ptg6964689 Design by Nature mAggie mAcnAB Using Universal Forms and PrinciPles in design ptg6964689 D e s i g n BY Nature Using Universal Forms and PrinciPles in design MAGGIE MACNAB ptg6964689 Design by Nature Maggie Macnab New Riders 1249 Eighth Street Berkeley, CA 94710 510/524-2178 510/524-2221 (fax) Find us on the Web at www.newriders.com To r eport er rors, please send a note to er rata@peachpi t.com New Riders is an imprint of Peachpit, a division of Pearson Education Copyright © 2012 by Maggie Macnab Acquisitions Editor: Nikki McDonald Associate Editor: Valerie Witte Production Editor: Danielle Foster Developmental Editor: Anne Marie Walker Copyeditor: Anne Marie Walker Proofreader: Patricia Pane Composition: Kim Scott, Bumpy Design Indexer: Joy Dean Lee Cover Design: Charlene Charles-Will Interior Design: Charlene Charles-Will Color correction for section-opening images: Mimi Vitetta Notice of Rights All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. For information on getting permission for reprints and excerpts, contact permissions@peachpit.com. Notice of Liability The information in this book is distributed on an “As Is” basis, without warranty. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of the book, neither the author nor Peachpit shall have any liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the instructions contained in this book or by the computer software and hardware products described in it. Trademarks Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and Peachpit was aware of a trademark claim, the designations appear as requested by the owner of the trademark. All other product names and services identified throughout this book are used in editorial fashion only and for the benefit of such companies with no intention of infringement of the trademark. No such use, or the use of any trade name, is intended to convey endorsement or other affiliation with this book. ISBN-13: 978-0-321-74776-1 ISBN–10: 0-321-74776-3 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed and bound in the United States of America ptg6964689 For my children, Evan and Sommer, and for Mark. ptg6964689 This page intentionally left blank ptg6964689 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS There is no way to thank the many people who contributed to this book or to express in words how grateful I am for their creative, kind, and good spirits in doing so. To everyone whose creative work and inspiring words are in Design by Natureand to everyone who has contributed during its development with their supportthank you from the bottom of my heart. I am particularly grateful to my acquisitions editor, Nikki McDonald, who saw the potential of the topic, even though my ideas were quite rough initially. To Anne Marie Walker, devel- opment editor, and Valerie Witte, project editor, who were immensely patient and always on task while guiding this work to unfurl much like a new leaf meeting the sun for the first time. To Charlene Charles-Will and Kim Scott, book designers extraordinaire with finely attuned attention to detail and aesthetic; and to Danielle Foster and Hilal Sala for minding the many p’s and q’s of production. I am very grateful to Peachpit Press for being willing to take a chance on the topic and the author. To the contributors, one and all from u nknow n student to celebrated designer, to anonymous street artist, to the many mentors I will never meetit is your work that makes this book. Whether intentionally created with nature in mind or not, your extraordinary creations, stories, and passion for a life well lived are reminders of why design is a calling and worth doing to your very best ability. You have not only set the benchmark of aspira- tion, but your commitment inspires all who experience it as the creative, problem-solving process in action. It is why humanity is here. Thank you for the ever-present reminder. To my parents, Arden and Sandy, for teachi ng me that nature is sacred. And to those closest to my heart: my children, Evan and Sommer, for the honor of being your mother; and to my love, Mark Fay Coble. And always…always to nature. ptg6964689 This page intentionally left blank ptg6964689 ABOUT THE AUTHOR Maggie Macnab grew up in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with her parents, Sandy, an architect, and Arden, a poet and teacher, and her younger brother Jesse. Her interest in nature and its creative potential was encouraged by her father who gave her a micro- scope at age nine to see the invisible, read her science fiction shorts as bedtime stories, taught her to observe and draw nature, and took her camping and horseback riding in the high deserts of New Mexico. She learned early on to appreciate nature in all of its many guises in beautiful and mysterious places such as Chaco Canyon, the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Big Bend National Park, Puye Cliffs, and the Santa Fe River on Upper Canyon Road. Maggie left school at age 16 with one credit outstanding toward graduation, determined not to spend another year in the public educational system, and began training in com- mercial art (the predecessor to design) in Albuquerque in 1973 as a production artist. She learned hands-on with hot metal and emerging computerized typesetters, printers, and ad agencies in Albuquerque and Austin. Maggie started her freelance business in Albuquer- que in 1981, subsequently winning national awards and receiving recognition in national design magazines and books from 1983 on. She raised her two children, Evan and Sommer, in the Sandia Mountains. Maggie teaches design theory at the Digital Arts Program at the University of New Mexico/ Albuquerque and for Santa Fe University of Art and Design. She is for the most part self- taught and has pursued education in her own way, never looking back. Maggie lives in Santa Fe with her partner, Mark Coble, and a dozen chickens. ALBUQUERQUE THE MAGAZINE/LIZ LOPEZ ptg6964689 This page intentionally left blank ptg6964689 FOREWORD by Debbie Millman The moment I saw the chapter titled “Infinity Captured” in the Table of Contents in Maggie Macnab’s first book, Decoding Design: Understanding and Using Symbols in Visual Communication (HOW Books, 2008), I knew I was in for a treat. Having long been curious about the connection between science and design, I instantly recognized that her book resolved my recurrent questions and stored the answers I had been searching to find: why symbols and patterns resonate on an instinctive level, how images “speak” to us, and why my heart fluttered whenever I saw evidence of the golden ratio in everyday life. Decoding Design now has a noble partner to further its intellectual and philosophical reach, and it is a remarkable companion. Design by Nature is a revelation. It is both a book and a bible of sorts: It investigates and illuminates the symbiotic relationships in nature, art, science, economics, philosophy, tech- nology, and design. Design by Nature begins with the beguiling subtitle, “Memory: Remembering What We Know,” and it is chock-full of Proustian epiphanies and exercises on reclaiming intuition and creativity. The book also investigates the notion of connectivity and quantum mechanics in a gorgeous chapter that also includes a treatise on “Emptiness as a Philosophical and Visual Design Application,” which is simply masterful. Throughout Design by Nature, Maggie demonstrates how the design process embodies and defines the human species. She reveals how we have transformed energy and matter into tangible and useful inventions. And she proves how, at its best, design allows us to perceive and refine large patterns into fundamental meanings and relationships. Before I read Design by Nature, I asked Maggie what her intention was in writing it. She responded by telling me, “Intention generates the reality of life.” Her hope was that “the book would inspire people to remember that while we are here on this planet, we can participate in the process of living by creating meaning with beauty.” Design by Nature thoroughly succeeds in doing that, and then some. Frankly, Design by Nature makes you feel gladand gratefulto be creative, to be inventive, and to be alive. [...]... create designs that are aesthetic, functional, and meaningful Conscious observation is all it takes—that, and being as patient with yourself as nature is with its own process Design by Nature will remind you of the knowledge you already have by really looking at everyday relationships By recognizing the principles, patterns, and processes of nature, you can create intuitively elegant and aesthetic design. .. design at will rather than by chance Because nature happens around and within you continuously, you know its processes by heart And by understanding how to relate message to image, you create value—or design that tells an authentic and useful story—enhanced by your creative understanding of the common experience This is crucial to communicating across language, culture, and belief Nature is the one touchstone... 37 38 42 43 44 45 62 chapter three nAture s ethics everyone’s BUsiness 67 Natural guidelines for Ethical Design 12 Design Principles from Nature Abundance and Limits Information Design: Discerning and Distilling Beautifully 69 70 73 74 create chapter four PAtterns natUre s dynamics Energy Visualized ... language, culture, and belief Nature is the one touchstone all human beings relate and respond to xvi Design by Nature This book will start you on your way to developing a more finely tuned awareness and appreciation of nature, with exercises that help you experience how nature s problem solving can be applied to design The tools are simple: All you need is a compass, a straightedge, and drawing software if... influence upon generations of designers, architects, scientists, and artists who use his principles to approach living through design in a more graceful way Let’s look at a couple of personal stories of intuition and creativity 1.3 This design was inspired by my appreciation of music expressed in the form of dance The flow of the design is reminiscent of the intuitive process used to design it (as well as... Know DAvID beRMAN : guesT DesIgNeR sTuDy David Berman applies strategy, design, ethics, creative branding, and communications to business problems He has over 25 years of experience in design and strategic communications, including Web design and software interface development As an internationally acclaimed expert speaker, facilitator, communications strategist, graphic designer, typographer, and... left high school a year early and worked my way into what seemed a natural fit I became a designer so I could use my visual skills to figure things out creatively My career began with advertising design and evolved into teaching—and now book writing—all of which I continually learn from Like most designers, I designed what “felt right” early on without completely understanding where the ideas came... Remembering What We Know sTeFAN sAgMeIsTeR : guesT DesIgNeR sTuDy designer : United states Stefan Sagmeister, owner of Sagmeister Inc and author of several design books, has created graphics for clients including the Rolling Stones and Lou Reed His work is timeless and of the moment, reflecting his intimate but thoughtful approach that inspires his intuitively creative design OBSESSIONS MAKE MY LIfE WORSE AND... Protective of the design piece they had watched being created, they called the police (Figure 1.10) Spontaneously creative displays—particularly in the public realm—are often not appreciated for very long It would seem, although loved by onlookers and participants, and appreciated by those in need of a few extra cents, the police deemed the exhibit inappropriate n 1.9 Volunteers working on the design s development... Emptiness as a Philosophical and Visual Design Application Simplicity Putting It into Practice 7 8 9 16 22 24 25 28 30 chapter two efficiency go with the Flow The Economics of Nature Value-driven Design Design s Purpose Problem Solving: . ptg6964689 Design by Nature mAggie mAcnAB Using Universal Forms and PrinciPles in design ptg6964689 D e s i g n BY Nature Using Universal Forms and PrinciPles in design MAGGIE MACNAB ptg6964689 Design. participate in the process of living by creating meaning with beauty.” Design by Nature thoroughly succeeds in doing that, and then some. Frankly, Design by Nature makes you feel gladand gratefulto. on “Emptiness as a Philosophical and Visual Design Application,” which is simply masterful. Throughout Design by Nature, Maggie demonstrates how the design process embodies and defines the human