The Tribune

By DEIDRE BASTIAN HAVE you ever tried thinking like a web/graphic designer? If you have, you would be forced to think deeply, logically and precisely. Why do you need to think like a web/graphic designer, especially if the client comes up with the idea, chooses the colours and does everything, while the designer merely organises it on a screen? This could not be further from the truth, as a web/graphic designer is someone who uses symbols and words to communicate ideas and messages, assisted by diagrams, photographs, graphs and charts. Can you imagine a world where every package in the store is all white with black writing, and patrons are left to ask what is in the box before purchasing? I believe specialised professions such as medical doctors, plumbers, school teachers, writers, musicians, engineers and others in technical fields can benefit by learning how graphic designers interact or think when solving problems. Being able to think like designers can benefit any field of expertise, as we all share the need to communicate one way or another. It is always fascinating to enter the mind of a professional and discover his or her thought process. Like designers, doctors understand the need to take a risk or step out on faith, especially during early explorations. Think about it: An experienced person has a different way of thinking as compared to the inexperienced. I remember curiously asking my son, who eventually became an international chess guru: "How is it that you are able to win 99.9 per cent* of your chess and karate matches?" He looked at me with a straight face and replied: "Mom, in life if you want to win.....it is not only important to become your opponent but it is wise to think 'exactly' like them as well". And, to-date, his answer has not only resonated but will remain with me for the rest of my life. Being a master storyteller is essential, as it is not only the solution to a design problem but the story behind solving it. The thought process makes every difference, and it is not easy because it takes a great amount of skill and empathy. Designs encompass many emotional components that should not be neglected. Let's use our think-tank and consider this: How do emotions take shape? What do designers assume about the things they see? What do they take for granted? In what form do thoughts pass from one person to the next? How do designers evaluate beauty? When do visual things become ideological? Which kinds of communication are information, and which are propaganda? Another aspect of this often-debated focus is: "What makes human beings so unique"? Is it the fact we have the capacity to think, or is it something else? I suppose we cannot only learn from designers, but animals as well. I recently read a book by a British psychologist Stephen Walker called Animal Thoughts. He claims that a good deal of what goes on in animal brains is similar to what goes on in human brains. Now, if this is so, then can animals think and design like human beings? If animals think like humans, what do they think about, and can artists learn from them? I have read that chimpanzees in the wild are very creative at finding food, and display a lot of flexibility by using a stone tool to crack nuts that they cannot break using their teeth or hands. Moreover, according to biologist Donald Griffin's thesis in his book, Animal Thinking, it seems fine to suggest that animals perceive and process information as well. I have a friend that often tells me startling stories of his dogs' strange but intelligent behaviour. One episode, in particular, was when his male dog (Bruno) confidently dragged and hid the other female dog (Ginger) behind a banana tree, as he knew it was soon time for both of them to be fed. Why do you think Bruno did this? Was it a selfish or a territorial act? Maybe, but don't be amazed, as his thought processing was exactly like that of a human being. He wanted all the food for himself. It is natural for us to assume human characteristics to dogs or vice-versa. Since my brother bred dogs, I kind of understood that because animals read body language, their goal is to do whatever it takes to get what they want. Based on these clear principles, animals are amazing thinkers that pick up feelings, emotions and senses when human beings are mad, sad or happy. Every design problem I've ever solved started with my ability to visualise and view every possible situation. I sought refuge in doing things that I was good at but, unfortunately, being tutored in algebra was useless because there was no picture for me to visualise. No picture... No thought! (just a joke). Furthermore, when I was a child in school, I learnt that my thought processes were different, and my visualisation skills exceeded most as I was able to understand aesthetics and concepts very easily. Humbly, for me this held value, since I was able to observe and analyse small details that, fortunately, avoided homicide at the design wheel. This now creates a working framework, and I suggest that we learn all the thinking 'rules' and know when and how to break them. Of course, critics will come against the fact that designers think in pictures, and animals have a degree of conscious planning: like Bruno the 'human' dog. NB: Columnist welcomes feedback at deedee2111@hotmail.com Ms Bastian is a trained graphic designer who has qualifications of M.Sc., B.Sc., A.Sc. She has trained at institutions such as: Miami Lakes Technical Centre, Success Training College, College of the Bahamas, Nova Southeastern University, Learning Tree International, Langevine International and Synergy Bahamas.