When thinking about design, I think that people often think of something tangible - a painting, a poster, and ad, etc. But we all know that design exists in many forms. Literature, music, architecture, fashion, language - the list goes on.
The first time I used a computer was when I was in grade 1, if not kindergarten. For my generation, the ability to design on a computer [that's right, forget all of those finger paintings and construction paper creations!] is not really hard to get our heads around, unlike my parent's generation. When I was younger we were always making greeting cards on the Macintosh computers we had at school.
Twelve years ago I got involved with web design. This was one of a few major breakthroughs for my creative side. My hand wasn't steady enough to draw nice pictures [not really]. I had always been torn by wanting to dabble in so many different activities. I had so many interests, but no real hobbies. Once I discovered web design I had found a new hobby for myself. Little did I realize where this interest would eventually take me.
Having been involved with web design, and also having a love for mathematics, I love the idea of computer programming. Do not ask me to write programs for anyone, because I just can't, but I envy the people who do know how. When I design websites, part of the fun is looking at and working with the coding. It is often one of the most important parts of designing a website - that is, getting your hands right in there, never allowing the program to do it all for you.
The people over at 37signals.com have written a book about designing software - Getting Real - how to approach it, how to present it, and how to carry it forward allowing for change. Many parts of the book [all of which you can read for free online] talk about how to approach any design on which you are working. It talks about getting things done, scale of the project, the importance of the audience, process, and how to keep things simple.
I have not read the whole thing, but I have skimmed over a few of the chapters. Give it a look if you're interested - you never know what you may be able to apply to your own design process.
"Don't think. Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It's self-conscious, and anything self-conscious is lousy. You can't try to do things. You simply must do things."
- Ray Bradbury (1920 - )
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