A View From the Trenches

Let me start by saying that I am not an accomplished designer. I am not a business owner. I am not a consultant. My experience is limited to five years of school, a handful of projects and a boat load of questions. However, those of you who share my position as an entry level architect know that we are given the sometimes impossible behind-the-scenes task of giving ideas form. Our managers rely on us to move schematic ideas from conception to reality. Ours is an view from the trenches. An outlook on creativity from the bottom up. So read along, and don’t forget to leave your two cents.

What does it take to give an idea form? All creative fields have at their core the illusive concept of ideas. You have them, I have them. Your boss has them. Why is it that mediocre ideas flourish, making their way through the ranks and into the project? Why are some ideas given form, and others aren’t? These are questions I ask myself almost daily.

Articulating an idea was hard enough in school. Now, as young designers, we are faced with the challenges of office hierarchy, project structure, and market influence. Our perspectives have changed, but many of the fundamental aspects of articulating an idea are now even more relevant in the workplace than they were in the studio.

Our generation is positioned to capitalize on bringing new ideas to the table. We were brought up to accept new processes and emerging technologies. We are quick to adapt. But in today’s creative climate the next best thing is always on the horizon and the pressure to innovate can be monumental. Meaningful, functional, and beautiful solutions are often passed by in favor of fashionable or clever gimmickry. So how are we to build a foundational knowledge of good design? And further, how are we to ensure that those principals make it through all phases of project planning?

What really happens in the process of finding form?