Managing Creativity

Instructor

David McGaw

Clients and employers value designers for our ability to identify and solve problems in new and clever ways. Understanding the mental processes of creativity and knowing how to engage them effectively is therefore valuable for a designer, whether working alone or leading the work of a team. In this class, students will learn how to create contexts for effective personal and group creativity, how to collide ideas together and build connections, and how to use narrative and metaphor to abstract and explore possibilities. We will also consider the practical methods and tools that help a leader ensure that the team's creativity is delivered in a practical way to the client--things like schedules, budgets, and communication that make the difference between success and failure in the real world of design consulting. Through a combination of lectures, readings, aesthetic and interactive experiences, solo and group exercises and assignments, we will unpack and try out different approaches to framing creative challenges, structuring and facilitating ideation sessions, managing the resulting concepts, and positioning them for further impact. We will take a manager's perspective throughout, and will cover techniques for dealing with difficult people and situations, including boredom, "designer's block," and client/corporate hierarchies. At the end of the class, students should have a broader set of tools for taking on creative challenges, and be better equipped for team leadership roles both at ID and in the marketplace.

Recommended for: Those without extensive experience working as a designer or in a creative discipline, and for those who have had limited experience leading/managing design teams.

Prerequisites: None. Builds on, but does not substitute for, concepts taught in Design Synthesis

Format & Grading

Classes are conducted in a presentation/discussion/demonstration format. Important arguments about the topic for each class will be presented. Active participation in contributing to these arguments is highly recommended--particularly since each class member may have valuable contributions from their own experience.

There will be group discussions on the content of assigned readings. Students are expected to have read the texts prior to the class and present their viewpoints.

Teams will be formed to provide a structure for the individual work assigned. Teams in this class will have designated leaders (rotating each week) who will receive coaching on how to help the team accomplish its task for the week.

Occasionally there will be breakout sessions in which ad-hoc student teams will work on specific projects during the class. A certain amount of time will also be spent on discussing student projects.