Definition and Modeling

               After reading the chapter on Conceptualization, it was very easy to get into this Chapter about definition and modeling. The first thing that I found interesting was the fact that Aspelund compares a concept to a ghost. He says that a concept is something that we see out of the corner of our eye and once we turn around, it’s gone. It’s something that we don’t have a grip on. What comes next is definition. When we define our concept, we bring it out of the corners of our minds and into reality. Before your idea can become an actual reality, there are rules that we as designers need to follow. An idea or concept needs to have a purpose in the society that is going to use it. It has to have a function, a purpose and it needs to be cost efficient so that people can buy it.

                 

                One thing I learned about definition is that you have to know what you want and you can’t be in doubt about your work. As an artist and a designer, there are many times where I feel like my work isn’t good enough and I want to start over. What I have to tell myself and what the author talks about is that I can only make it so good. I can’t keep focusing on the bad parts or the idea will never leave the paper.  Sometimes I just have to let it go and fix it later.

                 

                 After figuring out the definition and purpose of my work, I like how the book focuses on modeling because you can’t have a project without a model. A model is something that takes what’s in your mind and lets other people see what it is. Once again, Aspelund breaks down every process, from the sketching to the actual physical model. As a graphic design student, I appreciate the little parts he puts in each chapter to help me along the way. One of these in this chapter was the fact that sometimes my model might not look like the sketch or even be the same proportion as my sketch. Problems come up all the time with any project and it is important to be prepared. These tools that he offers I think make it possible for designers like me to get the job done and be ready for whatever happens.