Week 5: Thoughts on ideas | Defining methods of thinking, curiosity and insight
Explore and find an example of a way of thinking. This could be from arts, design, philosophy or science.
Choose a thinker or a process and summarise in a black line drawing.
Explore models of thinking – what sorts of theories and process models exist to help us generate ideas?
Document your whole process and reflect upon it in your blog.
Upload your final black line drawing to the ideas wall and a link to your blog showing process and reflection.
The London Underground map by Harry Beck
Overview: The designer I have chosen to research is Harry Beck (Henry Charles Beck) and his work on the iconic London Underground map and the process behind it. His background was that of a technical draughtsman, and his process was to draw a simple linear diagram by colour-coding the networks making it easy to understand.
The problem
The first public transport maps were produced in the 1860s and 1870s Metropolitan by Metropolitan Metropolitan District Railways and although these incredibly detailed maps showed times, services and places of interest.
In 1908, London’s various underground railways produced a single map to publicise their operations as part of an integrated system. This standard map, printed as a poster and a pocket map, guided the Underground and enabled people to find their way around London. Although this map was geographically correct, attempts to include the extremities of each line resulted in a very crowded central area, making the map difficult to read.
The solution
In 1931, using his draughtsman capabilities, Harry Beck designed a radically new map by spacing out the network route, colour coding each train route, and using straight lines, horizontal and vertical and 45-degree angles. His theory was that travellers were not concerned with geographical accuracy and just wanted a simple route and a clear reference point on where to change trains. He bases his concept on an electrical schematic. At first, his idea was rejected for being too radical, and apprehension that the public would not accept the accurate distances, but after a trial run of 500 printed maps in 1932 which was accepted positively, a first print run of 700,000 copies was run in 1933 with feedback that it was of ‘sound design’ and a larger reprint and distribution was required a month later.
By the 1950s, Harry had refined his design, which is considered his finest. He incorporated the Circle line for the first time as a separate line and created open circles representing interchanges.
Unfortunately, Beck parted company with London Underground in 1960 and tried to regain control of the iconic map by threatening legal action. He remained bitter and felt betrayed by the organisation that he put so much work into promoting. Only in 1997 was Becks hard work finally posthumously recognised with an acknowledgement of his design. 'This diagram is an evolution of the original design conceived in 1931 by Harry Beck' is printed on every London Underground map.‘
Recognised globally as an iconic piece of work -
The London Underground map is an example of graphic and information design and has been used as inspiration globally for many other transport maps. New York, Sydney and the Saint Petersburg metro have used Beck’s concept a ‘research’ for their maps.
The map has also inspired many artists. They have remade it with different materials: from acrylic paint to Lego. However, the map design is controlled as part of TfL's intellectual property rights. Its use on commercial products is regulated through licences. This reflects its worldwide fame as a vital part of the brand identity of the Underground, Transport for London and, by extension, London itself.
References
Mapping London: the iconic Tube map | London Transport Museum.
https://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/collections/stories/design/mapping-london-iconic-tube-map
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Beck
Harry Becks London Underground Map
https://web.archive.org/web/20100201093144/http://britton.disted.camosun.bc.ca/beck_map.jpg
System 1, Nudge Theory, Thinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman
https://flex.falmouth.ac.uk/courses/1165/pages/week-4-guest-lecture?module_item_id=63399
London Transport Museum
https://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/collections/stories/design/mapping-london-iconic-tube-map#:~:text=The%20map%20dispensed%20with%20conventional,a%20set%20of%20standard%20colours
Harry Beck: The Paris Connection
Map; pocket Underground map issued by UERL, 1908
Map; Pocket Underground map v2, by Henry C Beck, January 1941
Map; Pocket Underground map, by Henry C Beck, January 1950
In 1951 Beck submitted this revised edition of a map he had worked on for the Paris Metro in the late 1930s. Unfortunately, it was rejected and his diagrammatic approach to the city’s metro system wasn’t employed until 1999.
Henry Charles Beck (4 June 1902 – 18 September 1974) and his iconic London Underground Tube map in 1931
Workshop challenge wk 5 - My creative process is helped by NOT thinking!
Do I use divergent or abstract thinking to boost my creativity? What came apparent from the lectures this week, was how important rest, relaxing and exercise, were as important for the mind as the creative thinking in the double diamond process.
Task one - Mapping, A critical tool for getting from A to B
Introduction
We lead hectic lives and are always in a hurry to get from A to B in the quickest time possible. My design studio is a 10-minute (ish) journey from my house. It’s my bubble of escapism. It’s a short, easy car journey where I clear my mind, relax, crank up the music, and go on autopilot. As the book mentioned in the week four guest lecture by Martin Hosken, Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman identifies and functions subconsciously to interact with our environments (Week 4 - System 1 the faster unconscious of the Nudge Theory).
Process - automatic thinking
My route is by the main road in an area I am familiar with, and I don’t even think about the route.
As part of my thought process for this week’s task to create a clean and simple black line drawing, using Harry Becks’ technical linear diagram method to reference my daily route. It’s quite a boring route, literally A to B, so I have added some interesting points along the route. Does this mean I am a divergent thinker?
By exploring the unconvential answers and coming up with ‘out of the box’ thinking, my solution may not be what was expected.
In true London Underground form, the map is not actually geographically correct, (see map overlay on the left) and I have stuck to the straight and 45-degree angle grid used.
Workshop Challenge - Introduction. How do I think?
There has been a lot in the press recently about ADHD, and I genuinely think I show the characteristics. Inattention, Hyperactivity and Impulsivity are key symptoms. On a plus side, I’m sure it influences my best creative ideas and sometime when I really enjoy a task, I have the ability to over obsess and hyperfocus (my superpower). On the minus side I am easily distracted, so I have to map out my tasks and am an avid list maker, and I have diary reminders for everything on my phone.
In terms of ADHD, evidence suggests that relaxation and restful activities can help manage some of the symptoms associated with the condition. ADHD is characterized by difficulties with attention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity, which can lead to difficulties with learning and social interaction. Studies have found that mindfulness meditation, yoga, and exercise can help reduce symptoms of ADHD and improve cognitive performance.
Moreover, practising relaxation and restful activities can help individuals with ADHD develop self-regulation skills, such as managing impulses and controlling attention. These skills are essential for addressing the symptoms of ADHD and can be beneficial in improving overall mental health and well-being.
I think relaxing and resting can be beneficial for the thinking process because it allows the brain to recharge and rejuvenate. When we engage in mental tasks for an extended period, the brain's cognitive resources can become depleted, leading to fatigue and diminished performance. Taking breaks and engaging in restful activities such as meditation, mindfulness, or physical exercise can help restore the brain's cognitive resources, leading to improved focus, concentration, and creativity.
Workshop Challenge - Line drawing system 1
Not thinking is just as important as thinking. This is my ‘switching off’ daily journey, where I don’t have to use a though process.
Reflection:
Referring back to ‘Kahnemans Fast and slow thinking, system 1 and 2’ it is clear that this task is a system 1 process that does not use up any of my brain power, in fact, I often switch off.
My automatic car, (I don’t even use shift gears) with automatic detection sensors practically does the journey automatically for me.
It is repetitive and very much uses the system 1 theory of thinking. Fast, unconscious, automatic, everyday route.
Line drawing system 1 - Mind the gaps
In order for me to be productive and work effectively, I have to break my day into chunks of ‘tasks’ where I set myself a time to focus, then I give myself a rest reward.
My scribbles to show how I work out my thought process to get my daily tasks done.
My day is split into concentration zones where I hyper focus and gaps to relax which are my ‘rewards’.
My daily focus process a Line drawing
I have created my day as a underground tube map. In the Harry Beck style it is not true to scale but visually aesthetic.
Question of the week - How does your thought process influence your design work?
Reflection:
I’ve really enjoyed this week’s project looking into my own unconscious and conscious thought processes. It has made me realise that my answers to ‘how to think’ maybe don’t follow the norm, but they are definitely creative and original as to how I respond to everyday tasks by instinctive thinking. It has also made me realise that I need to allocate my timescales to incorporate systems 1 and 2 into my daily routine. For example:
System 1 tasks - Automatic and unconscious
The drive to work, typeface browsing, Image library search, exploring colour palettes, editorial layouts, tea breaks, talking to suppliers.
System 2 tasks - Effort and logical process
Writing estimates, briefing designers, writing emails, presenting projects, researching projects, explaining processes, sending jobs to print.
Process - Mapping out the creative process
Using Daniel Kahneman's "Thinking, Fast and Slow" process, and Harry Becks visual style I looked at how my creative process used system 1 and 2 thinking.
Reflection:
Left side - System 2 controlled thinking
Right side - System 1 automatic thinking
Brief - System 2 Conscious thinking. This often includes getting the finer details of what needs to be achieved in the design project. A lot of concentration and questions asking needed.
Research - System 2 Complex thinking. We should have established all the answers as to what needs to be achieved, so now this is looking into competitive examples and reasons why for our process. This needs full brain power and concentration.
Creative - System 1 Automatic. The fun bit. Having established the questions from the Brief and Research, we should know what needs to be achieved. This may be trying out different versions but is more relaxed and automatic. Creativity will be present throughout the whole process.
Presentation - System 2 Conscious thinking. Before presenting the idea, alot of thought will have gone into how the methodologies have arrived at their solution.
Refine - System 1 Automatic. (and maybe a bit of system 2) From the presentation, the client may have requested further variations of colours, typefaces etc. Although there may be a small bit of conscious decision-making, the majority of this process will be automatic.
Deliver - System 2 Effortful and conscious Having had the project approved, the final process will be packaging up the deliverables to hand over to the client.