Notes from Es Devlin's Masterclass

23 Oct 2021

Research, then sketch

1.

“Pretty much every project begins with entering a world”

Every project starts with diving into a world new to you.

Entering a world is done through research.

“You are searching for a way in for you”

2.

You can do research in many ways.

Google. Books.

Find patterns in what you research.

“Lot’s of people have looked at this thing. Lot’s of people have looked at that thing. But maybe, you are the first person to make a connection between them.”

3.

Never think without a pencil.

“Always have a pencil in your hand while you think. You will leave traces behind. And you will be able to pick up the traces after.”

“Because often, in the flight of thought, of ideation, you can get lost and forget where you came from. So you need to leave traces.”

4.

Don’t ever be afraid of imitation.

“Don’t be afraid of standing on the shoulders of others who have had extraordinary ideas. That is what we all do.”

5.

Iterate, iterate, iterate.

If you have to, push yourself into having to come up with another idea.

6.

While materializing your idea, and having to compromise with the limitations of physical possibilities.

Assess if any changes push your creation too far from your original idea, and are really a different idea.

7.

Build a model to scale of the materialization of your idea. It will help you communicate your idea with collaborators. And it will tell a story.

8.

First models are simple, made fast, not laborious, so they can keep the pace of your train of thought.

9.

There may be 10 models, 3, or 75.

Or none at all.

The process has no rules.

10.

Paper. Clay. Carboard. Wood. Metal. Paint. Ink.

Work with as many materials as you can.

Be aware that the material you choose for your model will influence your train of thought and the speed of your work.

Converting an idea from two-dimension to three-dimension will initiate a different type of thinking process.