IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 47

More and more, designers are
using reference images to describe
the direction of a design internally
or to clients. With accelerated project
schedules, there never seems to be
enough time to iterate an idea, sketch
or model it, or order a material sample
to help explore a texture. It's both
faster and easier to start with a
few teaser images of what a design
might feel or look like. But this
unfettered access to inspirational
images may actually be harming
the way we design.

What's wrong with using this
kind of visual shortcut? Inspirational
images have long been used to give
a sense of emotive context, and tools
like Pinterest are actually great for
this. Left unchecked, however, a shift
from the contextual to the directly
referential can stifle the creative
process. The problem arises when
designers tell their story using
examples that are too literal-images
of other lobbies when designing a
lobby, for example. Visual references
are better used to support the
root of a design idea or conjure a
visceral response, not depict the
final aesthetic.

Building visual context for a project
without being literal takes effort
and diligence. Recently, our firm
designed a headquarters space for
an outdoor equipment company.
To begin the conversation with our
client about the design direction,
we consciously limited reference
images to scenes from nature and
scenes of metaphorically represented
activities: campfires and group
hikes for gathering spaces, someone
looking out at a serene lake for quiet
spaces, and so on. These emotive
images conveyed the intended
feeling but avoided literal references
to other projects, and this allowed
the subsequent design ideas to stand
on their own. Instead of posting the
inspirational images digitally or on
a presentation board, we hand-bound
them in a book with twine and
a small twig clasp. This project was
about connecting to nature, and the
linear narrative and tactile quality
of a booklet were more powerful than
a collage. More importantly, relying
on images from other projects
simply would have felt inauthentic.
The client appreciated this
simple approach.

perspective

47



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013

Contents
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - Cover1
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - Cover2
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 1
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 2
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - Contents
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 4
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 5
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 6
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 7
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 8
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 9
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 10
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 11
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 12
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 13
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 14
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 15
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 16
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 17
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 18
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 19
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 20
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 21
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 22
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 23
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 24
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 25
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 26
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 27
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 28
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 29
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 30
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 31
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 32
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 33
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 34
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 35
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 36
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 37
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 38
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 39
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 40
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 41
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 42
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 43
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 44
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 45
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 46
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 47
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 48
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 49
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 50
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 51
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 52
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 53
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 54
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 55
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - 56
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - Cover3
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2013 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2019fallwinter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2019summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2019spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2018fallwinter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2018summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2018spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2017fallwinter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2017springsummer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2016fallwinter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2016springsummer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2015fallwinter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2015springsummer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2014fallwinter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2014springsummer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2013fallwinter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2013springsummer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2012fallwinter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2012springsummer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2011fallwinter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2011springsummer
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com