, 235

Brian Eno Interview in: The Oblique Strategies Available at: http://www.rtqe.net/ObliqueStrategies/OSintro.html

Bruce Mau (1998) Incomplete Manifesto For Growth, and

Bruce Mau Design(2008): Accessed on 2nd December 2010 Available at http://www.brucemaudesign.com/#115688/

Edward De Bono. (1982) De Bono’s Thinking Course. London: BBC Books. pp.62, 63

James Webb Young. (1965) A Technique for Producing ideas. New York: McGraw-Hill . pp.22

Michael Beirut in: A Smile in the Mind, Beryl McAlhone & David Stuart (1996). London: Phaidon. pp.172-173

Ralph Caplan Cited in: A Smile in the Mind (1996) London: Phaidon. pp.76

Stefane Sagmeister Interview: Available at: http://www.sagmeister.com/students.html and Book (2008) Things I have learnt in my life so

far. Harry N Abrams

Saul Bass in: A Smile in the Mind, Beryl McAlhone & David Stuart (1996). London: Phaidon. pp.17

Adrian Shaughnessy. (2009) Graphic Design: A Users Manual. London: Lawrence King. pp.110-111

Bruce Mau Design Website. http://www.brucemaudesign.com/112916/Coca-Cola

Accessed 2nd December, 2010

Patrick Burgoyne (2007) God and the ethics of advertising. [online] Available at: http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2007/

january/god-and-the-ethics-of-advertising Accessed 2nd December, 2010

Warren Berger 2009 Meet Bruce Mau. He wants to redesign the world, Wired Magazine

http://www.wired.co.uk/magazine/archive/2010/01/features/meet-bruce-mau-he-wants-to-redesign-the-world Accessed 2nd

December, 2010

Evolution Of Man. The Art of Looking Sideways, Alan Fletcher (2001) London: Phaidon Press.

The Econmist Poster celebrating Asia Pacific’s 100,000Th Subscriber, Ogilvy & Mather 2004. Available at: http://www.adverbox.com/

media/campaigns/2006/05/theeconomist_brain.jpg

Oblique Strategies Card Deck, Available at: http://www.gourmet.com/images/food/2009/06/fo-oblique-strategies-608.jpg

The Human Brain Can Only Generate 30 Watts, Illustration, Bob Blechman. The Art of Looking Sideways, Alan Fletcher (2001) London:

Phaidon Press.

A Technique For Producing Ideas Cover, James Webb Young. Available at: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bW0i1eWTElw/S_r7rFJOOCI/

AAAAAAAAAEE/JJ96v8epRBE/s1600/IMG_0135.JPG

Begin Anywhere Billboard, New York, Bruce Mau. Available at: http://www.brucemaudesign.com/#112942/

Things I Have Learnt In My Life So Far Cover, Stefane Sagmiester. Available at: http://www.metropolismag.com/

webimages/3393/REV_1_06_08rev2_t346.jpg

Things Are Fine Campaign, BORDERS PERRIN NORRANDER. Available at: http://www.jazarah.net/blog/wp-content/samer/2008/10/

dontvote.jpg

The White Rabbit Alice In Wonderland John Tennial, 1865. Available at: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/83/Alice-

white-rabbit.jpg

Jeep Husky And Camel, Gary Lim, 2008. Available at: http://adsoftheworld.com/files/images/jeep2_0.jpg

Adolf, The Superman Swallows, Gold And Spouts Junk, John Heartfield. Available at: http://www.towson.edu/heartfield/art/superman.

jpg

Paul Wenman Business Card, Abi Stones, 2004. Available at: http://www.dandad.org/awards/professional/2008/categories/grpd/

graphic-design/23936/paul-wenman

Cartoon Of David Cameron, The Guardian, Steve Bell. Available at: http://strai.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83455c15069e20120a867ff1597

0b-pi

Coca Cola Live Positively Messages On Bins, Bruce Mau. Available at: http://blog.mytemplatez.com/wp-content/

uploads/2010/02/cocacolaLivePositivlely.jpg

Fedex Logo, Lindon Leader, 1994; Bunny Lake Is Missing, Film Poster, Saul Bass, 1965; IBM Logo, Paul Rand 1991;The One Hundred

Show Of American Center Of Design Poster, Michael Beirut 1992; Jif Lemon Packaging, Edward Hack, 1956; A Visual Rundown

Of The Film The Last Of The Mohicans, Atelier Works, 1994; Protest Poster, Unknown Designer, 1970; Slogan For New York, Milton

Glaser, 1975; Telecommunications Plessey Logo, Norbort Dutton, 1959; Shell Logo, Raymond Loewy, 1971; Trickett & Webb Brochure

Title, Designer Unknown, 1991; Posters From The Series Of Thirty Five In The ‘Greetings From Sarajevo’ Exhibition In Zurich, Trio

Sarajevo, 1994; Poster For Jack Gold’s Film Red Monarch, John Gorham; Boots Dishwasher Powder, Robinson Lambie-Nairn, 1991;

Fukuda Exhibition Poster, Shigeo Fakuda, 1975; Book Illustration, Shigeo Fakuda, 1984. All Available at: Beryl McAlhone & David Stuart

(1996) A Smile in the Mind. London: Phaidon Press.

REFERENCE LIST REFERENCE LIST

60

PRINTERS

Print Factory

TYPEFACES

Foundry Gridnik Regular

Foundry Gridnik Bold

BIBLIOGRAPHYBooks

Adrian Shaughnessy. (2009) Graphic Design: A Users Manual. London: Lawrence King.

Alan Fletcher (2001) The Art of Looking Sideways. London: Phaidon Press.

Beryl McAlhone & David Stuart (1996) A Smile in the Mind. London: Phaidon Press.

Bruce Mau. (1998) Incomplete Manifesto For Growth,

Edward De Bono (1982) De Bono’s Thinking Course. London: BBC Books.

Francis Crick (1994) The Astonishing Hypothesis London: Phaidon Press.

James Webb Young. (1965) A Technique for producing ideas. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Stefane Sagmeister. (2008) Things I have learnt in my life so far. Harry N Abrams

Websites

Bruce Mau Design Website. http://www.brucemaudesign.com/112916/Coca-Cola

Chris Sharrock (2008) : What is Creativity? Accessed on 2nd December 2010 Available at: http://sharrock.wordpress.com/tag/

understanding-creativity/ and How to be creative on demand Available at: http://sharrock.wordpress.com/2008/11/19/how-to-be-

creative-on-demand/

John Cleese in: John Cleese WCF Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGt3-fxOvug

Brian Eno Oblique Strategies http://www.rtqe.net/ObliqueStrategies/

Articles

Warren Berger (2009). ‘He wants to redesign the world’, Wired Magazine http://www.wired.co.uk/magazine/archive/2010/01/features/

meet-bruce-mau-he-wants-to-redesign-the-world Accessed 2nd December, 2010]

Patrick Burgoyne (2007) God and the ethics of advertising. [online] Available at: http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2007/january/

god-and-the-ethics-of-advertising

http://www.dandad.org/

Lectures

Chris Sharrock: How to be creative on demand

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Documents

Design for Living: Creative Processes in a Changing World