The Process
Though every project offers different challenges my journey from ideation to completion usually follows these steps.
(BETTER ILLUSTRATIONS COMING)
DAYDREAMING
Daydreaming, meditating, stewing. Whatever you want to call it, the project begins with holding the prompt with a loose grasp and letting subconscious ideas connect and bubble to the surface. I ask myself "What would I want to experience if I were a participant?" I love playful surprising experiences and I'm usually drawn to a concept I would most want to see happen.
SKETCHING
Translating things from loose concepts to physical projects can be a bit like trying to catch a cloud. Quick, descriptive sketches help me pin things down and work out some immediate issues. I like to show the sketches to a coworker or friend to see if they make sense. Sometimes they don't but the misunderstandings often lead to new ideas and solutions I didn't think of.
3D MODELING / RENDERING
The fluid ideas from the sketching phase start to take shape with more realistic proportions, materials, and lighting. The modeling/rendering stage not only helps to envision the project in a real world context but is another opportunity to solve design issues before physical materials are used.
PROTOTYPING
My favorite stage, prototyping, is a chance to actually see if and how things would work. Quick and dirty mock ups are an important part of solving some of the bigger unforeseen snags in the design. The prototype varies depending on the nature of the project be it a motion prototype animation, VR experience for a space, or mechanical test for an installation.
REPEAT
Though these steps are a part of every project, their order and duration vary depending on need. Often the lessons learned in the prototyping phase send me back to the drawing board and adjustments need to be made to the renders which may warrant another iteration of prototypes. The best projects are peppered with plenty of daydreaming and are nimble enough to accept radical changes in design if a better solution is found.