Architecture | Design | Concept
DESIGN PROCESS
For a large part of my professional life, I worked almost unconsciously, trusting in my natural gift and in my education. Being creative is a gift! Like the Kilauea volcano, my mind is always erupting with ideas around the clock. I will not play false modesty.
I am very proud of it.
It has also allowed me a huge boom in my position as a designer. But when I wanted to learn more about design management, I understood that being creative was not enough. Why was I not able to produce better ideas? Or brilliant ideas?
Surely. There was more. The dark recesses of the wellspring of knowledge jealously guarded their secrets against me. As I progressed through my profession's ranks, I realised what I was missing: a PROCESS. A METHOD. Something able to guide me during the production of ideas/concepts to bring out a winning proposal.
It took a long time to formulate it, but I got there. Finally!
FOREWORD
In today’s business world, the word Design has been elevated to a higher plateau. It can evoke a wide range of images and meaning. It can be applied to objects and processes, brands and even environments. Design can be regarded as elitist or egalitarian. In short, however you define it, Design affects everyone. So much, that we now appreciate that the purpose of design is to give tangible form to ideas, and the purpose of business is to bring those tangible forms (products) to market. This is when the two disciplines of business and design, work together on a common need to produce wonderful possibilities. Firms that have gained a loyal customer base and high financial rewards have made design a fundamental part of their thinking. They have embraced the Design Process.
Steven Louie
Founder / Director Po Che
Former Regional Design Director Gensler
Former Senior Lecturer Temasek Polytechnic
My design process is not only a handbook full of useful tools and kits. It is also an act of love to design. It is a prayer for design to get back to its glory days when it made sense. It is an appeal to the younger designers! Don’t surrender to the status quo who wants you just as worker ants! Don’t lose your inner voice and your passion for design! Don’t get comfortable in the prevailing conformism! Ask! Seek! Find! Discover new ways, never settle against the pre-cooked solutions, predictable patterns and pre-set goals! Go beyond! Make the impossible!
TESTIMONIALS
Ly Nguyen
Junior Planner
A book that push young creative professionals to greater heights!
As a young urban planner,I had the privilege of coming across and reading Mauro's book "Design Process" right at 7 the doorstep of my career. As a guidebook, it is amazing. It is concise, to-the-point, with clear step-by-step guidance. It is accessible, relatable and filled with personal nuggets of wisdom that Mauro has accumulated from over 15 years of working in the industry. If you are looking for a straightforward guidebook that gives you a clear idea of a studio's design workflow and also teaches you ways to level up that workflow, this is the book for you.
Yet, in my opinion, this book achieves so much more than a regular design manual aims to achieve. I can clearly see that Mauro had no intention of writing just another design manual, he aimed to inspire and urge young designers to revolutionize the way design goes in the workplace. In fact, it is stated in the book itself. Mauro aims "to be an alternative perspective which may influence young upcoming designers to bear witness to the ever present possibility of doing better".
And How? At the central of his design process is the emphasis on "thinking", on carefully taking time to conceptualize your idea, sharpen it throughout every step of your design project, and on keeping the idea alive within your team. Mauro breaks down each of these goals into step-by-step guide. The ultimate message that I got is that : never settle for the mediocre, never settle for the pretty "form"with empty substance. It is a guidebook that seeks to push its readers to be active ponderers instead of just passive receivers of information. I can see myself keep referring back to it in years to come, if not for guidance, then for inspiration or a reminder to strive harder.
Mauro writes like how he speaks. He fills the book with quotes from his favourite thinkers and ample hand-drawn sketches and illustrations. All of these little details make this book original and memorable. I personally like the style very much. For readers who are used to a matter-of-the-fact and distanced tone of writing, this book is a breeze of fresh air and a great gateway for you to connect with the author behind the guidebook.
A wonderful book for those pursuing Design!
What I love about the book is its simplicity ! Every chapter describes a particular phenomenon that designers tend to face and how best could one approach it. Mauro tends to put forth his views on design without making it sound something which ought to be done ! Every individual could have their own ways of representing an idea and this book provides you with all the necessary tools needed to fall in love with design. I highly recommend this book to all those who think they need to find a perspective to their design!