A theoretically informed investigation that relates the philosophies of aesthetics and imagination to understanding design practice. In The Aesthetics of Imagination in Design, Mads Folkmann investigates design in both material and immaterial terms. Design objects, Folkmann argues, will always be dual phenomena—material and immaterial, sensual and conceptual, actual and possible. Drawing on formal theories of aesthetics and the phenomenology of imagination, he seeks to answer fundamental questions about what design is and how it works that are often ignored in academic research. Folkmann considers three conditions in design: the possible, the aesthetic, and the imagination. Imagination is a central formative power behind the creation and the life of design objects; aesthetics describes the sensual, conceptual, and contextual codes through which design objects communicate; the concept of the possible—the enabling of new uses, conceptions, and perceptions—lies behind imagination and aesthetics. The possible, Folkmann argues, is contained as a structure of meaning within the objects of design, which act as part of our interface with the world. Taking a largely phenomenological perspective that reflects both continental and American pragmatist approaches, Folkmann also makes use of discourses that range from practice-focused accounts of design methodology to cultural studies. Throughout, he offers concrete examples to illustrate theoretical points. Folkmann's philosophically informed account shows design—in all its manifestations, from physical products to principles of organization—to be an essential medium for the articulation and transformation of culture.
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • At last, a book that shows you how to build—design—a life you can thrive in, at any age or stage • “Life has questions. They have answers.” —The New York Times Designers create worlds and solve problems using design thinking. Look around your office or home—at the tablet or smartphone you may be holding or the chair you are sitting in. Everything in our lives was designed by someone. And every design starts with a problem that a designer or team of designers seeks to solve. In this book, Bill Burnett and Dave Evans show us how design thinking can help us create a life that is both meaningful and fulfilling, regardless of who or where we are, what we do or have done for a living, or how young or old we are. The same design thinking responsible for amazing technology, products, and spaces can be used to design and build your career and your life, a life of fulfillment and joy, constantly creative and productive, one that always holds the possibility of surprise.
Complete the following sentences:“I am most energized when . . .”“I have always dreamed of . . .”“I derive joy from . . .”If there is a disconnect between how you completed these statements and the reality of your present situation, then something is getting in the way of you and the future you desire.Most of us actually spend a great deal of time thinking about our future, yet it is something we rarely address in a formal way. Why is it that the very thing we think about so often is something for which we rarely receive guidance? Leader of One: Shaping Your Future through Imagination and Design changes that reality, helping us to envision our future and to take action to make it happen.We have all experienced the widening gap between where we are and where we wish to be. Life, we find, gets in the way. It becomes too easy in this hyper-dynamic world to confuse means with ends, busyness with importance, and activity with progress. We have a living to make after all, or, if we're students, we must prepare to do so. For those of us in mid-career, there appear to be even more obstacles. In time, we discover we have drifted away from whatever it was we were passionate about, unaware that we were forfeiting a future that was ours to claim if only we had known how to unleash the “leader” within.Leader of One tells us how. Through Gerald Suarez's engaging voice, we learn about a process called idealized design, a method first applied in corporations by the renowned Wharton Emeritus Professor Russell Ackoff and his team. Ackoff and Suarez worked together to apply the same methodology in the White House where Suarez served two presidents for over a decade. As an internationally recognized authority on leadership and organizational redesign, Professor Suarez found the process worked as easily in the classroom as it did in the boardroom. What works for large organizations works for individuals as well.The methodology is simple, but the implications are profound. Suarez describes a cycle of activities that begins with the mental creation of an idealized future and ends with its realization. He teaches us how to begin in the future and work backwards to the present, from B to A, so to speak. He has us examine assumptions about who we are and asks us to explore what we value, to “dig deep” for answers. He does not allow us to be passive observers. He requires we learn by doing. It is not enough to dream, we must have the courage to take action. Leader of One is a book to guide us as we move through our days. In one sense it is timeless. Readers will find it invaluable now, but worth revisiting in the years ahead as circumstances change and as new passions take hold.
Unleash Your Imagination is all about the wonderful adventure of developing a vision for a new life. Written by acclaimed fine artist and designer Dennis Kleidon, Unleash shows how to use design thinking to challenge your normal routines, increase the power of your imagination, and harness new sources of creativity. A designer’s approach encourages an open mind and curious spirit, leading to fresh solutions you may never have imagined. By approaching change like a designer, you can find your life’s purpose and shape a direction guided by it. Both analytical and creative, this process replaces blank-page panic with the thrill of new possibilities. Unleash Your Imagination brings in the wisdom of many artists, architects, and designers, from ancient philosophers to today's leaders in positive psychology, letting great thinkers guide you toward an exciting future of optimism, happiness, and achievement. Kleidon reminds us that we are each responsible for our life and for designing our life. As Buckminster Fuller said, “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” As the designer of your life and with Unleash Your Imagination as your guide, you can plan an extraordinary life with greater purpose and meaning. This is especially useful if you are facing or planning for an important turning point in life. Unleash helps you think through the process of change by using your imagination to unleash your long-standing desires and integrate them into your current life. Changing in this authentic way can enhance the quality of your life. It can let you go beyond yourself to contribute to the world. Life is a continuous design process, Kleidon says, as he describes a thoughtful, methodical approach to discovery, experimentation, and planning.
What would it mean if your perfect life was awaiting your discovery? What if you knew the exact steps that would allow you to discover and achieve this perfect life? And what if you had an Invisible Architect-an all-powerful all-knowing best friend at your beckon call to help you discover, design, and achieve your perfect life? And what if your perfect life has already been achieved and is waiting for you to claim it? This is exactly what award-winning musician/author John Novello offers in the pages of his extraordinary new transformational book, the Invisible Architect. You'll learn that there is indeed a Perfect All-Knowing Power, an Invisible Architect, or to put it in more scientific terms, an Invisible Field of Intelligent Energy that permeates everything that exists, including you and me and all life, matter, energy, space, and time, and is available to us for information, advice, comfort, and assistance in designing our perfect Divine lives. The Invisible Architect is a rare look into the inner world of acclaimed jazz musician/composer/author John Novello by the author himself and based on his discovery of an inner power we all possess but rarely knowingly use. This book was written because of a Divine unsolicited conversation he had with the Invisible Architect one day. Here is the conversation... Invisible Architect: "John, you now need to spread the WORD!" John, confused: "What WORD?" Invisible Architect: "That everybody is one with the Invisible Architect and could be employing this miraculous energy to design their perfect lives from within!" John: "But there are already many books on this subject." Invisible Architect: "True, but not from your unique perspective as a jazz musician who has experienced these wonderful miracles!" End of conversation. And therein lies the genesis of this book. I cannot imagine operating without my mystical friend and advisor-the Invisible Architect. And it is now very clear to me that my duty is to spread the WORD to everyone so that they too can design their perfect lives from within, as long as they understand the spiritual mechanics involved-the relationship between the Universal Energy (the Invisible Architect) and its creations and the interactions thereof. But first you must become aware of the Architect, learn how to consciously commune with and employ the Architect, and finally trust the Architect to manifest your desires as only it knows how! The Invisible Architect is a captivating story of the aspirations and cognitions of the life of a now-famous jazz musician. Enlightening, inspirational, tragic, and miraculous, The Invisible Architect is a self-help program for designing your perfect life from within-the exact process of how our inner world creates our outer world. Spread the WORD...!
The idea that science is a blueprint for research, and imagination gives research its life and purpose inspired this comprehensive explanation of research methodology. The authors' decades of experience have revealed that research is a craft requiring judgment and creativity, not simply memorization and application of the rules of science. Whether one is conducting an intimate one-on-one interview or a large-scale examination of an entire society, human imagination and scientific principles of inquiry go hand in hand. To that end, this book emphasizes scientific method, but also acknowledges its critics. It covers a wide variety of data-collection techniques, but presents them as reinforcing rather than competing with one another, thus striking a balance between qualitative and quantitative methods. It is designed for students and instructors who want a comprehensive treatment of a variety of research techniques with special emphasis on qualitative approaches.
