Visual Research & the Designer  

Borderline between inspiration and copy.
The danger with inspiration is to be tempted to cross the borderline between inspiration and copy.
Can be inspired or research "near" the final product or "very far".
The more near we start, the easier will be to finish, but more near to be a copy.
And then, the more far we start, the more difficult will be to finish, but more far from a copy, and more "original" will be.
"Visual research"
Is "visual" the best word? As inspiration, will be more near a copy.
What about "ideas research", or others.

Translations in design
The designer as a translator.
I don't have my own complete definition on design-designers yet, but "designer as a translator" I think is the one that fits better by now.
I Thought opening a new thread on this issue, but also fits here.
Dear Robert,
Their was a sentence, there. . . in the gold Eams, you said:
"Just another 'Concept over Execution' in the name of 'Art'
The concept should never be more important that the execution..never ..ever"
I loved when I read it, and agreed. Clever point.
But later, not necessary agree that ALWAYS is the best to archive.
Translations can be form:
the low to the high
the rich to the poor
the poor to the rich
thousand etc
Considering the design as a translating process, the final product depends on the translating message and the translator.
Some times this process is made "alone". Or in popular ways. (Excellent!, No bad translators needed 🙂
But sometimes there are some translation needed in some areas.
I'm specially interested following this process.
But I can't remember now all those examples (!)
Campana brothers said they have lot of Inspiration on poverty.
They said, that poor have very cleaver ways to fix and do thing. They are extremely creative as a solution to the lack of resources.
I feel very near that point: Argentina (with Uruguay) were the South American countries with wide middle class, almost no poverty. (similar to Canada and Australia).
But now, thanks to some policies by IMF, World bank, and others, We have now here the possibility to see a common image of latinamerican poverty, that we didn't saw before.
I can be proud to definitely find and see every day people as "garbage pickers", turning that in a "profession", called "cartoneros" that became as Urban recyclers. This can be seen in the trendiest neighborhoods. Kontrast Concept!
That, that, inspires me a lot.
Why the need to look at "pretty designs". Why not to look at real problems, for real people.
Well, some of you, could not see this problems.
But, please, look at the newspapers!.
The world is imploding,
For Americans, Obama /Mc Cain/Palin, as all we see, ohhhh
Oh, the "stocks" faaaalling.
Oh, how many designs! how many designs!
I see lots of lamps there!
Translators needed!

cont.
When I say real people, I mean everybody, and I also include that Heath's secretary friend that needed to spended 3 salaries in a CHCHCHC bag, and why not that poor millionaire with other problems to solve.
A good translation, for americans can be the some of 30reasons.org specially: http://www.30reasons.org/index.php?p=archive&id=9
Bad translations:
A nice example of a bad object following that rule is the gun-lamp by Starck.
I imagine this as a translation form a translation from translation. As a third translation. Let's say "over-translated".
I think that's a bad design following the rule "always the best execution" over concept.
Because another problem with "concept over execution" is that to me, that most of the times, there is no concept.
I would prefer more the concept over the execution. The execution can always be improved.
The concept not. If you don,t start with a concept , you will never have!
I like those a bit "unfinished" designs, when the final user may (in their mind) finish it at their own taste. etc.
* Big companies don,t want to be out and make serial defective series.
* Which role plays in this "research" the trends?
* Personally I don't consider a first issue not the originality nor the beauty, it's OK as way but not as an end itself.

Is this what we mean
with Visual research?
45% Saarinnen Tulip
45% Arne Jacobsen's nr 7
5% Philippe Starck's Eros
4% Marcel Wanders
1% someone who wants to be a designer....
I hope not!

.
I think maybe 'visual' was not quite the right choice of words to kick the thread off.
Materials research, historical research...much more important and when we say 'research' that means a lot more work than looking at a few websites or a couple of books.

By
'visual' I meant anything that can be seen, so it encompasses all those areas

You know, I don't think you...
You know, I don't think you want to equate number of responses/views with the quality of a given post - although such is part and parcel of consumer mentality, obviously.
Not a small portion of much of the problem here is the conflation we bring to the term "designer". Everyone can - in the age of American Idol - be a designer.
Which will lead us, then, to next year's hit TV show. Dancing with the Designers. Yes, it has a very nice and appropriately empty Jethro kind of ring to it. Feed the beast.
Y'all come back now, ya hear? Or at least tune in.

Reserch for a blind designer
Blind designers, Is there any? . . .
Just wondering how would be their designs.
More emphasis on tactile and smell aspects?

I
would say every part of the designer shapes their designs..
I don't know of any blind designers, but have heard of a blind photgrapher, and many colour blind designers.

Baroque flowers
I mean what's in the last light brown chair posted by Koen.
When he posted that excellent example for that moment, I wanted to added then, but I didn't, so I'll do it now:
6% of the "new" baroque flowers --> (or do you think I don't know which is the last trend?")
When I say baroque surface I was thinking on these examples.
"Flowers?", are not flowers! are arabesques? flowered arabesques? what the hell they are?
ps. By the way Robert, visual-research and inspiration will never die!

Hi Gustavo
No, I think, in fact, it becomes more and more important in the quest for the 'new'

Hi Robert.
OK, sure?
Cause feel uncomfortable with this "new":
new: looking desperately anything at least a bit new of any kind but new.
At this point I find that the new should be the "old"!
By the way, i.e. the new chair example, Oh my god!, don't make me choose between that new chair or those old DAforum stuff. Don't be such a bad boy with me! You see how are forcing me became a collector!-I'll resist by the moment anyway.
Oh! I don't want to begin but....
what's new?
Perhaps new, could be an idea, a concept something form outside, and not just a form or a shape.
So a new outside concept would then shape the design. (when most of the times, first I put the pretty shape, and then nobody see nothing more).

.
Querido Robert:
As you see share with you the importance on study the research/inspiration, but don't share/understand that 'visual' attached to the 'new'.
To have an interesting answer.
The question should be: New for what?
But sometimes seems that the king is new for the new...

By 'new'
I simply mean anything newly created.