to Artful Design • Chapter 3: “Visual Design”
Ningxin Zhang.
[10/13/2024]
Music 256A / CS476a, Stanford University
From this week's reading, firstly, I'd like to respond to Artful Design Principle 3.5, which states:
Principle 3.5: Build Complexity from Simplicity
This principle emphasizes the powerful concept of starting with simple, foundational elements and combining them in intricate ways to create rich, emergent complexity. I think this idea resonates deeply within digital design, where basic shapes, colors, transformations, and movements—each on their own—may appear simplistic or mundane. However, when these simple elements are manipulated independently yet cohesively, they form complex structures and behaviors greater than the sum of their parts. In the design of Ocarina, a single circle might not stand out. But by adding more qualities to this ordinary shape—changing its size, opacity, blooming effect, and movement—intricate patterns and meaningful interactive gestures can immediately make this mobile instrument feel alive and engaging. That's where the concept of artful design comes from: the relationships between these independent instances. Each element may follow its own path or rules, but the interplay between them can lead to unpredictable, emergent results, which can evoke a sense of spontaneity or natural complexity.
Besides, I want to respond to Artful Design Principles 3.8 and 3.16, which state:
Principle 3.8: Invite The Senses
Contrast, surprise, and narrative are always important in guiding the user’s attention and provoking an emotional response. It’s about moving beyond a static or predictable interface and creating moments that feel dynamic and alive, making the design feel like an encounter or event rather than just a tool.
Principle 3.16: Originality is Recombination
This principle encourages us as designers to embrace inspiration from multiple sources and recognize that innovation often comes from adapting, reshaping, and reimagining what already exists. It's almost impossible to say that something is 100% invented by ourselves. Designing is also not about inventing something entirely new but rather about combining existing elements in unique ways. We are inspired by the things we encounter—whether art, music, books, movies, games, or nature—and as creators, we often emulate the things that resonate with us. However, originality comes from recombining those influences into something that reflects our personal voice and preferences. This approach to originality reflects a balance between absorbing nutrients from past influences while creating something fresh and authentic to our vision.
Lastly, I'd like to respond to Zeno's Dichotomy Paradox, which states:
"That which is locomotion must arrive at the halfway stage before it arrives at the goal."
It is such a smart concept to adapt into a design interpolation technique for smooth motion that provides natural and responsive feelings. Like what we learned from the class this week for waveform visual design and in the book for explosion design, we can also use it for smooth camera transitions/zooming effects, and in VR, I can for example think of teleportation transitions. Also, for digital installations, I can use this concept to decide how digital objects react–whether they are being moved, scaled, or rotated-can definitely enhance the feeling of responsiveness and physicality. I'll try to apply this concept more for my own design!