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When originally generating ideas for the practical side of my COP3 project i really struggled to come up with ideas that were both doable in the time given but that also synthesised well with my written piece. I considered looking at the difference between the way that humans and computers process information. I wanted to do something juxtaposing binary code and handwritten text. However I realised that this only accentuates the difference between computers and humans. As
my thesis claims that the study of computational creativity is key to the understanding of human creativity I decided that something which makes comparisons between computational ‘creative’ processes and human creative processes would be more apt. One of the main focuses within my written dissertation is the cultivation of creativity. It was only when I began to focus on this that I originated ideas that synthesised with my written work.
I looked at apps such as Duolingo and Lumosity. These apps provide simple exercises that allow people to learn a language, in the case of Duolingo and train brain functions in the case of Lumosity. Mentioned within my written piece are a number of exercises that supposedly enhance our creative productivity. I decided that I was going to produce an app and a publication that included these exercises and others. The app and publication would allow people to partake in these exercises with the intention of increasing their creative productivity. I listed some of the things which I could include in the app and publication: Finish the line exercise Hemispheric cross-talk Incomplete figures Self imposed limitations Alternate uses Riddles Remote Associates test 30 circles test I began to consider the functionality of the app (some ideas shown in sketches) but it was at this point that I decided to focus on the publication. This was partly due to time limitations but also because I wanted to produce something that was more tangible. Numerous sources claim that carrying a sketchbook is one way of ensuring that we are able to jot down any creative ideas that we may have. Although I cannot find any scientific backing to support this it makes perfect sense to me. As this project aims to increase peoples creative productivity, I feel that getting someone into the habit of using pen and paper and carrying the booklets around with them certainly couldn’t hurt. There is, however, scientific backing to suggest that being placed outside of our comfort zone allows creativity to flourish. In the modern world everyone uses apps on a day to day basis and I feel that providing means to use tangible materials is, in a way, placing them outside of their comfort zone.
Feedback from peers suggested developing the app would allow me to implement the use of timers for certain exercises and also allow the exercises to be evaluated and results to be given back to the user. However I saw this as a negative. My written work states that the deferment of judgment and a relaxed environment allows for better creative productivity. The use of timers and marking systems would completely contradict this. This confirmed it, the publication would be my key focus and only if time allowed would I consider producing the app to go alongside it. To ensure good synthesis with my written piece I decided that I would include some processes mentioned in my dissertation that ‘creative’ computers use to produce their outcomes, aswell as some of the exercises I wrote about in chapter one. For example, making analogies (ACME software), writing jokes using simple jokeschemas (JAPE software) and depicting emotions (The Painting Fool software). I finalised the exercises that would be included within the publication: Self Imposed Limitations Making Analogies Writing Jokes Hemispheric Cross-Talk Alternate Uses Remote Associates Depicting Emotions 30 Circles Test Incomplete Figures Once this was finalised I was able to consider the layout and design of the publication.
A selection of works that inspired the design of Cultivating the ‘C’ Word
I wanted to use a stripped down minimal aesthetic for the publication. I wanted the publication to be treated as a sketchbook of sorts and too much designed content would dissuade the individuals personal creativity. I considered various different sizes for the publication but settled on a B6 format. This was big enough to include all the required content but small enough to be portable. In my written piece I have evidenced that for creativity to occur it necessitates the combination of various ideas, often unrelated. Simon Colton argues that this also applies to computer simulated creativity stating that ‘the only systems we’ve personally built which might be called creative involve at least two pieces of AI software written for different tasks being bought together so that the whole is more than the sum of the parts.’
To transfer this idea to the design of the publication I looked at various ways of making a publication that was fragmented and only worked when put together correctly. I had various ideas, some better than others. i considered making the publication into a jigsaw, however to complete a jigsaw convergent thinking is used which is not particularly creative. One idea that I experimented with further was using a ring bound book made of separate segments. I looked at ‘Build your own Sandwich’ book by Vicki Smallwood and was considering using a similar format. When i tried to apply this it really didn’t work with any of the content except perhaps the incomplete figures. This led me to the idea of producing 3 different publications that made up the whole project.
To clearly illustrate the idea of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts I wanted each publication to be different sizes but when stacked on top of one another to be clear that they are intended to work together. I decided to continue with the use of a B6 (125x176mm) format to ensure portability. I decided the best way to split the publications up would be for the larger publication to include all the word based tasks, 8 out of the 9 exercises. Then a smaller publication, 125mm square, to include the incomplete figures. The final publication would be a B7 (88x125mm) booklet with my written work in. As the other publications refer back to the essay I felt it was important to include this. As illustrated above I considered displaying the title of the publication on the front covers. However to keep the minimal aesthetic I decided against it.
I did want to include something that would link the three publications, whether this be colour or shape, whilst maintaining this stripped back aesthetic. As the publication is called ‘Cultivating the ‘C’ word’, it was only logical to use the letter C to link the publications. I experimented with a few ways of doing this but settled on using a large ‘C’ that went off the edges of the page into the bleed. This decision was solely down to aesthetic. My research for the written piece also informed the colour decisions. It is suggested that the presence of the colour blue boosts creative performance. Therefore using any other colour for a publication about creativity would be senseless. I will use three separate shades of blue to differentiate between publications. This will be determined when I look more into materials available to me.
I experimented with numerous C characters from a number of different typefaces. To keep the publication as simple as possible I wanted to use just one typeface throughout the publication. Therefore the decision made here will also inform the font choice for the content. Although I did experiment with some serif and slab serif typefaces I was fairly sure that I wanted to use a sans serif. After some experimentation I decided I would either use Myriad Pro or DIN for the cover type as these looked the most effective on the cover and work well for body copy. Feedback from peers informed me that myriad was not immediately recognisable as a C on the
Cultivating the
‘C’ word
Cultivating the ‘C’ word
‘C’word Cultivating the C word Cultivating the
The actual design of the majority of the pages was informed by the first page I produced. I set up a baseline grid incrementing every 14.4pt and stuck to this for all my body copy and the majority of titles. I established 8 columns with even 8mm margins. I wanted to keep the design really simple and include as few elements as possible. Using DIN bold for titles and DIN regular for body copy was something I kept continuous. The use of 1pt dotted lines was also informed by this cover page and this is also continued throughout the rest of the publications. The dotted lines were important to have as an element of the overall aesthetic as they will be useful when designing the layout of the exercises. Here I have them crossing over one another as a reference to the combinational nature of creativity. I also decided to use no colour whatsoever to maintain the minimal aesthetic. Also I feel it will be a nice contrast to the shades of blue on the outer covers of the publications.
Although the publication is very stripped back and minimal I wanted to add a special finish that would add value to the finalised piece and make it more desirable. I considered screen printing and foil blocking. However after reading research suggesting that the majority of people are most creative at night I decided instead to use glow in the dark vinyl stickers. The stickers look good in full light but look really effective in the dark. Although the functional value of these stickers could be questioned, the glow in the dark adds novelty. Due to time limitations I attached the three publications to one another with elastic bands. If
I had more time I would possibly still use elastic bands but of a higher quality. I also considered making a sleeve but this may detract away from the effect of the glow in the dark stickers. A cellophane envelope would solve this problem. I was fairly limited in choice of stock as I didn’t purchase this until a few days previous to the deadline so was limited to what was available in shops and in the university library. I wanted to use a thicker textured stock for the larger booklet and a more pastel blue for the dissertation booklet. I feel that this would increase both durability, legibility and add tactile qualities.
To minimise the amount of body copy on the exercise pages within the publication I included the majority of this in the contents pages. The footer on the right hand page of a spread corresponds to the number and title on the contents pages. I have included quotes and
research, content both included in my essay and not. I have tried to very briefly explain, with the help of the aforementioned research, the value of the exercises in short paragraphs on these pages. I experimented with formatting and layout options adhering to the design constraints earlier laid out.
I felt a concertina fold for the booklet including the incomplete figures exercise allowed for creative freedom for the user; The figures can be both used individually to make up separate images on each page, or the user could draw across all of the 4 pages making one larger image. It also provided variation from the saddle stitch and staple binding
used on the other two publications in the set. I also included two grids within the publication for the user to interact with in any way of their choosing. There is one page that is blank, this was intended to be stuck down to the back cover but because of the amount of pages and the way it folds up, I had to stick one of the incomplete figures to it instead.
The majority of the exercise pages were designed fairly quickly. The most obvious design was generally the most effective and practical. Feedback from
peers informed me that the DPS with the joke writing task wasn’t clear where the question and punchline goes. To counter this I added Q & A symbols.
I originally didn’t include any imagery on the alternate uses page but felt that two very simple illustrations wouldn’t go amiss. There was still plenty of space
for the activities to be undertaken. The 30 circles and depicting emotions pages didn’t include any text at all. Here the function of the contents page is evident.
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Self Imposed Limitations
Making Analogies
Research by Thomas B Ward suggests
Analogical thinking software ACME
that placing self-imposed limitations
has deciphered the meaning behind
can enhance our creativity, especially
numerous analogies including
if these limitations place us outside of
statements by Socrates. The software
our comfort zone. He cites the notable
requires a huge database of words and
example of Dr Seuss. He challenged
a fairly deep understanding of each of
himself to write a book using less than
these. However as humans we have
50 words resulting in the production
spent years building up our stock of
of best selling and critically acclaimed
words through listening and reading.
children’s book ‘Green Eggs & Ham.’
If a ‘creative’ computer can make and
Working t limitations such as these is
decipher analogies so can you.
more difficult than you would think. Why
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Writing Jokes
Hemispheric ‘cross talk’
What do you call a depressed train?
The British Psychological Society suggests
A Low-comotive
that shifting one’s eyes horizontally
How is a nice girl like a sugary bird?
back and forth increases our creative
Each is a sweet chick
productivity. Apparently this exercise
What kind of murderer has fibre?
is effective as it ‘increases cross-talk’
A cereal killer
between the hemispheres of the brain. The
To create the above riddles and many
resulting increase in creative ability has a
more, JAPE, joke generating software uses
short time span, between three and nine
some relatively simple joke-schemas.
minutes. The exercise also doesn’t affect
These include: What kind of x has y? What
people who are ambidextrous. If that’s you
kind of x can y? What do you get when you
then you already have an ‘optimum amount
cross x with y? and What’s the difference
of hemispheric cross-talk’
between an x and a y? Have a go yourself.
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Remote Associations
Depicting Emotions
‘The Remote Associations Test (RAT)’
The Painting Fool, automated painting
is a test formulated by Martha Mednick
software developed by Goldsmiths
a doctor specialising in the study of
Professor Simon Colton recently produced
mental disorders such as schizophrenia
222 portraits of actress Audrey Tautou each
but who also contributed to the study
depicting a different emotion. Recognizing
of creativity The test aims to prove that
and depicting emotions requires a certain
more creative people will form more
amount of creative ability. A machine can
associations to any stimulus word
depict 222 different emotions, let’s see if
than less creative people. No matter
you can depict less than 10% of this.
how well you do, the test will get you thinking in a divergent fashion.
All of the sections of the booklet displayed on this page have a direct link to my dissertation. Sections 1,4 & 6 are mentioned in chapter one where I talk about methods of cultivating creativity. Sections 2,3 & 6 are all ideas taken from software which I researched and wrote about in the dissertation. I thought it would be interesting to apply processes that these ‘creative’ computers complete on a day to day basis to an exercise book for human creativity.
Although I feel there are many improvements that could be made, especially to the practical side of CoP3, I am happy with my final outcomes. I feel the written side clearly lays out my thesis and related information that backs up my ideas. I feel I chose a really interesting subject and the writing of my dissertation and the research required for this has provided me with a good understanding of the subject of computational creativity and creativity in general. The practical side of my work synthesises well with the written piece. I feel it is also a publication that would be viable in a commercial market. If I used a heavier more textured paper stock for the larger booklet’s cover and provided a more durable way of packaging the three publications together I feel it could be commercially viable. Although I haven’t given any physical prototypes out for people to complete, I have had people interacting with exercises such as the remote associates task and they seemed to enjoy it and find it challenging. As I have said I would like to increase the production value of the booklets if I had more time and possibly go forward and produce an app to work alongside the booklet. Although I feel the publication works better than an app for many reasons, an app would enable the user to receive reminders to continue with their creativity exercises and allow for the exercises change and be completed more than once.