[THINKING] Creative thinking is the least understood concept for most designers. It is possibly the only element of design that is not taught at design academy. Design academies teach what the tools are, and how to use them, but not how to think creatively to solve problems. Design academies place students into boxes called 'graphic design' or 'interior design' etc. While providing knowledge about these specialist areas, the system creates designers who are generally unable to comment on a piece of work outside their experience. School teaches them to refer to themselves by the objects they create - I'm a print designer, I'm a product designer - rather than the thought processes involved. More emphasis should be placed on the process of thinking, in the application of imagination, which is complex and universal and can be applied to almost anything. An educational system that places designers into boxes, replaces their imagination with process. We should encourage exploration, curiosity and experimentation.

'A ceramics teacher, at the beginning of the semester, split the class in two. One half was told they would be graded on the quantity of work: the more a student produced, the higher the grade. The second group would be graded on quality: to get an A, a student only needed to produce one pot, but it had to be perfect. It turned out that at the end of the semester, the works of highest quality were all produced by the students in the 'quantity' group. That group was constantly learning and improving, while the other group 'sat theorizing about perfection' and did not progress in their actual work.' Taken from 'Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking', David Bayles and Ted Orland.

Design students themselves must also be prepared to experiment, and produce a vast quantity of work, 99% of which will lead to nothing. Search for new paths, new ways, fear of mistakes will cripple your development. Practice as much as possible, produce a lot of work, and learn to draw.

[COMPUTERS] Fashion and trends have always been a component of design one way or the other, but they should not overrule the ability to creatively solve problems. This is not simply to restate that form follows function, but we should not be blinded by new techniques and styles. For example, the buildings of Frank Gehry could simply not have been built during the 1980's. The computer processing power necessary to produce these forms was simply not available. Yet he still manages to use the computer as a tool to realise his design. The computer is only used to realise the dream, not have the dream itself. Mr. Gehry, now in his 70's, using the latest computer software as a tool, is a good example of the combination of imagination, experience and ability. It is an interesting thought to ask how many young designers today, so obsessed with computer software, have lost the ability to think creatively, and hide behind the latest lettertype/plug-in. An interesting experiment is the n-Gen design software. Here, a group of designers and programmers from San Fransisco have created a piece of software which can create graphic design, from 'the Californian noir look' of David Carson, to Swiss modernist. You load in your text, photography, logo etc, select your preferred design style, and random designs are produced in seconds. Some of the results this software can produce are quite amazing. Which leaves the question, what will the software ten years down the line be capable of? Why employ a design team instead of this software? Indeed, as a client, why not simply buy this software in house and save money on hiring troublesome design studios?

[COMPUTERS II] As computers and software become so powerful that almost anything imaginable becomes possible, designers can finally break free from the computer effects look and achieve truly stunning results. The strange fact is that work of the highest quality returns to an almost handmade, traditional way of working, requiring great skill from the designer. Above for example, are a few stills from a recent BMW commercial made by London based agency The Mill (they won an Academy Award Oscar for visual effects in Ridley Scott's, Gladiator). It is a simple shot of a woman diving into a seemingly empty swimming pool. As she hits an imaginary waterline, her movements slow down and she gracefully swims through the air towards the BMW. The sheer hard work involved in producing this beautiful result illustrates the effort needed in using the computer as a real tool and not taking the easy way out. Here is how they achieved it in their own words:

'The commercial is set at night against an urban backdrop. Mill flame artist Jason Watts attended the 10 day shoot in Cape Town, South Africa. To achieve this effect, various plates of the car were shot in the empty pool. The young woman was then shot separately, swimming underwater in a naval diving tank, beside a mirror. Camera angles and lenses were set up as closely as possible to match the different plates. The shots of her reflections from the mirror were later composited onto the car to create her reflection as she swims up to it. Shooting underwater presented the crew with various challenges, the main one being image clarity, which deteriorated dramatically as the subject moves away from the camera, therefore, keeping the diver close to the camera was of up most importance. This inevitably led to parts of her body dropping out of shot. Lead flame artist Jason worked on seamlessly tracking in her missing body parts, whilst his team removed air bubbles from the divers hair and costume. For the dive shot a stuntwoman was used, with Jason then working on removing the safety harnesses and wires, tracking in new body parts to disguise her as the original diver. Mill flame artists also worked on replacing the empty skyline with a cityscape and adding the diver's shadow to pool surroundings. Additional work included creating a 'pool tiled' ramp to enable the car to drive from the pool.'

The total result was 60 seconds of television.

'The a artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work.' -Emile Zola (1840-1902)

'First of all, art is about life and always has been, whereas the art world is about money, and always has been. I believe that in the 1960s the problem was not art but the art world, and I find it much easier to ignore the art world and to achieve my aims through art. I think that if you concentrate on the future, as I do, you can do anything. If you start doing a certain thing, it is not difficult to think of opening a restaurant, designing disc sleeves or the image of a recording studio, or creating fashion. I mean, art can be anything and go anywhere.' -Damien Hirst

[CHANGE] To have meaning beyond simply fashion or style, is the ultimate goal of the marketing process behind every large brand. How your brand identity is communicated is becoming ever more complicated. Never have we been bombarded with so many messages. To compete in a world were every image carries a logo, ever changing, urgent, has an interesting effect on longer-term design projects like films or cars. Because you begin the design process years before your product hits the market, you basically have two choices: the design is so original you invest in it and take an increased risk, or you tie your design to icons of the past. Ford are recreating many of their earlier models in 'updated' styling. The new Mini tries hard to retain the cheeky innocence of the original (through brand focussing). Bond films rely on their tried and tested formula, no real surprises here, just bigger explosions. The biggest film at Cannes last year was 'The Matrix Reloaded', with Hollywood awash with the safety-net of the remake. In difficult times, clients stick to reliable risk-cutting measures and are not willing to take a chance on new ideas. What we need are people with self-belief and commitment to follow a vision and without fear for change. Change is difficult, testing our convictions and calling into question our intentions and aspirations. The creation of something truly new requires equal vision from the client as well as the designer. There is nothing morally wrong with references from the past, but when the past is your inspiration, the future is only a remake, and the original was better anyway. Design is, after all, the art of causing change to occur in a defined direction with good taste. Designers should be aware of the dynamics of change, globally and locally. Good design balances sincerity, respect and inspiration on the part of the designer, with understanding from the client of what good design can do. Design is change, and it is up to us to understand the complexity of human feelings, apply some imagination, and create a more desirable future.

'The best way to predict the future is to invent it.' -Alan Kay

'Recently I was in Greece having lunch by the sea. A very simple place. The menu was dried fish, nailed to the wall, with a price tag on them. This was the best design for a menu I have seen. Simple, international, a great piece of design from an old man by the sea.'

At design school, one of my teachers was an ex-military designer of missiles. After witnessing the destruction they caused in the Falklands war, he quit, became a design teacher, and grew his hair very long. One day we were trying to solve a packaging design problem. He gave me the example of the banana: the colour of the packaging changes from green to yellow then black - not good, eat me, too old. When you eat it, the packaging becomes a grip you peel away keeping your hands clean. The packaging is friendly to the environment. The product does not roll off the table, it looks good, and never goes out of fashion. A simple design, which scores top marks at every level.

'Design is so simple, that's why it is so complicated.' -Paul Rand

Advice for hotrodders (quotes taken from www.rgruppe.org) 01. Stay clear of trends, that is unless you are the one starting them. 02. Never let popular opinion or trends dictate what colour you paint your car. 04. Learn how to draw flames. 03. Help younger rodders in any way you can. 05. Never rush a project, it will always show. 06. If you are going to do a burnout, do it where nobody will see you. 07. Don't be ashamed if you didn't build your car. There are very few people out there who can do it all. 08. At the same time never take more than a decade to build a car. Trends seem to cycle every five to seven years. 09. Build your car for YOU, not for the fame and glory. Fame and glory fade with time but YOU will be around as long as you live. 10. If you get your car in a magazine, buy only one or two extra copies, not fifty. If you buy all the copies up, no one will ever know you were in a magazine. 11. Remember, your painted car is no better than a primered one. Maybe the owner of that primered car likes it that way. 12. Remember, opinions are like assholes, everybody has one. 13. Listen to constructive criticism. But remember, there are people out there who enjoy to see you get angry. If you learn to tell the difference between the two, you are wise. 14. Take someone over age 65 for a ride in you rod. They can remember when these cars were used as everyday transportation and it will most likely trigger a fond memory that they will share with you. 15. Likewise, take a child or teen for a ride. Young opinions are forming, and who knows, they may become the next generation's rodders. 16. Work on forming your own opinion, and don't be afraid to voice it. 17. Be modest. 18. Never try to outrun a cop. 18. Always wear sunscreen in a roadster.