Complexity

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COMPLEXITY

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• the state or quality of being intricate or complicated : an issue of great complexity.

• (usu. complexities) a factor involved in a complicated process or situation : the com-plexities of family life.

COMPLEXITY

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All texts highlighted with the “ “, are reading notes from the following books. There’s no special sequence for each page.

Dorst, Kees. Understanding Design. Corte Madera, CA: Gingko Press, Inc, 2006. Print.

Lawson, Bryan. How Designer think. London : The Architectural Press, 198o. 33. Print.

Koberg, Don and Bagnall, Jim. “The revised all new universal traveler.” Los Altos, California: Crisp Publications, Inc, 1974. Print.

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Design can be art. Design can be aesthet-ics. Design is so simple, that’s why it is so com-plicated.

- Paul Rand 1997

Complicated:1 consisting of many interconnecting parts or elements; intricate • involving many dif-ferent and confusing aspects 2 Medicine involving complications : compli-cated appendicitis.

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The critical features of design here are that problems can seldom be comprehensively formu-lated and that solutions cannot be logically de-rived from them. Most design problems are simply too complex for the designer to hold all the factor and variables in his mind at once, so the real difficulties are: where to begin and then how to proceed.

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Since design problems defy comprehensive de-scription and offer an inexhaustible number of solutions the design process cannot have finite and identifiable end. The designer’s job is never really done, and he can always try to do better.

Comprehensive:1 complete; including all or nearly all elements or aspects of something • of large content or scope; wide-ranging : a comprehensive collection of photographs.• (of automobile insur-ance) providing cov-erage for most risks,

including damage to the policyholder’s own vehi-cle : comprehensive and collision insurance.• (also comprehensive examination or comp)

an examination testing a student’s command of a special field of knowl-edge.2 archaic of or relating to understanding.

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A rough idea is quickly developed for the most significant elements of the solution which can then be checked by more precise methods and adjusted as neces-sary.

Precise:adjectivemarked by exactness and accuracy of expres-sion or detail : precise directions | I want as precise a time of death as I can get.• (of a person) exact, accurate, and careful about details : the direc-

tor was precise with his camera positions.• [ attrib. ] used to emphasize that one is referring to an exact and particular thing : at that precise moment the car stopped.

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Even such tools as the so-called “creativ-ity techniques” such as Brainstorming can-not themselves directly assist with form gen-eration but really only provide a mental atmos-phere conducive to the free flow of ideas.

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For Rand the graphic designer’s central task is to find the essential meaning in his materials and then to abstract and symbolize.

Essential:adjective1 absolutely necessary; extremely important : [with infinitive ] it is es-sential to keep up-to-date records | fiber is an essen-tial ingredient. See notes at inherent, necessary .• [ attrib. ] fundamental or central to the nature

of something or some-one : the essential weak-ness of the plaintiff ’s case.• Biochemistry (of an amino acid or fatty acid) required for normal growth but not synthe-sized in the body and therefore necessary in the diet.

2 Medicine (of a disease) with no known exter-nal stimulus or cause; idiopathic : essential hypertension.

noun (usu. essentials)a thing that is absolutely necessary : we had only the bare essentials in the way of gear.

• ( essentials) the fun-damental elements or characteristics of some-thing : he was quick to grasp the essentials of an opponent’s argument.

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Situations that present problem-solving activ-ity do not always arrive per-digested and clearly presented for easy man-agement.

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Attributes are what we call the different catego-ries into which the physi-cal, psychological and social characteristics of things can be placed.

Attribute:verb | regard some-thing as being caused by (someone or some-thing) : he attributed the firm’s success to the efforts of the managing director | the bombing was attributed to the IRA.• ascribe a work or

remark to (a particular author, artist, or speak-er) : the building was attributed to Frank Lloyd Wright.• regard a quality or feature as characteris-tic of or possessed by (someone or something) : ancient peoples attrib-uted magic properties to

certain stones.noun ( attribute) a qual-ity or feature regarded as a characteristic or inher-ent part of someone or something : flexibility and mobility are the key attributes of our army.• a material object rec-ognized as symbolic of a person, esp. a conven-

tional object used in art to identify a saint or mythical figure.See note at emblem .• Grammar an attribu-tive adjective or noun.• Statistics a real prop-erty that a statistical analysis is attempting to describe.

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In a simple Chart of re-lationship, all of the at-tributes or components of a problem can be rated according to their degree of dependence upon or independence from one another. By comparing them, one at a time, against each other we can also deter-

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mine their degree of de-pendence or independ-ence within the group as a whole. In this way the key or essential elements can be determined.

Dependence:the state of relying on or being controlled by someone or something else : Japan’s dependence on imported oil.• reliance on someone or something for fi-nancial support : the de-pendence of our medical schools on grant funds.

Independence:the fact or state of being independent : Argen-tina gained independ-ence from Spain in 1816 | I’ve always valued my independence. See note at liberty .

• addiction to drink or drugs : alcohol depend-ence.

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When attempting to generate options don’t worry about having too many. You can deal with them later in the deci-sion stage. Instead, fo-cus your attention on widening the array of choices.

Arrat:1 an impressive display or range of a particular type of thing : there is a vast array of literature on the topic | a bewil-dering array of choices.2 an ordered arrange-ment, in particular• an arrangement of troops.• Mathematics an ar-rangement of quantities or symbols in rows and

columns; a matrix.• Computing an ordered set of related elements.• Law a list of jurors empaneled.

3 poetic/literary elabo-rate or beautiful clothing : he was clothed in fine array.

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BRAINSTORMING is the universal idea-generat-ing method. (It may also be found useful in all stages of the process. ) Generating alternatives is it’s basic function. With it any individual or group of two to twelve persons can quickly manufacture scores of ideas for any problem situation in very short periods of time.

Alternative:(of one or more things) available as another possibility. • (of two things) mutu-ally exclusive. • of or relating to behavior that is consid-ered unconventional and is often seen as a challenge to traditional normsone of two or more available possibilities

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It makes no difference where ideas come from; it’s what we do with them that matters. We don’t have to justify our ideas but only our action and its consequences if we decide to follow one or more of them.

Consequence:1 a result or effect of an action or condition : many have been laid off from work as a conse-quence of the administra-tion’s policies.2 [often with negative ] importance or relevance : the past is of no con-sequence | he didn’t say

anything of great conse-quence.• dated social distinc-tion : a woman of conse-quence.

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To evaluate is to meas-ure how far we’ve gone and how well or how rich the travel experience has been. The “complete eval-uator ” measures both quantity and quality. The sum of the two represents the total “value” or what the journey is worth. If we didn’t clearly state where it was that we instead to go in the first place it will be hard to measure how far we’ve gone.

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To complicate things fur-ther, there are always aspects of the problem that will only emerge during the solution pro-cess. So a problem can-not even be comprehen-sively stated before you set out to solve it.

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Many design problem cannot be solved within the context in which they have arisen. And if they actually cannot be solved at all, they have to be re-solved. They way design-ers deal with the para-doxes and conflicts in a design situation is con-sidered to be rather spe-cial, and a core quality of good design.

Paradox:a statement or proposi-tion that, despite sound (or apparently sound) reasoning from accept-able premises, leads to a conclusion that seems senseless, logically unac-ceptable, or self-contra-dictory

Conflict:a serious disagreement or argument, typically a protracted one. • a prolonged armed struggle. • an incompatibility between two or more opinions, principles, or interests. be incompat-ible or at variance; clash

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A design is made up of many of these chains of decisions, which are in-terconnected. Together these chains make up a very complicated net-work of interconnected decisions ( or, not to put too fine a point on it- a giant knot).

Chain:1 a connected flexible series of metal links used for fastening or securing objects and pulling or supporting loads.. 2 a sequence of items of the same type forming a line. 3 a jointed measuring line consisting of linked

metal rods.4 ( chains) a structure of planks projecting hori-zontally from a sailing ship’s sides abreast of the masts, used to widen the basis for the shrouds. Fasten or secure with a chain

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Each of these stake-holders come with view-points, knowledge and values from their own world. In designing, you are making decisions in which all these dif-ferent worlds must be combined. The process of combining different worlds is called integra-tion.

Combine:unite; merge : the band combines a variety of musical influences. a group of people or companies acting to-gether for a commercial purpose : a powerful industrial combine.

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However, there is much to be gained by striving for integration: a well in-tegrated design is sim-ple, elegant and gives the feeling that “every-thing has been taken into consideration, and is as it should be”.

Intergration:1 the action or process of integrating : economic and political integration | integration of individual countries into trading blocs.• the intermixing of peo-ple or groups previously segregated : integration is the best hope for both

black and white Ameri-cans.2 Mathematics the find-ing of an integral or integrals : integration of an ordinary differential equation | mathematical integrations.3 Psychology the coor-dination of processes in the nervous system, in-

cluding diverse sensory information and motor impulses : visuomotor integration.• Psychoanalysis the process by which a well-balanced psyche becomes whole as the developing ego organ-izes the id, and the state that results or that treat-

ment seeks to create or restore by countering the fragmenting effect of defense mechanisms.

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After the design project, the document task be-comes very difficult-de-signs are tangled webs of decisions which are so closely dependent on on another that is impos-sible to find logical point to begin the explanation of the how and why. And the resolution of a design problem makes it hard to imagine that certain things were problematic at one time.

Tangle:twist together into a confused mass : the broom somehow got tan-gled up in my long skirt. A confused mass of something twisted together : a tangle of golden hair.

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It doesn’t seem like they first have to learn an al-ien, fundamentally dif-ferent thought process. Apparently there is a certain level of design that can be approached by common sense.

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The consensus among good designer is that the best practice is to slowly work your way from the very general level of an assignment to concrete level of the end design.

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If you would stick close-ly to the reality of design practice, and manage to describe design in all its complexity, you would end up being swamped in detail. You would be unable to get any kind of overview at all, let alone develop helpful advice for designers.

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Design is such a diverse profession that it be-comes very much like life. You use everything you have to solve a design problem: all your knowl-edge and personal ex-periences, your creativ-ity, and your powers of thought. It engulfs you completely.

Diverse:showing a great deal of variety : a culturally diverse population.• (of two or more things) markedly different from one another : subjects as diverse as architecture, language teaching, and the physical sciences.

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To students, those meth-ods are just complicated solutions to problems they have never encoun-tered. And if you force students to work ac-cording to a method, the absurdity of the heavy-handed model will pitch them against design theory forever. However, if you take the alterna-tive route and introduce

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design methods at the end of their studies when they start to really need them , the students will have developed all kinds of unfortunate de-sign habits that they then have to unlearn.

Absurdity:the quality or state of be-ing ridiculous or wildly unreasonable : Duncan laughed at the absurdity of the situation | the ab-surdities of haute cuisine.

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That is where their core quality lies: single ideas are seldom groundbreak-ing original, it is through the combination and in-tegration of ideas that one develops inimitable design of great complex-ity and enduring quality. Those designs might be deceptively simple, but

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this simplicity hides a mountain of ideas and decisions that make the design rich and sophisti-cated in its appeal.

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The ability to integrate is based on a very complex kind of implicit know-how that can only be picked up by doing projects and being tutored. Only a tu-tor that is involved int he project can explain whether the way you are approaching a particu-lar problem is promising, or propose that you try a different route.

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There is often also some paradox involved int he problem or situation that forces the creative per-son to search for a new way toward a solution. Their new way is then constructed by combin-ing different ways of thinking. This can lead to a whole new field of dis-covery to be explore en-ergetically.

Paradox:a statement or proposi-tion that, despite sound (or apparently sound) reasoning from accept-able premises, leads to a conclusion that seems senseless, logically unac-ceptable, or self-contra-dictory.

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They discern six forms of intelligence: linguis-tic, logical/mathematical, spatial, musical, bodily/kin-aesthetic and per-sonal…This would mean that design is a broad, all encompassing activity that doesn’t require ex-treme intelligence. This is a bit different from many other professions, which

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clearly use only one in-telligence, or perhaps, a combination of two.

Intelligence:1 the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills : an eminent man of great intelligence | they underestimated her intelligence.• a person or being with this ability : extraterres-trial intelligences.2 the collection of in-

formation of military or political value : the chief of military intelligence | [as adj. ] the intelligence department.• people employed in this, regarded collective-ly : French intelligence has been able to secure numerous local inform-ers.

• information collected in this way : the gather-ing of intelligence.• archaic information in general; news.

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