From Sketch to Design

Author: Wang Zhongyi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-09-01
Features: The sketches in this book do not represent a visual aesthetic style; they are sketches that are not paintings. Their establishment has transformed traditional concepts of sketching and has given this fundamental training form a more advanced meaning in design education, forming a specialized type of foundational teaching. It provides the necessary foundation for further professional studies. The common basis of the four training sections presented in this book is direct observation of nature. The development of this observational ability plays a crucial role in achieving a high level of mastery over thinking structures. We know that the formation of thought is related to the material world, and this principle also demonstrates the inevitable connection between the level of thought and the form of participation the subject holds towards the objective world. It can be said that studying nature enables people to gain insights provided by objective phenomena, leading to a tendency towards certain cognition. This cognitive pattern often becomes the condition for the emergence of insight. At this specific level, people experience the creative process brought about by participation, thus gaining the advantage of transforming general thinking into creative thinking. When this purified thinking is based on solid professional knowledge, it can creatively and effectively express an understanding of design propositions. This book strongly advocates the study of nature, not to inspire people on how to represent nature, but to use the understanding of nature as a means to achieve coordination in professional fields, thereby cultivating a capability—the construction of fundamental design qualities and abilities.