Cody Roth Arch 429 12/4/12

A Design Manifesto for Individual Growth

Individual growth is important to human life because it allows us to move past our current situation and better our life. The process of individual growth is unique for each person because we all have different strengths and weakness that play into our learning process. We also all have different goals and priorities, which mean we will experience different activities and develop attitudes that are unique to our situation. Even though this process is different for everyone that are techniques and process that allow all of us to grow in our own way.
1. Allow for events to change you: In order to grow you must be open to the idea and encourage it to happen. Growth is not something that happens to you, it is something that is produced through your life and your experiences. Thus, for one to grow they must be open to experience these life events and allow them to make a change in their life. 2. Disregard perceptions about good and bad: Good and bad are human observations. Growth does not fit into either one of the categories because it is an exploration of the unknown. This exploration is where experiences for growth come from. If you stick to designing based off perceptions of good and bad, there will never be true growth. 3. Process trumps outcome: As long as you are designing for a specific outcome you will never try anything new. The design will follow things we already know. If the process drives the outcome of the project, the outcome may be unknown but we will be learning along the way. 4. Cherish your failed attempts: Enjoy freedom in your work. As long as you view everything as an experiment, iteration, or attempt you will be able to reflect on the process and outcome. The wrong answer for one project is always the right one for a different situation. By collecting answers as part of the process they will be there to guide you in the future. 5. Dive in to it: The more effort and enthusiasm exerted will increase the likelihood of finding something new. 6. Study: The studio is a place to devote time and attention to acquiring knowledge. Use the obligation of production as an excuse to study. Studying opens the mind to new doors and allows one to explore them. 7. Daydream: Allow yourself to drift with out any intent for meaning or purpose. Explore new and random thoughts that lack the judgment of others and the outside world. Hold off on criticizing your thoughts, they may be more realistic than you think. 8. Start wherever: Design is not a stagnate process that can be sparked by any idea or vision. If you have an idea dont be afraid to start from that point. 9. Keep going: Dont let others get you down. The outside world reinforces success instead of growth learned along the way. Dont forget you are becoming a better version of yourself. 10. Dont be cool: Free yourself from the limits others place on ideas. Be your own person and see what you have to learn from yourself. 11. Ask stupid questions: Growth is driven by our aspiration and innocence. As long as you are learning, every question is an important question. 12. Work together: Collaborating with people helps you to define your own beliefs and wants through the process of explaining them to others. When everyone defines their thoughts the project goals and concept become strongly defined and allow for more potential.

Cody Roth Arch 429 12/4/12

13. Stay up late: Bizarre things happen when you have pushed yourself to the limits. Embrace the thoughts that come at this hour of the night and dont exclude them from your design process as random thoughts. 14. Be a risk taker: Try new things with your project; if they dont work then try another fresh approach. The work you end up producing today will create your future by driving your designs to a place they have never been. 15. Be repetitive: By repeating what you do like you can create a style and improve the functions and aesthetics for the user. There is also much to be learned by repeating ideas you dont like. Revisiting them allows for new insights to the same problem. 16. Dont be hasty to throw things away: By leaving old ideas and designs lying around you may find inspiration for your current project. Just because an idea was conceived for another project doesnt mean it cant apply to a new one. 17. Use your brain: Remember to think with your mind and not technology. Everyone has access to the same software, only you have your mind. By working with in the constraints of the software you are not designing to your full potential because its limits are blocking you. Instead manipulate the software work with your idea. 18. Use your ears: Dont ignore what others around you are saying. Everyone has their own experiences that developed their way of thought. Listen to them to understand different approaches and needs. 19. Explore the world: Dont ever substitute images for the real thing. No picture can convey the knowledge you can receive from being totally immersed in a culture. 20. Build off the ideas of others: Dont be scared to imitate others or build off of where they left off. Because of the uniqueness of each project and individuals design process you will never design the same work unless you try and copy them. By copying others you will never grow, you will only hold yourself back, but by looking at precedents you can learn from their mistakes to make your design stronger. 21. Take breaks: Many ideas that spark growth take place when we least expect it. Taking breaks gives your mind a chance to relax and assess everything that has happened. This may be the break through idea for your project that you couldnt find or growth through reflection of a completed project. 22. Laugh All work and no play leads to boring, stagnant environments. Laughter helps us to relax and enjoy life. With out enjoyment, there is no purpose. 23. Dont forget: Growth is only possible as a product of history. Without memory of the past, improvement is merely a novelty. By drawing of history, growth is given a direction. It helps us to remember what we viewed as successful and what was a failed attempt before. We must only remember that each moment in history has the potential for growth.