{"id":18671,"date":"2019-12-19T16:00:58","date_gmt":"2019-12-19T16:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/marvel7077.wpengine.com\/?p=18671"},"modified":"2021-01-18T04:35:42","modified_gmt":"2021-01-18T04:35:42","slug":"generative-design-for-graphic-designers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marvelapp.com\/blog\/generative-design-for-graphic-designers\/","title":{"rendered":"Generative Design for Graphic Designers"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Problems can never be solved at the level they were created \u2014 Albert Einstein<\/em><\/p><\/span><\/blockquote>\n

I will never forget remember as a young child being taught how to draw a tree. I was naturally gifted at drawing even at a young age, and was able to faithfully recreate anything that I looked at. Like most learning curves I eventually hit a point with in which I became stumped. My landscapes looked colorful alright, the rivers were dynamic and free flowing, but the trees just kinda looked like\u2026 blobs.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll never forget the lesson that came next. A teacher sat down next to me with a piece of paper and drew a simple line with a V on top. Simple enough. She then proceeded to give me something that up until that point I did not possess, the formula<\/em>. She proceeded to draw a 2 V\u2019s on top of the exiting V\u2019s, and then again, and again, and again. Each time the branches became smaller and smaller until eventually the rough shape of a tree emerged.<\/p>\n

Through that simple piece of information, this teacher had not just taught me how to draw a tree, I could now draw any tree. It was both the formula for the underlying structure but it also defined the behavior of trees. Splintering and finding their way toward the sunlight in the most effective way possible.<\/p>\n

\"Generative<\/p>\n

Introduction<\/h2>\n

Generative design<\/strong> is an iterative design process usually involving a program that generates an output based on certain constraints and variables defined and by that program. I think architect Laws Hesellgren sums it up perfectly when he says:<\/p>\n

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\u201cGenerative design is not about designing the building, it is about designing the system that builds a building\u201d<\/p><\/span><\/blockquote>\n

A generative design process is not so much a new method as it is an iteration of the existing process that designers learn in their first day of art school. Fueled by recent advancements in software, computing power, and manufacturing methods \u2014 generative design techniques are now more accessible and inexpensive than ever before. It is both a tool to both aid in the creative process and solve problems more effectively.<\/p>\n

While this technique has broad applications in various fields (architecture, product, manufacturing, structural engineering to name a few), I have chosen to view this through the lens of my native profession, a graphic designer working predominantly for web-based mediums.<\/p>\n

Recreating the Pencil<\/h2>\n

Using a computer to aid in the design process is nothing new. Computer-aided design (CAD) is both widespread and industry standard. There are niches in which the pencil and paper still reign king (custom typography for example), but for the majority of professionals, you\u2019d be hard pressed to find a designer who doesn\u2019t wield a laptop or desktop computer as their primary weapon of choice.<\/p>\n

However, when you look at the evolution of most design software toolbars, you\u2019ll notice that not only did we just digitally replicate the functions of the pencil, but that same toolbar hasn\u2019t changed fundamentally in over 30 years.<\/p>\n

\"SoftwareSome Things Never Change and Some Things Do<\/p>\n

There is no doubt these tools have made us more efficient, but at the end of the day, our thought process remains largely the same. Want to draw a line? Click the line tool. Want to draw a circle? Click on the circle tool.<\/p>\n

There is no separating the medium from the process itself. Sketching<\/a> and free form exploration might be fundamental to your creative process, but we have to acknowledge that at some level we are constrained by the tools at our disposal. Despite all the additional functionality introduced over the years, programs like Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop are still digital replicas of analog techniques and methods of thinking.<\/p>\n

The Feedback Loop<\/h2>\n

We are all familiar with the traditional design process we learn in school and early on in our careers. While everyone\u2019s process is different, it generally goes something like this:<\/p>\n

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  1. Define goals<\/strong> \u2014 conducting research, gathering specs, defining requirements<\/li>\n
  2. Ideate<\/strong> \u2014 sketching, brainstorming, free association<\/li>\n
  3. Produce & refine<\/strong> \u2014 vectorising, digitizing, refining concepts<\/li>\n
  4. Gather feedback<\/strong> \u2014 review your work, or gathering outside feedback<\/li>\n
  5. Go back to step 2 and repeat<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \"\"The Generative Design Process<\/p>\n

    So what makes the generative design process different from this? To be honest, not much. The process remains largely the same. The difference is that instead of manually producing these iterations by hand; you encode the design process itself <\/em>into a program that generates an output based on the constraints and variables contained within the source code.<\/p>\n

    In doing so, a designer is able to leverage the power of the computer to:<\/p>\n