Mindful

Design

Design

How does mindfulness influence visual communication design outcome?

Yixin Cao (Milo)

Master of Visual Communication Design

The Design School Arizona State University

Graduate Supervisory Committee:

Mookesh Patel, Co-chair

Heywood William, Co-chair

Fehler Michelle, Committee member

Mindful Design

Mindful

Committee Signstures

Signature Date

Mookesh Patel, Co-chair

Heywood William, Co-chair

Fehler Michelle, Committee member

Signature Date

Signature Date

Thanks

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the kind

people who have helped me to expand my perspectival and my

inner lives, to improve my design skills and to pursue my

dream of study in the United States.

Mookesh Patel,

You taught me there is no such thing as a finished design; you always

pushed me forward to discover different methods and opportunities to

achieve higher levels of design thinking and imagination.

William Heywood,

Your deep knowledge about the interconnection between design

and psychology, especially regarding the practice of mindfulness,

which helped me improve my concentration, my empathy and

ultimately enhanced my design acumen.

Michelle Fehler,

Your patience and remarkable help, support helped me overcome

my fears and your encouragement helped me complete my

thesis experiments.

I am very appreciative to have had all of you in my life and having

you there has made me a better person and more sentient designer.

Lindsay,

your passion and enthusiasm for stepping beyond sacred cows and

taboos always influenced me to be intrepid to break rules and realize

that there are no boxes. You introduced me to the new world of

design.there is no box. You inducted me into a new world of design.

Lisa Peña,

Your understanding of design composition and creativity contributed

to accurate evaluation of the design outcomes, which played an

important role in this study researching an influence of mindfulness

in design process.

John Takamura,

Your clear logical manner of thinking and your rich

theoretic knowledge were instrumental in helping me with the

research methodology.

Content

Abstract

Question

Key Words

Abstract

Literature Review

Matrix

Visual

Communication

Design

Mindfulness

24

14

10

Introduction

Problem

Importance

Purpose of Study

Discussion & Conclusion

Discussion

Conclusion

Bibliography

50

56

Methodology & Analysis

Research on Method

Audience Interactive Experiment

Thesis Experiment

Data Analysis

36

Appendices

Glossary

Group Survey

60

Abstract

Abstract

11

Abstract

10

How does mindfulness influence the visual communication design outcome?

Empathy

Concentration

Creativity

Nonjudgmentally

Reflection

Sentience

Design is much more than just a branch of

science; design, based in very simple core,

spiritual practices, is about creating change

from a foundation of deep understanding.

The designer must sense, indeed observe the

problem, through a lens of cultivated

empathy, perceive the problem as experienced

by others, and originate a new responsive

design as an output of that new understanding.

The work of design should reflect both the

personality of the designer and their environ-

mental perceptions, that is, the designer’s

perception of the original design (environ-

mental problems), filtered, altered and

ultimately transformed through the designer’s

deep reflective spiritual exercises, into a

new, fully realized design conception capable

of enhancing local to global environmental

conditions and circumstances.

For the designer to achieve self concentration

and full understanding of connection between

design thinking and outcome, they must

practice mindfulness and through this practice,

develop the sensitivity and the sentience

necessary to perceive environmental and

personal problems effectively. According

to a simple mantra from Irene Au, “mind-

fulness practice for better design” (Irene Au).

In Au’s lecture, she indicates how mindfulness

practice helps the designer to break free of

judgmentalism, of paralyzing fear of taking

risks, and boost personal creative acumen.

Beyond creativity, mindfulness also promotes

empathy, concentration, non-judgmentalism,

reflection and sentience, which are important

skills for visual designers enabling them to

think deeper and present information or ideas

through design more effectively.

This study of a mindfulness training to design

realization process will discover how

mindfulness and the achievement of clear

mind affects design outcomes. Such an

intentional process will allow designers to

realize the path to cultivating essential

skills, such as, creativity, innovation, con-

centration, effectiveness and empathy,

in order to enhance the spiritual nature and

depth of their thinking. Also such a process

must include an examination of relevant living

experiences in service to the thesis.

Deep concepts that come from the inner life

can be incorporated into the visual

communication design works discipline, and

will ultimately benefit different audiences,

environmental spaces and society as a whole.

Intro duction

Problem

Importance

Purpose

Introduction

15

Introduction

14

Problem

A cluttered mind leads to a cluttered design ;

an unfocused mind leads to a confused design .

Design work represents how a designer reads his or her environment and reveals the inner activities of the designer.

The paramount of design depends on the clarity of mind and the level of concentration.

Designers need a clear mind in order to convey information effectively through visual communication design.

However, the world moves so quickly and changes so rapidly,

people rarely take time to p a u s e and to reflect on their living environment and

thoughts.

reflect

this situation causes d i s t r a c t i o n and creates an un cused fo m i n d.

Visual communication is through visual aid and is described as

the conveyance of ideas and information in forms that can be

read or looked upon ( David,1981). If visual design cannot convey

the information and emotion properly, it is then a waste of

resources, time, and energy. Think of how many advertisements

and flyers we receive everyday, and how many of them

speaks real meaningful information and can be remembered by

their audiences? Visual design should not be a pile of stacked

information, the purpose of visual design should be an effective

and meaningful communication by deep and comprehensive

thinking. Irene Au suggests ”mindfulness practice

for better design”. It presents a connection between

self concentration and design expression.

Mindfulness can make people be more concentrated,

effective, empathetic, and objective thinkers.

The question is, how do these influences caused by

mindfulness benefit designers and will that be

reflected into the design outcome?

Importance

There is an energy inherent in us all, to imagine and

build things, and make connections to other people, places

and things in our environment; this is the source of

creativity. When we nourish ourselves, we nourish our

community. And when we nourish our community,

we nourish ourselves (Ylan Vo, 2011). So the relationship

between a better world by design and a personal spiritual

practice need to be explored.

WISE Employment’s community

Introduction

17

Mindfulness can be used to reduce distractions and increase

concentration. Mindfulness practices help people to release

themselves from their own egos, to see the problems more

objectively, and help designers to keep their attention on seeking

the core values of things and the most touching moments in

their lives. This is an effective way

to adjust a stressed and distracted mind.

Designers need to continuously learn and develop

formal concepts, methods, theory, and techniques to

convey the information efficiently by combining images

with text together. On top of that, in today’s world, more

and more designers start to look at things beyond

conventional understandings, and focus on the discovery and

solutions of complicated problems. Mindfulness allows

designers to gain empathy and different perspectives of

their environment, which will help designers

discover problems and find solutions by

connecting the inner and outside world.

However, sometimes designers are not clear

about the thoughts and how to make decisions

in design, because we judge the problem by

the ego, not by understanding the essence of

the problem. When one judges based on his

or her own ego, the conveyance of information

can easily be twisted, and the design could shift

from communication to subjective expressions.

Lack of empathy and mental harmony is also an

expression of the lack of attentiveness to

others. Skills and techniques might be able

to create some great designs, but empathy

is crucial forgreater designs. True empathy

goes beyond observation, it’s about getting out

of the head and feeling what others

have experienced.

Designers must dig deeper into the complexity

of society and inner self as a prerequisite

of any good design. Such a discovery needs few

essential elements: empathy, clear mindedness,

concentration, sensitivity, observation,

understanding, perspicacious, and innovation.

Objective observation, perceptual empathy,

and logical analysis integrate together and are

presented through the work of design.

This mindful design is beneficial to effective

expression, to communicate with clients,

and emotional transmission.

Researchers from the University of Rochester

Medical Center found that training doctors in helped

them to listen better and not be both at home and

at work (2009).

Introduction

19

Introduction

18

Purpose

mindfulness and design

This study will research the

relationship between

mindfulness and design.

Meditation will be a

representation of mindfulness

because it is an effective

way to practice mindfulness.

Through the comparison

of the design works by the

students who practice

meditation regularly and by

students who do not practice

meditation much or not at all.

This study will research how

mindfulness affects the

designers’ use of basic design

elements to present

composition and creativity.

Mindfulness is only

discovering part of the many

influences matters over

logic and thinking, but there

are so many other things in

the daily lives that are affecting

the way people think.

This research is not only

applicable to discover

the influence of mindfulness

on design, but opening a

new field for the development

of deeper design thinking and

innovative design strategies.

As designers we are not

limited to our own

professional field, and in fact

we need to research into

many other fields to be

comprehensive and thorough,

and to discover the method

to improve designer’s

creativity, innovative,

concentration, effectiveness

of skillful expression, and

empathy between design and

audience. Therefore, we

can maximize one’s potential,

set the boundary of design

beyond decoration.

Every designer is encouraged

to use their creative talents

to their highest and best purpose

and to demonstrate the

value of designers and design

thinking (AIGA).

Original design can be

transformed through

the designer’s deep reflective

spiritual exercises, into

a new, full realized design

conception capable of

enhancing local to global

environmental conditions.

Literature

Review

Design

Communication

Visual

Mindfulness

100 ideas that changed graphic design (Heller)

5 Types of Meditation Decoded

Cage, J., & Gann, K. (2011). Silence: Lectures and writings

Baingio, P. (2011). What is the Meaning of Shape?

Center for Investigating Healthy Minds

Chimero, F. (2013). The shape of design

Hara, K. (2007). Designing design

Dondis, D. (1973). A primer of visual literacy

French Fries_Warren Lehrer

Gunaratana, H. (2011). Mindfulness in plain English

Lehrer, W. (1983). I mean you know

Irene, A. (2015, January 20). Mindfulness Practices For Design

Iyer, P. (2014). The art of stillness: Adventures in going nowhere

Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills (KIMS)

Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present

Meditation makes you more creative, ScienceDaily

Mindfulness Practices For Better Design, Irene Au

Poems of Mindfulness (blog)

R. Murray Schafer, short film "listen"

Rumi poem

Skolos, N., & Wedell, T. (2006). Type, image, message

What is graphic design, Juliette Cezzar

Hagen, R., & Golombisky, K. (2013). White space is not your enemy

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, 26, 2007, Mindfulness in Measurement

Burch, V., & Penman, D. (2015). You are not your pain

Kleinman, P. (2012). Psych 101

designcom-municate

balance conscious-ness

com-position

creative efficientLiteratures Key Words

infor-mation

spacesensesself - discovery

experience silencereflectionempathy /understand

emotion idea rhythmmindful-ness

meditation

Literature Review

25

Literature Review

24

Visual Communication Design

Visual communication is through visual aid and is described

as the conveyance of ideas and information in forms that can be

read or looked upon ( David,1981). As the definition from

AIGA, Graphic design, also known as communication design,

is the art and practice of planning and projecting ideas and

experiences with visual and textual content.

signs

typography

drawing

graphic

design

illustration

package

Design

Advertising

Animation

colour

...

http://www.brucemaudesign.com

http://www.thehoworths.com

bibigreycat.blogspot.com

http://www.brucemaudesign.com Gabriel Moreno

Apple iPad mini Advertisement militaryingermany.com

It also explores the idea that a visual

message accompanying text has a greater

power to inform, educate, or persuade

a person or audience (Smith, 2005).

For better understanding, visual, communication

and design, these words should be analyzed

individually, and then people will understand

the relationship clearly when they are put

together in an orderly fashion.

Visual communication in part or whole

relies on vision, and is primarily presented or

expressed with two dimensional images,

it includes:

Visualization is an important tool to convey information,

and also a way to express the design process. In the visual

communication design discipline, visual outcome is a

composition which is the placement or arrangement of visual

elements, like shapes, space, text, color and so on.

Composition can also be thought of as the organization of the

elements of design according to the principle. This

research will focus on the composition of shapes and space.

Elements of Design

Visual composition starts with the basic elements:

dot, line, shape, direction, texture, dimension,

scale and movement (Zelanski,1982).

The shape of an object is a primary condition

fundamental for our lives. Shape is the primary

visual attribute that elicits unambiguous

identification due mainly to its constancy. Another

relevant perceptual property is its uniqueness.

Indeed, it is unique and much more informative

than any other object properties, e.g., color,

shading and lighting (Baingio Pinna). Shape is a

basic element of design and it can be used to

convey meaning and organize information. The

figure or foreground shape is seen as positive

and the focus of the picture, it is often called the

subject matter. A negative shape is usually an

empty shape or space and is the background or

surrounding of the subject mater.

Space

All the design elements can only be functioned

on the basis of the limitation of space, and

therefore space has become a non-negligible and

perpetual element in design. Whether positive

or negative, space is more than a key element in

graphic design. Space is a requirement. You

cannot talk about, create or evaluate graphic design

without accounting for space. Effective graphic

design does four things: it captures attention,

controls eye movement, conveys information and

evokes emotion (Hagen, 2013). The different use

of space would lead to various feelings, and even

different emotion experiences. White Space is

intentionally light-hearted and conversational.

Positive space is filled space. Negative

space is empty space, which is not your enemy.

(Hagen, 2013)

Visual

http://www.kata-pult.com

http://www.kata-pult.

Literature Review

27

Literature Review

26

Communication

Communication is the function and main purpose of design.

The term effective communication occurs when a desired effect

is the result of intentional or unintentional information

sharing, which is interpreted between multiple entities and

acted on in a desired way. This effect also ensures that messages

are not distorted during the communication process. Designers

only can convey the information successfully by understanding

the visual composition well.

Kana Hara suggested the idea of “visualogue”

specifically in the field of information design,

which simply is the combination of “visual”

and “dialogue” (Hara, 2007). Visual design is

not only a dialogue through vision, but also a

dialogue through mind. Design is a two-way

conversation, good design works do not

only give the information that need to

be given, what more is the ability to integrate

the information and the sentiment of the

audiences, recalling memories and form a new

integrated one.

This graph from the book Designing Design is

to describe the relationship between the

senses and the transmission and reception of

information. From Kanya Hara’s point,

information can be gained by people through

the senses and perception, the original

memory can be connected with the design

impression by stimulating the perception.

That requires the designer to be well concentrated,

sensitive, and sympathetic, and thus be able

to manage some profound thinking about

design and social problems, treat collected

information objectively, and express them in

a clear and acceptable way at last.

Design does not become useful based only on

theories and knowledge. Designers must dig

deeper into the complexity of society and inner

self as a pre-request of any good design. Such

a discovery needs few essential elements:

empathy, clear mind, concentrated, sensitive,

observant, understanding, perspicacious,

and innovative.

Design

Designer Kaya Hara mentioned in his book Designing Design,

design is to recognize the world that we are living in

through creation and communication. An active recognition

and discovery would bring joy and pride (Hara, 2007).

From my understanding, design is the process

of deep thinking, and being open minded to

the world. Designers should be empathetic and

sensitive to the need of the clients, and to

concepts as well; they should find their own

way to keep their mind in a creative state

and let the ideas flow; and then find the right

way to express the idea and convey the

information to the audiences.

Designing Design, Kana Hara

Designing Design, Kana Hara

Literature Review

29

Literature Review

28

Mindfulness

It is this clarity of mind, this focused attention, that is paramount

to the act of designing: a cluttered mind leads to a

cluttered design; an unfocused mind leads to a confused design.

In the speech at the IxDA 2014 conference which was presented

by Irene Au, she asked the related questions,

And she found out that through mindfulness practices like

meditation and yoga, designers can cultivate these skills like

focus, empathy, and creativity.

“How might we more effectively cultivate access to our empathy

and compassion for people? How we can be more innovative and

bring more inspiration, delight, and heart to the people who

use the products we design?”

The simplest and most widely used form of

meditation is to sit and focus on the breath. People

use the breath to focus the mind and be in the

present moment. If the mind wanders, don’t judge

it, just let the thoughts pass and return the

attention to the breath.

Meditation is not simply a subjectively conscious

change in thinking, it is also literally change our

brain. Studies have found that people who practice

meditation have a much thicker or stronger

connection which links attention with sensory

processing in the brain. (Neuroreport, 2005)

Meditation is hard work and it takes a lot

of practice to get better. But that hard work is

worth it. People are gaining better insight

into how meditation affects the brain thanks

to MRI technology. Even though focusing

the mind is hard work, it doesn’t take long

to achieve the benefits of meditation. Just

meditating for 20 minutes a day for four days

results in a significant improvement in critical

cognitive skills (University of North Carolina

at Charlotte, 2010). The University of Miami

reported a study in January 2014, indicates that

students who practice meditation for seven weeks

can significantly improves attention, versus

students who don’t practice meditation had

increased mind wandering and diminished

attention over time (University of Miami, 2014).

Mindfulness practices help people let go of their

ego and deal with whatever is getting in the way of

achieving that focus. Then it becomes more an act

of love and compassion for people who benefit from

a clear, direct user experience.

In design, mindfulness will let designers focus

their attention to what is most important and

meaningful in the moment, which helps designers

to understand the problem more objectively.

Sometimes designers are not sure about the

decision and how to design, because they judge the

problem by the ego, not by understanding the

essence of the problem. Ego can become be an

obstacle to the work. If people start believing

in their own greatness, it is the death of creativity

(Marina Abramovic). Empathy, like focus, is

crucial for great design. True empathy goes beyond

observation. It’s about getting out of the head

and feeling others’ experiences in their own bones.

Most of the time people have opinions based on

their subjective criticisms and impressions, which

helps them to connect to others with similar

background, but limited their comprehensiveness

of a thorough and fair judgment. Researcher

from the University of Rochester Medical Center

have found that doctors are less judgmental

after mindfulness meditation; and another study

shows that people are amazingly much more

aware of some subtle facial emotions after some

yoga exercises (Beckman, 2012).

Logical thinking and emotional thinking take

different parts of our brain, and they hardly works

together at the same time, but they rather like to

switch from one type of thinking to another.

So what does this have to do with good design?

Good design requires both networks.

Literature Review

31

Literature Review

30

To understand the requirements of the client,

designers need more than just words. Designers

communicate with clients by understanding

their characters, knowing their aesthetic value

and their understanding of beauty, hearing

their stories and experiences, and then relating

these perceptual aspects into the design.

Mindfulness practice also make designers

easier to accept the feedbacks from

others objectively so that they can move the

design into its next, better, and further

stage. Mindfulness practice monitoring the

experience from moment to moment, with

openness, curiosity, and acceptance, and

without reaction, judgment, or holding on.

Research done in 2012 at Leiden University in

the Netherlands. Divergent thinking is a style of

thinking that allows many new ideas to be

generated. Open-monitoring meditation can help

you generate more ideas (Colzato, 2012).

Designers should be able to engage in both in

analytical thinking and empathetic thinking in design.

On one hand, the thinking process allowed designers

to learn the technical details of how things works. On

the other hand, designers should be able to understand

other people’s experience which takes empathetic

imagination (2012).

Methodology

& Analysis

Research on Methods

In order to discuss the influence of meditation on how designers use

the spaces in two dimensional space, I researched deeply in the

method of meditation and the use of elements and space in graphic

design before conducting this experiment.

Meditation

Meditation, also known as the Mindfulness

Practice, has been described as non-judgmental

awareness of both internal and external

experience, moment to moment. Meditative

practices have existed for centuries and since

the last couple of decades, the use of

meditation has increased due to an increasing

interest in the eastern cultures, and also

due to the increasing stress and anxiety of

modern life.

One of the psychological strengths of

mindfulness is the capacity to maintain an

emotional balance within any particular

life moment, whatever that happens to be.

Novice mindfulness practitioners (Solloway,

1999, 2000, 2001, 2004) were asked to

describe their experience of mindfulness

practice as a non-judgmental focus of attention

in the present moment.

These journal entry responses link

themselves to a number of important self-care

issues: the quality of the inner-life suggested

by Seligman and Csik-szentmihalyi (2000),

self-determination (Ryback, 2006), emotional

balance (Goleman, 1995), stress-reduction,

and empathy (Kabat-Zinn, 2005)

an open, undivided observation of what is occurring

both internally and externally rather than a

particular cognitive approach to external stimuli.

(Brown & Ryan, 2000, p. 823).

Composition of Design

Composition is the placement or arrangement

of visual elements or ingredients in a work

of art, as distinct from the subject of a work.

Visual composition starts with the basic

elements: dot, line, shape, direction, texture,

dimension, scale and movement.

Composition lead viewers’ eyes around the

design work and can communicate information

through character and direction.

The J.Paul Getty Museum

Methodology

& Analysis

34

Methodology

& Analysis

35

Audience Interactive Experiment

In this book, you can participate in this

thesis experiment on your own. Through this,

you can experience and analyze the

relationship between mindfulness and design.

On the right page is the Mindfulness Attention

Awareness Scale (Brown & Ryan, 2003), which is the most well-known mindfulness

instrument. Follow the instructions, you can

fill the form easily and the total score will

present the statement of your mindfulness level.

On the next spread, the book provides all the

materials for the audience to do a design

composition. All you need to do is to relax your

mind and just follow the instructions.

After this simple experiment, you can fill out

the infographic to analyze the data from

your own experience. You will see the

discussion and conclusion for these data results

in the following section of this book.

Want to participate?

Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (Brown & Ryan, 2003)

Below is a collection of statements about your everyday experience.

Using the 1-6 scale below, please indicate how frequently or infrequently you

currently have each experi ence. Please answer according to what really

reflects your experience rather than what you think your experience should

be. Please treat each item separately from every other item.

Scales:

1 almost always

2 very frequently

3 somewhat frequently

4 somewhat infrequently

5 very infrequently

6 almost never

I could be experiencing some emotion and not be conscious of it until some time later.

I break or spill things because of carelessness, not paying attention, or thinking of

something else.

I find it difficult to stay focused on what’s happening in the present.

I tend to walk quickly to get where I’m going without paying attention to what I

experience along the way.

I tend not to notice feelings of physical tension or discomfort until they really

grab my attention.

I forget a person’s name almost as soon as I’ve been told it for the first time.

It seems I am “running on automatic,” without much awareness of what I’m doing.

I rush through activities without being really attentive to them.

I get so focused on the goal I want to achieve that I lose touch with what I’m doing

right now to get there.

I do jobs or tasks automatically, without being aware of what I'm doing.

I find myself listening to someone with one ear, doing something else at the same time.

I drive places on ‘automatic pilot’ and then wonder why I went there.

I find myself preoccupied with the future or the past. I find myself doing things

without paying attention.

I snack without being aware that I’m eating.

1 2 3 4 5 6

1 2 3 4 5 6

1 2 3 4 5 6

1 2 3 4 5 6

1 2 3 4 5 6

1 2 3 4 5 6

1 2 3 4 5 6

1 2 3 4 5 6

1 2 3 4 5 6

1 2 3 4 5 6

1 2 3 4 5 6

1 2 3 4 5 6

1 2 3 4 5 6

1 2 3 4 5 6

Methodology

& Analysis

36

Methodology

& Analysis

37

instructionsTime: 15~20 minutes

You can use the different shapes in the envelope below as your elements to

create your own composition, which is considered to present your emotion and

state of mind at this moment. There is also double sided tape provided for use.

One side of the shapes is black, the other side is white. You can use both sides as

positive or negative space, as you want.

You do not need to use all of them, you can decide how many you want to use.

There is no limitation of using and organizing the elements.

Let's start this interesting experiment on the right blank page.

Methodology

& Analysis

38

Your Data

Mindfulness Score

After this simple experiment, you can fill the infographic of

analyzing the data from your own experience. You will see

the discussion and conclusion for these data in the following

section of this book.

Use of Elements

black white

Methods of Design

Tear

B &W

Fold

Overlap

Symmetry

Symmetry

no yes

Thesis Experiment Data

Methodology

& Analysis

40

Methodology

& Analysis

41

Use of elements

570 elements total

used 295 elements

Compact space creates pressure, appropriate

space makes people comfortable and relaxed,

but excessive space may lead to estrangement.

Blank space should feel opened, connected,

and ventilated. 230 black 65 white78% 22%

Thesis Experiment

According to existing research, I included the practice of

meditation in the process of graphic design.

Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale

(Brown & Ryan, 2003), which is the most

well-known mindfulness instrument.

Design Elements

All the shapes is one side black and one

side white.

six circles

six squares

six triangle

six curve

six line

11x11 inch blank paper

glue stick

For design elements, I made several sets of

paper and design elements in different scales

and ask 10 people to do the tryout. After the

tryout, I finally decided to use the 11 x 11

inch paper with the scaled design elements.

Shapes are used to convey meaning and organize information.Jennifer Kyrnin

Shapes are basic of design. They are made up

of closed contours and three dimensional

objects placed in the design. We call the figure

or foreground shape positive and the focus of

the picture, it is often called the subject

mater. Negative is usually an empty shape or

space and is the background or surround

of the subject mater.

Materials

570 elements total

used 319 elements

White Space is intentionally light-hearted and

conversational (Hagen, 2013).

215 black 104 white67.4% 32.6%

Mindfulness Practice Survey

the target group of this experiment are 38

students enrolled in an undergraduate course.

In the course there are 31 senior

undergraduate students and 7 first year

graduate students.

The influence of meditation is quite obvious

after a long time of regular practices.

Therefore knowing the meditation history

of the target group is essential before

the experiment.

To obtain the necessary information for the

experiment, I created a short questionnaire

on SurveyMonkey. Based on the frequency

of their meditation practices in the past year,

they are divided into two contrast groups.

The students in group B used more elements,

which included 10.6% more white elements.

This present that they use more elements as

negative space in the composition.

Methodology

& Analysis

42

Methodology

& Analysis

43

methods of design

Methods 19 Students

Tear

B &W

Fold

Overlap

0%

52.6%

5.3%

84.2%

Procedure

Students filled out the Mindfulness Attention

Awareness Scale (Brown & Ryan, 2003).

Students expressed the state of their mind and

emotion by organizing the basic design shapes

(i.e., square, circle, triangle, line and curve) on

the 11 x 11 inch square paper.

Group A

Group Diverse

Group A had 19 students who rarely meditate

or did not meditate in the past year.

15.8%

84.2%

10.5%

89.5%

Mindfulness practices help people let go of fear:

fear of being judged and fear or trying new

things (Irene Au).

Trying different methods to play

with materials is an important skill

for designers.

Procedure

The students in Group B meditated for 15

minutes with the meditation audio.

Students filled out the Mindfulness Attention

Awareness Scale (Brown & Ryan, 2003).

Students expressed the state of their mind and

emotion by organizing the basic design shapes

on the 11 x 11 inch square paper.

Group B Group B included 19 students who meditated more

than several times a month regularly in the past year.

Methodology

& Analysis

44

Methodology

& Analysis

45

Symmetry

Symmetry 26.3%

Whatever the shape, to achieve symmetrical balance,

each side of a bisected design must be a mirror image

of the other in terms of visual weight. This is called

formal balance. As with all things formal, symmetrically

Group Awithout

15.8%

balanced design has its uses. But it may tend toward the

traditional and conservative, sometimes stuffy or boring

(white space is not your enemy).

Group Bmeditation

Methodology

& Analysis

46

Methodology

& Analysis

47

Composition and Creative Score

5

4

3

2

1mindfulness score

5.3%

5.3%

26.3%

31.6%

31.6%

Discussion

When designers can be present, they are more able to

fully enjoy the experience of whatever activity they

are engaged in, rather than focusing on the outcome.

Being able to enjoy the journey more than the

destination is one of the best things designers can do

for the creativity (Iren Au).

Use of Elements

Without meditation, Group A used a total of

295 elements, including 78% black elements

and 22% white elements. In comparison , after

meditating for 15 minutes, the students in

group B used more elements, which included

10.6% more white elements.

Methods for Design

In the introduction of this experiment, there

is no limitation of how to use the elements to

present emotion and state of mind. Trying

different methods to play with materials is an

important skill for designers. According to

the data, the students in the meditation group

used more methods for design than the other

group. Compared with Group A, there are 15%

more students that tore the elements; 31.6%

more students used both black and white

elements; 5.2% more students folded the

elements; and 5.3% more students overlapped the

materials in group B, which do the meditation.

It shows that, the designers who practice

meditation are more willing to take risks and

be more open minded to try and fear less of

failure. These skills are important and are

required for whoever wants to be a great designer.

Symmetry

In visual communication design, we may

want viewers to focus on some information and

use the composition to guide the attention.

A successful layout is not necessarily balanced.

Designers have to account for visual weight. For

example, positive space is visually heavier than

negative space. So a lot of filled space requires

balancing amounts of empty space. Good design

may have a dynamic but asymmetrical balance

format, it tends to be more visually exciting and

interesting than symmetrical balance.

5

4

3

2

1mindfulness

5.3%

26.3%

36.8%

21%

10.5%

Composition and Creative

Professional experts usually have an general

thoughts about design composition. They

can easily distinguish the good composition

and bad based on the knowledge of design.

Meanwhile the experts can tell how many

thoughts are behind the outcome of a design,

as well as if the idea is creative or not.

In this research, Professor Lisa Peña, an

instructor of the ASU Design School,

she graded the design outcomes in the scale

of 1 to 5 which indicates from least excellent

to most excellent based on the composition

and creativity without knowing anything

about the experiment.

The total score of Group B is 13% higher than

Group A. According to these scores, 26.3%

students got 4points in group B but just 5.3%

in Group A; 36.8% students got 3points in

group B rather than 26.3% in Group A. For the

lower score, there are 21% students got

2points but 31.6% in group A; the difference

got even more for the 1points, Group A got

21% more students with 1point than group B.

The results show that meditation which is a

significant way of being mindful does have a

positive influence for the design outcome. In

the respects of visually balanced composition,

creative way of using materials, successful

For instance, in the book White

Space is Not Your Enermy, it

presents that one composition

rule encourages you to push extra

negative space toward the outside

edges of your layout. Trapped

space is a puddle of negative space

landlocked inside the layout. It’s

like a bubble that can’t escape.

Because it creates a big blob in

the middle of your layout, trapped

space can draw attention away

from your other layout items. To

prevent this, make sure your

white space opens out to the

layout’s margins.

using of positive and native space, clear idea,

strong concept and so on.

Composition lead viewers’ eyes around the

design work and can communicate

information through character and direction.

Designers who can organize the elements

well and evaluate their role in the composition

of a work of design will be better able to do

an understandable design.

highlow highlow

Methodology

& Analysis

48

Methodology

& Analysis

49

Discussion

48

Discussion

49

Attention to Details

Mistakes 21%

In order to be fair, I print the introduction and

read the exactly same material in front of both

groups, there is one sentence as the following

“Please write your name in the back of the paper.”

Attention to Details

In order to be fair, I printed the introduction

and read the exactly same material in front of

both groups as the following:

“You will be given several shapes as the

elements to create a composition on the

blank paper to express the state of mind

and emotion at the moment.

One side of the shapes is black, whereas

the other side is white. You can use both

sides in order to create either positive or

negative space.

You do not need to use all of the elements, but

you are required to use at least one element.

There is no limitation of using and organize

the elements on the paper.

You should write your name on the back

of the paper.”

However, there were 4 students who wrote

their names in front of the paper in Group A,

and only 1 student in Group B forgot to write

the name. 15.7% more mistakes were made by

the students in the group without meditation.

A focused working condition can help

designers think deeper, more comprehensive,

and more efficient on problem solving. The

increase in efficiency saves time and energy,

which would give the designer more time to

relax and rest, or invest the valuable extra time

on other worthy matters. This virtuous cycle

is very positive of keeping the designer creative

and innovative.

5.3%

However, unexpected results came out from the

experiment. There were 4 students who wrote

their names in front of the paper in Group A,

and only 1 student in Group B forgot to write

the name. 15.7% more mistakes were made by

the students in the group without meditation.

This signified that meditation helps people to

be more aware, focused and attentive.

Conclusion

This experiment indicates that mindfulness

definitely has a positive affect in creativeness,

concentration, and being observant.

These influences are also a result as reflection

of the design outcomes. Mindfulness is only

discovering one aspect of the influences to our

logic and thinking, but there are so many

other things in our daily lives that are affect-

ing the way we think. Skills and techniques

are very important and are essential in design,

but more importantly, designers should care

about the way or ways to enhance creativity

and effectiveness of logical thinking.

Designers should ask themselves how to

convey information more effectively? How to

make a design more understandable? How to

make the audience have a deep empathy with

the design? In the cerebral field, studies about

the quality of information indicate the

difference in the quality of information could

have different speed of information flow and

difference affection

Just as doctors give medical treatment to

patients, designers try to solve the problems

in modern life through information

conveying, which the goal is to give users

power that can enhance their ability to

accept the information.

Methodology

& Analysis

50

Methodology

& Analysis

51

Discussion

50

Conclusion

51

Conclusion

53

Conclusion

52

This is an important part designers need to

research on and understand about.

There are lots of other research exploring the

different things affect creativity and skills.

For instance,

Creativity and Sleep (APA)

The Diet, Exercise and Creativity Connection (August McLaughlin)

How Caffeine Affects Your Creativity (Tanner Christensen)

Research: Too much, too little noise turns off consumers, creativity (Phil Ciciora)

Music’s Influence on Creativity (Kevin Carroll)

How Your Mood Affects Your Creativity (Sam Mcnerney)

The more exploration of

methods we as designers tried

the better the chance

for finding solutions that

provide the most positive

impact on the design thinking

and creativity. Designers

really need to master how to

do an understandable,

comfortable, simple and

emotional design. Successful

design requires both technical

merit and creativity. Great

design requires tremendous

attention to detail, at the

same time, the design work

should have a soul.

The work of design should

reflect both the personality of

the designer and their

environmental perceptions,

that is, the designer’s

perception of the original

design (environmental

problems), filtered, altered

and ultimately transformed

through the designer’s deep

reflective spiritual exercises,

into a new, full realized

design conception capable of

enhancing local to global

environmental conditions and

circumstances.

http://www.huffingtonpost.comhttp://s224.photobucket.com

http://nuimagemedical.comhttp://prettymomguide.com

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Appendix

Appendix

61

Appendix

60

Appendix

Glossary

Mindful Design

Design is much more than just a branch of

science; design, based in very simple core,

spiritual practices, is about creating change

from a foundation of deep understanding.

The best products, built environments, and

systems are those that naturally respond to

people’s needs and articulate healthy and

positive relationships, even implicitly. The

more awareness and attention we afford to

those we want to serve, the better we will

know how to serve them.

Convey Information

The information is presented by arranging

the visual elements (like images and text) in

relation to each other. This information

should be understood by viewers apposite

and evocative.

Awareness

The state or condition of being aware; having

knowledge; consciousness (dictionary.com)

By creating more awareness in one’s inner

world, people would become aware of a larger

range of options in how to respond to

situations and make decisions. By creating

more awareness to the outer world, people

would gain a more thorough understanding of

the impacts of their choices and behaviors on

themselves and the world at large.

Empathy

The ability to understand and share the

feelings of another.(dictionary.com)

Empathy requires us to observe

Empathy requires us to use our intuition

Empathy requires us to ask questions

Empathy requires us to listen

Empathy requires us to be patient

“Empathy is about showing solidarity with

others who have a one and only life on this

planet.”(Jeremy Rifkin) Solidarity

requires communication

Composition

In visual communication design, composition

is the placement or arrangement of visual

elements, like shapes, space, text, color and so

on. composition can also be thought of

as the organization of the elements of design

according to the principle.

Visual Communication Design

Visual communication is communication

through a visual aid and is described as

the conveyance of ideas and information in

forms that can be read or looked upon.

( David,1981)

Mindfulness

Mindfulness means maintaining a moment-

by-moment awareness of our thoughts,

feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding

environment. Mindfulness also involves

acceptance, meaning that we pay attention to

our thoughts and feelings without judging

them—without believing, for instance, that

there’s a “right” or “wrong” way to think or

feel in a given moment. (Jon Kabat-Zinn)

Literature review

‘The selection of available documents (both

published and unpublished) on the topic,

which contain information, ideas, data and

evidence written from a particular stand-

point to fulfil certain aims or express certain

views on the nature of the topic and how it is

to be investigated, and the effective evaluation

of these documents in relation to the research

being proposed’, Hart (1998, p. 12).

Appendix

62

Method

Methods are specific techniques and tools

for exploring, gathering and analysing infor-

mation, for example observation, drawing,

concept mapping, photography, video, audio,

case study, visual diary, models, interviews,

surveys, and so on. (New Collins Concise

Dictionary, 1986).

Methodology

Methodology is the study of ‘the system of

methods and principles used in a partic- ular

discipline’ (New Collins Concise Dictionary,

1986). Methodological sophistication leads to

appropriate choices among methods. It can also

lead researchers to develop and apply new

methods. (Friedman, 2002)

Morphological matrix

Separating out the form/structure of a system

or object from its function and setting it out

in a matrix, in order to organize, analyse and

present ideas and derive new solutions.

Further references: Jones, J. C. (1981) Design

Methods: Seeds of Human Futures (Chichester:

Wiley). Miles, M. B. and Huberman, A. M.

(1994) Qualitative Data Analysis (Thousand

Oaks, CA:Sage)

Thesis

Thesis as ‘argument’ – rather than the

commonly held perception of a substantial

text as the PhD submission itself. In Art

wand Design research, a thesis may comprise

several elements: a body of creative work,

other related/supporting/complementary

artefacts, a written text contextualizing and

describing the argument.

Sentience

Sentience is the ability to feel, perceive, or

experience subjectively. Eighteenth-century

philosophers used the concept to distinguish

the ability to think (reason) from the ability to

feel (merriam-webster).

Negative and Positive

The figure or foreground shape is seen as

positive and the focus of the picture,

it is often called the subject matter. A negative

shape is usually an empty shape or space

and is the background or surrounding of the

subject mater (Hagen, 2013).

Reflection

Human self-reflection (Anon, 2013c) is the

capacity of humans to exercise introspection

and the willingness to learn more about

their fundamental nature, purpose and essence.

The earliest historical records demonstrate

the great interest which humanity has had in

itself. Human self-reflection invariably

leads to inquiry into the human condition

and the essence of humankind as a whole.

Visualogue

Kenya Hara suggested the idea of “visualogue”

specifically in the field of information

design, which simply is the combination of

“visual” and “dialogue”. Design is a

two-way conversation, good design works do

not only give the information that need to

be given, what more is the ability to integrate

the information and the sentiment of the

audiences, recalling memories and form a new

integrated one (Kenya Hara,2007).

Appendix

65

Appendix

64

Group Survey Mindfulness Practice History Questionnaire

This questionnaire is designed and provided by Yixin Cao (Milo).

I will perform an experiment with all the students in GRA

423/598 during the class on Mar 17. The test is about "How does

mindfulness practice (like meditation) affect design outcome?"

I need to divide students into two groups. Here is the

questionnaire which will be helpful for this experiment.

1. Please type in your full name, thanks

2. Below is a list of categories representing a variety of

mindfulness practices that you may or may not have experience

with in your life. Using the frequency scale below, please

choose the one that best represents the amount of time you have

ever spent with these mindfulness practices.

Aggregation of Perceptions

From Kanya Hara's point, information can

be gained by people through the senses

and perception, the original memory can be

connected with the design impression by

stimulating the perception (Kenya Hara,2007).

Space

All the design elements can only be

functioned on the basis of the limitation of

space, and therefore space has become a

non-negligible and perpetual element in design.

Whether positive or negative, space is more

than a key element in graphic design. Space is

a requirement (Hagen, 2013).

Nonjudgmental

Tending not to judge other people harshly

or unfairly; not too critical of other people.

Avoiding judgments based on one's

personal and especially moral standards

(merriam-webster).

mindfulness influence visual communication design

Master of Visual Communication Design

Graduate Thesis

Yixin Cao (Milo)

The Design School Arizona State University

May 2015