Design Paradigms: A Sourcebook for Creative Visualization

A versatile toolbox of ideas for creative design solutions. How do things bend? How are things joined? How do things get larger or smaller? When you work creatively in design or architecture, these are the sort of questions that come up again and again–and how you choose to answer them can play a pivotal role in determining the final form of a design project. This book offers a powerful new approach to design and creative visualization, helping you address these key design questions with flexibility and imagination by equipping you with a vital repertoire of design paradigms: basic conceptual and visual ideas that can be applied to all types of design problems. Beginning with fundamental design paradigm concepts, Design Paradigms: ∗ Introduces simple shapes and then explores how more complex forms can accommodate enclosure, attachment, and other common functions ∗ Examines how multiple objects relate to each other and how they can be linked or connected ∗ Looks at multiple functions of a single object, using models that range from a claw hammer to a convertible sofa Bridging the gap between theory and practice, the book discusses how design paradigms can work as conceptual blockbusters in solving design problems. Complete with over 300 illustrations, examples from both natural and man–made environments, and much more, Design Paradigms is a powerful springboard for design exploration–a must–own sourcebook of inspiration for students and professionals in all areas of design, product development, and architecture.

Simple Shapes. Enclosure. Bending and Flexing. Bigger and Smaller. Binary Object Relations. Joining. Attaching. Passages. Multiple Object Relations. Objects Within Objects. Multi–Function Objects. Transcending the Visible. Putting Design Paradigms to Work. Notes. References. Figure Credits. Index.

WARREN K. WAKE is the Director of the Institute for Design and Electronic Imaging Arts (IDEA) at the Boston Architectural Center, where he also teaches and directs the academic computing department.