Bilingualism and how it affects how we think of things

This is an example of how my brain works independently of language.
I was raised bilingually (Irish / English). I assume that my way of thinking of things has been influence by my bilingualism. I don't think in terms of words necessarily but, rather, in terms of things.
For example...
I wanted to describe my diary/notebook, how it looked. Here is a picture of it:

"it's black with an orange...[?]..."

I couldn't think of the word.

"Rib?" Is it black with an orange rib?

I knew that was wrong.

I could picture this bone-like thing. And was trying to think of the English word for it. Rib was wrong. Bone? A part of the body? No it wasn't a "back" because it was a kind of straight line bone the entire length of the body (well not quite entire length of the body but length of torso anyway).

Spine!

I don't know if this is due to bilingualism; if bilingual people think like this. That our brains our geared more towards context and objects and ideas than words...? The look of it, the feel of it, the "it" of it more than the word. So that's what I was doing, searching for the English word that fitted the "it-ness" or the "thing" that I had in mind.

As designers, involved with things and objects, I think it's important not to get too caught up with words. Not to be anglo-centred. Or indeed any-language-centred.

Soap Collection

Since I was about 7 years old - that's more than 25 years ago! - I have had a "soap collection". My granny used to add to the collection, buying me a new coloured, smelly, shaped soap every week or so for a while.

I've carried them with me every house move I made. I tried to use a soap or two from time to time. Maybe a Christmas-theme to add yuletide atmosphere to my bathroom.

Or a fun soap when I expected friends with children to visit.

Now it's time to get rid of them.

So I took time out, photographed my collection and put together this slideshow together as an Ode to my Soap Collection. Some of the details are quite stunning.

My brother asked me will I sell them... but I don't think anybody would be interested. They're at the door, waiting to be taken away. Not sure where to. 27 years is a long time, I'm quite attached to these soaps in an odd unfunctional way.

Insighting, Ideating, Iterating

I took this section from http://knowledge.insead.edu/blog/insead-blog/the-innovative-organisation-learning-from-design-firms-3833
It describes for me so clearly the design process and the way I was taught in architecture school although nobody ever defined the stages like this.

User-centric insighting: In order to create value in novel ways (the goal of innovating), you must first locate opportunities to do so. Where to start looking is easy to see—with the end-user—but it’s far more difficult to detect and synthesise actionable information within the complexity of the user experience. Customer surveys and focus groups simplify the process, but are often removed from how people authentically respond in the marketplace. Designers, by contrast, prefer observation to interrogation, developing empathy to discern unarticulated, even unconscious, user needs. As Tim Kobe, CEO of design firm Eight, Inc. put it, “We represent the end-user in all the design decisions that take place in these innovation projects.” And that’s why building empathy with the target user is crucial, as Continuum did when working with Procter & Gamble to reinvigorate the Pampers brand. Observing mums and their babies, designers realised that the mothers’ ultimate concern was their infant’s development, not the diaper itself. With that in mind, they devised a line of premium diapers for different developmental stages (Swaddlers, Cruisers, etc.) rather than segmenting by age.

Deep and diverse ideating: Designers generate heaps of new ideas based on user insights. This phase is where they unleash their creativity, coming up with as many and as distinct potential solutions as possible before putting much thought into implementation. These preliminary solutions are the product of an organisational process that deliberately cultivates a broad range of perspectives. Far from avoiding eccentric and exceptional voices, design firms seek them out and encourage their contributions within an atmosphere of freedom of thought and playfulness. Playfulness is so important at IDEO that they have created a Toy Lab where designers conceive and test out some of their creations by playing with kids as young as 18 months.

Rapid and cheap iterating: Designers understand that the creative flurry of the ideation phase can take them only so far. They are quick to make ideas concrete and not shy to declare them failures when they don’t live up to expectations. For designers, failures are not negative events but learning experiences. Producing fast and cheap dummy versions to test out concepts means that even when the experiments flop, it’s still a win-win. Singapore-based multidisciplinary design consultancy Awaken Group makes “low-resolution prototypes” of spaces using stacked cardboard boxes to represent walls. That way, alterations can be made to the design in a matter of moments as the client walks through the demo space.

Thank you to Manuel Sosa. Read more at http://knowledge.insead.edu/blog/insead-blog/the-innovative-organisation-learning-from-design-firms-3833#IubtlgXCQALWBUiK.99

Design Museum Gent

During a Month in Europe, I made a day-trip from Brussels to Gent.

Gent is a very picturesque city - quite Dutch with it's canals and bicylclists. It was very cold when we were there and not the most comfortable to walk around. We went to the Design Museum first but decided not grab lunch before heading in to the exhibitions. Nothing worse than an empty stomach + trying to take in what a museum has to offer (well ok, there are many many worse things...)

The guy at the desk was odd. He never gave us tickets although we paid, nor a map of the building. And pointed us in the direction of the cloakroom. We then entered into some period-style decorated rooms, a tour of which brought us back to the foyer and the ticket-man. Utterly confused, we wondered if we should cross the hallway and go through a passageway marked with a do-not-enter symbol. Perhaps the "do-not-enter-ness" applied if you hadn't yet bought your ticket...?!

We overheard a French couple being told the way... and on we went...

Much of the museum is housed in the rear building behind the courtyard. A modern insert behind an old facade. Apparently the floor is hydraulic and can be adjusted depending on the items being exhibited - a two-storey boat, I assume! Or a dinosaur...!

The permanent exhibition focusses very much on style - Art Nouveau, Rococco, Art Deco. This is not my own personal strong point. Historic referencing. Nor is it something I am interested in. Style and Period and School. Bah.

There were two temporary exhibitions which we visited: 'Design Works?' - a collection of the designed products by Dirk Wynants and 'Eternal Spring' - Barbara Nanning's glass sculptures.

We think, although it is not listed in the exhibition, and we somehow missed it on our walkabout in the galleries, that there was also an exhibition on Tablewear. Qui sait. As I said, this museum is not the easiest to manoevre about.

The Dirk Wynants exhibition started very bizarrely with an information board telling the story of how much globes meant to this person. No introduction about who the person is. I felt it was a marketing exercise for this designer. A chance to justify his designs and "explain" them. I think I will do a separate blog post about what I liked about his work and the pieces I liked.

Barbara Nanning's objects made me think that there is a distinction between creating or artistry and being a designer. I think "design" must define a separation between thinker and maker. The designer must communicate ideas through drawings or models or verbal instructions and someone else then produces the finished product as closely, hopefully, to the intentions and 'vision' of the designer. I think that is where the magic or the mystery occurs. In laying down the ideas, in describing them, and in their interpretation. There is a process of:

• client describes brief
• designer interprets brief and describes solution
• workmen produce solution
• client lives with the production

That process, I think now, is what fascinates me about "Design".

And not to confuse the issue too much, but always there is another element to the process:

• consumption

It also fascinates me that the client and their brief, for example "I need to buy a draining board rack", can be influenced by so many factors to do with marketing and shopping experience, and branding, and cost... whereas designers are influenced by creating a piece that is... what? dramatic? useful? etc... and how, in real life, do these needs collide?

To be continued....!!!

Oh - to conclude re the Design Museum in Gent. I saw some Lalique glass. A vase. And am fascinated to see more of his work.

I think Design Museums are tricky. Are they aimed at the general public? At designers? At creating awareness of "design" - etc. I think of the museum in London which Terence Conran was involved with and the wonderful museum in New York.