Concept 180: Introduction

Comfort.

As human beings we spend the majority of our lives in pursuit of comfort. Whether it be a comfortable situation financially, emotionally, or physically we strive to create an existence that is wholly comfortable and stress free.

I believe this inherent longing for comfort and security in all of us is counterproductive to our success as designers.

Comfort lulls us into a false sense of security and accomplishment. It creates an imaginary bubble of creative novacaine around our brains that encourages us to play it safe, to not take any chances. Why push new ground? Why rock the boat? Why should we venture out of our comfort zone into the unknown? Why be different?

The answer is simple. Because we can.

We owe it to ourselves to try and be different. Isn't our ultimate goal as designers to create? To be original and push the boundaries in hope of discovering that next step? Our very creative nature compels us to go against the flow and stand out from the crowd. To be unique.

In an effort to break free of my own personal comfort zone, I've begun a design experiment called Concept 180. As the name implies, this exercise will be an attempt on my part to go in a different direction. To set out and shatter all of my preconceived notions, habits, and comforts that I have silently reinforced throughout the past 15 years. To stop designing and drawing the way every other designer is and discover my own path.

I'm going to approach things entirely different than ever before. Go against the grain and buck the system. Put the square peg in the round hole. I'm going to experiment with alternative methods and techniques. I'm going to push the limits of proportion and our interpretation of what's beautiful. I'm going to try and completely forget everything I have ever been taught about design and every preconceived notion so that I may break new ground. Hell, I'll try drawing with my left hand just to shake things up.

I'm sure that in the course of this learning process there will be some terrible mistakes, dead-end directions, and more than a few hideous sketches. There might just be some breakthroughs as well. I'll routinely post my work and notes here so that you can track my progress or lack there of. Either way, you'll get to see it all. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Hopefully I won't embarrass myself too bad and I'll learn a thing or two along the way.

Talk the Talk...

and walk the walk! Or at least sound like you know what you are talking about.

I found this little gem over at the New York Times website and thought I'd pass it along. You can follow this link to see the original flash file complete with rollover explanations of each term. If you are going to learn the correct words it would be wise to know what they stand for.

This is the perfect cheat sheet for any aspiring designer who doesn't yet have a grasp on the industry's terminology. Now you can talk car design with the "pros" and not look like a total rookie!

You can learn the lingo in a few minutes but the hard part of learning how to actually design and draw them is up to you.