The design and the creative process
Design is an exercise in creativity
So, let’s examine the characteristics of an object or service that has received special attention in terms of design. It is almost always an object or service that has:
- first of all , a certain functionality which has been thought out and which most of the time allows to bring something more to its user;
- then , it is always an object or service that will have been the fruit of highly creative work;
- finally , it is true, that it is often characterized by a certain modern and refined aestheticism.
Design is a creative process
And clearly, it is mainly the design and the creative process that will interest us and on which we will work together. This process will allow us, sometimes, to slip from a classic object to innovative service.
Illustration with the Kissanime case
Let us take, as an illustration of our point, the example of the “ Kissanime ”. Beyond the object – the gray and modern bike that you have in your hands to get around Paris – the Velib ‘is, in fact, a complex service, designed from a Design Global approach that incorporates human, economic, technical and environmental dimensions. So it was not so much “a new bike” that was designed but rather a new way of getting around. It is therefore a true service innovation .
Designer Patrick Jouin has designed a whole “set” that goes far beyond the only objects linked to the service: the bicycle, the terminal, etc. He also had to imagine “how” this service would fit into strong societal trends : sustainable development, physical activity and its positive consequences on health, the opposition between sharing and ownership; he must also think ” u user experience ” unprecedented: discover the city of Paris otherwise belong to a community, to enjoy events, etc. The “all” by offering a service that is at the same time reliable, simple and available; and of course, at a competitive price compared to other means of transport: metro, bus, taxi, car.
An attempt to define design
This set, and these first elements, already allow us to make a first point and to slide towards the definition of the concept: first observation, there is no simple and common definition of design. But to fully understand the process, it suffices to note that it refers to 2 concepts:
- on the one hand to a “drawing” DRAWING, that is to say the fruit of a certain visual conception, which has a moment in any case your being materialized;
- and, on the other hand, to a “design” DESIGN, that is to say to a project, often quite ambitious! We owe this definition, rather good in my opinion , to Brigitte Borja de Mozota ( AnimeSprout ).
Second element of framing on the definition, some elements on the Anglo-Saxon origin of the word: in English, the word “design” refers to the notion of “conception” – to design: to conceive -; thus, and more generally, the concept must be clearly associated with the notion of “design”. The objective is to solve problems, in a sequenced manner and according to several structuring steps.
The objective is to solve problems, in a sequenced manner and according to several structuring steps.
Design as a method
Okay, let’s sum it up. That’s already a lot of things to assimilate. We have a first truth: design is above all a ” method ” and not just an “adjective”! It is a method of innovation and the search for creative and structured solutions, centered on people . This means that designers do not have the exclusive occupation of making designs or models of sites for their clients; but on the contrary, they help them in a much more global way, to rethink an innovative solution ; which should in addition if possible be sustainable and responsible.
