IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - 42

1

2

1-2

Alberto Alfonso's
paintings, inspired
by poems written
by Tuscany-based
poet Edward Mayes.
Photo:
Albert Hurley

"We draw and make models to stay old school,"
Alfonso says. "The computer is a great tool but
it's dumbing down the process of why we
became designers and artists. You sort of arrive
at the solution too quickly."
On a recent project, Alfonso purposefully disrupted
his normal design process to push himself outside
of his comfort zone and, hopefully, forward as a
designer. While working on a residential project
that included the construction of an Italian-style
farmhouse, he asked an Italian poet to email him
a new work each morning to read and reflect on.
Then he'd paint for 20 minutes, and the time served
as an artistic meditation. "The poem would rattle
me in a way that was not related to the work, but
it put me in a place where I could jump into the
work with increased creativity," Alfonso says. He
amassed 300 pieces from the exercise and even
exhibited them in two separate shows locally.
Other firms, like Silverman Trykowski Associates,
Inc. in Boston, create regular sharing opportunities
in-house. Each week the entire company gathers for
STA's Living Lab to hear a co-worker discuss outside
interests that may have little to do with design.

42

The ritual came about when the current firm was
established in a merger, and the principals sought
to blend the cultures, says principal and former
IIDA-President Felice Silverman, FIIDA. All
employees regularly present during the lab; one
colleague may speak about electronic inventions he
does after work, while another may show off crafts
she sells on behalf orphanage in South Africa.
Mandatory show-and-tells run the risk of
becoming stale or prescriptive, so Silverman keeps
the program loose. For one recent lab, she printed
photos of her favorite colorful birds, and together
the firm pulled out color palettes from each shot.
Silverman says that employees who may have been
intimidated about working with color experienced
creative epiphanies before her eyes. "You saw the
light bulb go off in their heads,' she says. "I sat back
and thought, this is invaluable to my firm because
I saw people understanding color in a way they
hadn't before and are now actively using it."
Another firm programming life outside design into
the work week is Brooklyn's Brooks Atwood Design.
Chief Design Officer Brooks Atwood, IDSA, has
made "purposeful play" a central part of his work



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015

IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 201
Contents
From IIDA
Behind the Issue
Contributors
IIDA Roundtable
Designer Dialogue
Design Decoded
For Love of The Game
Designers Off Duty
Point / Counterpoint
Inspiration
Colophon
Design Buzz
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 201
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - Cover2
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - 1
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - Contents
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - 3
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - 4
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - From IIDA
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - Behind the Issue
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - 7
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - Contributors
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - 9
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - IIDA Roundtable
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - 11
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - 12
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - 13
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - 14
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - 15
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - Designer Dialogue
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - 17
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - 18
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - 19
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - 20
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - 21
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - Design Decoded
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - 23
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - 24
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - 25
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - 26
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - 27
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - 28
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - 29
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - For Love of The Game
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - 31
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - 32
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - 33
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - 34
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - 35
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - 36
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - 37
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - 38
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - 39
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - Designers Off Duty
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - 41
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - 42
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - 43
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - 44
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - 45
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - 46
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - 47
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - Point / Counterpoint
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - 49
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - 50
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - 51
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - Inspiration
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - 53
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - 54
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - Colophon
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - Design Buzz
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - Cover3
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2015 - Cover4
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