Design Process - How does it work?

Nintendo46

Hey there guys

Im opening this thread because i have a few questions regarding the design process for an sci-fi environment.

How does one approach the process of designing something? This may sound ridicoulos but im really unsure...
So if i were to create something, is it "allowed" to look at other peoples concepts and ideas and then create my own interpretation of that?
Because i want to create a new 3D scene but i wanna draw the concept all by myself but im struggling with my imagination and my ability to draw exactly how i see it in my mind. Last thing seems to occur of my lacking drawing skills, but not shure how to go further?...

If i look at artwork done for halo 4 for example, i immediately get inspired to draw and i can create shapes formed of the artwork from halo 4.

But isnt this cheating? Where in the world today would one search for inspiration for hi tech sci fi stuff? Just google sci-fi?

Id be very thankful for an answer, because i dont want ( actually never) create artwork that somehow feels like its been done before. I dont mean to invent the wheel, but hopefully you get the point.

So how do you guys do it?

Cheers Joel

Allan-p

A lot of it has to do with personal tastes, when looking at concepts try and figure out what you enjoy about it. Is it the shape? The way it is rendered? The colour?. It gets pretty abstract for me at times. Like I'd enjoy how a person would render worn armor with a couple strokes (and then realise I just enjoy simplistic rendering, and brush economy).

I think using them as studies is a good jumping off point to iterate what you like. Maybe start a pinterst and pin everything that inspires you, then look at it from a whole, are there recurring themes? shapes? colours? It's very much a personally artistic voyage in learning about yourself.

A good thing too is look at real world objects, if you find something striking about it just pin it or save it, build up a folder and then analysis the similarities. (I for one love extremely retro things, so blocky shapes, weird colours and outdated technologies that seem redundant (http://www.pinterest.com/allandouglaspar/inspire/)

For going further with drawing, listen, sorry if it sounds harsh, but it is all about practice and dedication and keeping it up, even if you draw one small thing (be it serious or stupid) (I draw a lot of dumb doodles). There isn't any 123 bang goal achieve steps, art is a lifetime undertaking that when cared will reward you. I encourage you to draw your ideas our regardless and do small studies (not all the time) since you need a healthy balance drawing from your imagination (mature it! figure out what works) and studying (finding new shapes to integrate into your imagination)

Olovander

I would definitely say that it's allowed to be influenced by somebody else's art and designs. I would even go as far and say that getting influenced by a lot of things is how you develop and strengthen your designs and imagination. It all comes down to your tastes and what you want to be influenced by.

However, you should never straight up copy a design. Instead copying, you should try to find out what you really like about them, (shape, color, etc). Also, take the time to really think about what artists and designs you really like. Make sure that you gain inspiration from as many sources as possible.

I know what you mean by not wanting to create something that already exists, and it's really difficult, but it's definitely possible if you give it enough thought and time.

Stinkhorse

Jump starting your imagination requires a lot of good fuel. These days we look to halo and mass effect for inspiration, but the designers on those teams both looked to Star Wars (gross exaggeration to make a point) for theirs. So who did the designers on Star Wars look at? Old radio serials like Flash Gordon, medieval Japanese armor design, brutalist architecture, and Buddhist/Taoist philosophy. Their design was both exciting and graspable because There were trace elements of things that people recognized in it, but they were combined in a way that had never been done before. The point being great design doesn't come from one place, It's a ton of little inspirations scraped together over time to create a larger whole, and it's almost never a truly new idea, but rather old ideas looked at in a new light.

What does this mean for you? Well for starters it means don't worry too much about copying, at least not when you're studying. Copy the things that others have done, but be upfront about it. 'I'm trying to learn this design style' you'll say and everyone will nod and provide pointers, and you get to learn without looking like the guy who drew the cyber marine who is clearly the Master Chief. This doesn't just mean copying Bungie's stuff though, you'll need to cast your net wide. Watch movies, read books, research little factoids and look up old illuminated manuscripts and peruse articles on new scientific advancements. Take in the world with an eye that says, 'what makes this cool' rather than the one that says, 'this isn't relevant to me'.

Building this stable of rare and quirky wellsprings of inspiration is what makes a good designer look clever. It takes time, but in the long run it'll give you more to work with in designs that are truly yours, and make you more interesting at parties! Your design quality is only limited by the amount and quality of the fuel you provide it.

Nintendo46

@ all, thanks for your interesting comments and suggestions. I can use very much of what you guys said, so i guess my questions are answered.

@Allan-p : I try my best to improve my drawing skills and learn about how i can get what i have in mind on paper. Its really just my skill level lacking..

@Olovander : What i like about the Halo 4 artwork are the shapes of the metal structures. They look really sci-fi in a way everybody understands it. I will try to take what i can out of them and create, hopefully something original.

@ Stinkhorse : I was asking myself the exact same questions. where did the guys from star wars get therir ideas. So basically the sci-fi we have now is an evolution, bith of our time and technology.

Ill try my best to get inspired by the ways you have mentioned and try to put that in my work

So thanks to all you guys, youve really helped me out here.

Wish you all the best


cheers, Joel

Stinkhorse

Exactly. Everything is a remix of a remix with personal taste making up the difference. It's nothing to be ashamed of, especially if you go looking for inspiration in places where no one else has thought to.

As for the origins of Star Wars and it's influences this is a great resource and its shows how everything old can be made new again: http://moongadget.com/origins/

keres

Hopping in here.

I recall Feng Zhu saying something like original concepts are 90% recycled work of other artists, 10% original flair (or some proportion like that.)

Originality as we know it, is typically far less magical than it seems. You need a surprising amount of unoriginal content in there before you can tack on your unique flair.

Make art boards and collages out of other peoples' concepts to gather your 90%, then engineer your own unique 10%. That's what I do, at least.

Nintendo46

Hey there

@Stinkhorse : That was a very interesting read, i guess this could be very helpful to me in the future. Thanks for your time

@keres : So when i try to create an original concept, i still need to find shapes and forms, that people may already have seen? Because they "relate" to that structure.

Ill will try your tip with the artboard, thanks man

cheers joel