Conditional Design Workbook

Using ludic thought processes to create design.

Within this seminar we took a practical and visual approach to the research, which I found engaging. I found it interesting to see how each of the groups within the class had created varying outcomes from the same “brief” as it were. This activity was to examine how having a basic brief; although it may have limitations this doesn’t restrict our creative ability and therefore our availability to stretch a brief and work around the constrictions presented.

In the first design game “The Beach” taken from the book “Conditional Design Workshop”, we were to fill a sheet of paper using dots in order to represent a crowded beach. For these tasks we were splits into groups of 4 to 5 as to collaborate and create understanding in our group as how to respond to the brief provided.

The Beach

For this first game we viewed each dot as a representation of one person. I took this further and created larger dots as to represent their further field of space they had claimed upon the beach, for instance using a marquee or tent. I took an imaginative step towards my contribution, in the way of claiming that my red dots were in fact people bitten and infected by zombies. Therefore in theory this would be showing how disease might spread within such a busy area.

The second game “ Perfect Circle” involved building up a circle until it was deemed perfect by the group.

This was a particularly tricky task as in order to obtain an actual perfect circle it would require either a very precise eye or mathematics skill to be involved within the designing process. Keeping in mind we didn’t have any mathematic equipment upon ourselves, we drew freehand, which reading the brief this is seemingly suggested. 

Perfect Circle

For this task we took the “fill-in circle” element of the task as a tongue-in-cheek, abstract interpretation and filled the circle with a variety of patterns, including stripes. Apart from this we generally followed the instructions, though found achieving a “perfect” circle to be particularly time-consuming and so when we felt it was near enough to perfect we all agreed to stop. On review of the classes work, I argued that in reality there is perfection in imperfection, on the grounds that it is not often that there are perfectly aligned patterns and the idea that there is beauty in imperfection.

The Beach and Perfect Circle

You can view the Conditional Design Workbook online at the below website:

http://workbook.conditionaldesign.org