Design strategies

How to use playfulness in design

"There are countless advice-driven think pieces on how to navigate the creative industry and the magic it takes to just think of a half-ingenious creative idea. Some note how a certain schedule can make room for creativity, or a “tidy desk, tidy mind” is the way forward. But for me, a playful approach is one that can enrich any creative project. And playfulness, I should point out, isn’t to be confused with humour or games, though those things can often be more than happily involved.

To me, playfulness, at its purest, is a form of imaginative exploration focused on enhancing how we experience life — our culture, our environments, our relationships, our wellbeing — in ways that are as surprising as they are joyful or rewarding. As we begin a new year in the creative industry, below I break down how the practice of playfulness can be approached, in the hope that it will not only improve the work you make, but also the way it feels to make that work too."

I decided to look at approaches to design in order to suggest a few new ideas in which I could visually explore concepts; this would further expand my ideas, and help me experiment with ways of working. Firstly, I looked at an article on Its Nice That about the importance of playfulness in design; it linked to the themes of curiosity in the book I am designing for, and related to how I want to convey my ideas. Above are a few quotes from the article that explain this playful approach to design, and how it helps graphic designers come up with ideas. I am going to take inspiration from this concept, and try not to hold back in the process of developing designs - the idea of playfulness embraces mistakes, which could end up being the final concept. 

The hilarious art of book design - Chip Kidd

I found this video on book design by Chip Kidd interesting as it discusses some useful aspects of cover design and the responsibilities of graphic designers and their interaction with audiences. Here are the notes I made whilst watching the talk:

• Designers should question what do the stories look like? How can I visually communicate a story and give it a 'face' and a first impression?
• A book designer gives form to content, and should balance both
• Don't treat the audience like a moron 
• Experiment with redrawing things
• The book designer has three responsibilities: the audience, the publisher and the reader
• Make a book look like its lying; lure the audience and make them question the cover
• A designers role is an interpreter and translator 
• Play with the spine of books; e.g. the Buddha books spines collectively form an image
• Deconstruct images to tell a story; e.g. pulling it out of the shelf
• Book covers should be interactive and immersive 
• There is a lack of interactivity with e books as it is simply the cover
• Merge and image with text; a multilayered sleeve approach in the design above (1984)
• Publishing is a business too; designers must consider both the contemporary audience and the market audience 
• Show a story!