Designing with generative systems: a creative-processes-oriented discussion (original) (raw)
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A Critical Inquiry on Design Cognition and Generative Systems
LearnXDesign 2023: The 7th International Conference for Design Education Researchers, 2023
Understanding the cognitive processes that occur when designing with computational tools and methodologies is crucial as these new contemporary means of design will eventually be changing our designerly ways of thinking, necessitating a fresh look at design education to incorporate these evolving practices. From this point of view, this study aims to discuss generative design techniques in terms of design cognition. To do so, five generative systems that are commonly used in design disciplines are reviewed as Shape Grammars, Lindenmayer Systems, Cellular Automata, Agent-Based Systems, and Genetic Algorithms. The study explains the rules of each generative system, how they generate design alternatives, and how design domains utilize these systems based on the literature. The two main traditional approaches in the field of design cognition are focused in the paper as: design as a reflective practice and design as a problem-solving activity. Then, the study contemplates on the cognitive processes from the early stages of designing with generative systems to its end. Finally, an integrated cognitive approach regarding the use of generative systems in design exploration is proposed in the study as: design as a reflective problem-solving activity. In contrast to common uses of generative systems as result-oriented systems, this approach emphasizes these systems’ potential in the early phases of design exploration; hence, it highlights their potential in design practice and education.
Towards an integrated generative design framework
Design Studies, 2012
Design creativity techniques encourage divergent thinking. But how well do the existing generative design techniques support this requirement? How can these general techniques be augmented for supporting design exploration and creativity? This paper investigates these questions through a review of five different generative design techniques used in architectural design that includes cellular automata, genetic algorithms, L-systems, shape grammars, and swarm intelligence. Based on the literature on design cognition and the recent theoretical works on digital design thinking, this paper proposes the need for an integrated generative design framework to enhance design exploration support for human designers. Potential challenges and strategies towards developing such an integrated framework are discussed.
Generative design: a paradigm for design research
2004
Generative design offers new modes of aesthetic experience based on the incorporation of system dynamics into the production of artifact and experience. In this paper, we review a number of processes that can be explored by designers and suggest how design as a discipline can benefit from this research. These processes include self-organization, swarm systems and ant colonies, evolution, and generative grammars. We give example applications of these processes to creativity and design.
Aspects of a Theory of Generative Design
To link generative art, or more generally: generative design to some kind of programming seems to be a quite common strategy of current computer art theory. Even more, if we follow John Warnock, programmer and co-founder of Adobe Systems, who compared the coding of software to the acting out of dreams; for us a quite optimistic but after all a short, sweet, and heroic definition of design.
Substantial Changes in Graphic Design with the Emergence of Generative Design Processes
2019
Generative design methods are gaining importance in all the design industries. Responding to a detected lack of research on generative design (GD), especially in graphic design, this thesis provides an overview of key concepts, history, areas of application and state of the research on the topic. Based on insights from this overview, four essential unanswered questions are addressed, leading to some main conclusions about the present and future of generative design. Generative design is found to be a revolutionary method of creation that initiates a new era in design and possibly humankind, making it very probable for it to last in time. As a main reason for graphic design lagging behind in the application of generative processes, the concept of the “linguistic gap” is introduced. There is a great linguistic difference between the psychological and aesthetical concepts on which graphic design problems are based and the algorithmic language of computer code. This makes it difficult to define and evaluate generative processes in graphic design. Concerning the changing role of human designers in the generative design process, algorithmic thinking and programming are identified as essential skills for designers in the near future. Addressing a further away future, it is stated that a complete substitution of human designers by generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems is probable. In a critical debate, the implied economic, social, cultural and ethical problems in this kind of future are discussed. As the main approach to prevent possible problematic consequences of generative design in the future, a change in design education and general education is recommended. Lastly, a practical application of generative processes in graphic design is proposed in the layout of the thesis document and conclusions are drawn from the corresponding learning and creation process.
An Inquiry into Designing in Context using Generative Systems
The use of generative systems has been widely investigated in the architectural design process through different procedures and levels of autonomy to generate form. The digression from abstract pre-existing notions of vocabulary and rules – even when resulting in emergent forms – to address complex real-world contexts is yet a challenging undertaking. This paper explores incorporating context in the process of designing using generative systems from ideation to fabrication, and explores the relationship between the emergent nature of generative design and the situated act of designing while using generative design tools. A course offered for 3rd year architecture students at the Department of Architecture, Ain Shams University, Egypt, was designed for this purpose. 110 students employed systems including shape grammars, L-systems, fractals and cellular automata, to design and fabricate 8 group projects. A discussion around emergence and situatedness is presented, with special attention to the designing process from ideation to fabrication.
2004
This report covers the development of a generative design system to encourage a symbioticrelationship between the technology employed and the human design team. To emphasisethe importance of the relationship, the technology will be a Playstation2, a technologicalmedium we are all aware of but this alternative use will help us to think of the technologyas technology.It is an attempt to evolve a complex design from a simple starting point, a portion of essential data to be peppered with human emotive response and abstractive ability. Thehope is that this will bridge the gaps, that current technology dominant generative design,outlined in Manuel Delanda's essay, suffers from in the generative design process.The first iterations of the generative design will be developed on the PC and those multipleiterations will be tested by the PS2 users. In the event of a successful iteration thefollowing iterations will gain complexity whilst retaining the structure of their parents. Ontheir failure the PC will try new mutated iterations at the previous level of complexity.The relationship starts to kick in as the user realises that they are trying to generatecomplexity - an organism that has the instinct to shelter and grow, which is later putforward to be the instinctive driver of successful generative architecture. The result of thismodel will hopefully enable the human designer to gain a heightened awareness of theirown design process, which in this context should promote a discussion about the role of smart technologies in the design process
A Framework Supporting Creativity in the Design Process: A Systems theoretic Perspective
2000
This paper attempts to establish a systems-theoretic framework supporting creativity in the design process, where the design process is considered to have as its basis the cognitive process. The design process is considered as a purposeful and ongoing transformation of already complex representational structures and the production of newer ones, in order to fulfil an ill-defined goal. Creativity is considered