Article Response — Process by Hillman Curtis

As another reading assignment, I was asked to respond to the following questions regarding the Hillman Curtis book Mtiv: Process, Inspiration and Practice for the New Media Designer:

1. What does Curtis mean by using a "Theme" for a website? How can this approach affect how you design the site?
   Curtis discusses the importance of finding common threads within a client's company or product, talking about the importance of "spotlighting" what makes something unique. He states that a design, whether it's a website or a print on t-shirt, is just a "pretty picture" without a theme.


2. The concept is the idea you formulate which illustrates your theme. What advice does Curtis give on developing a concept?
   In order to develop an effective concept, Curtis starts with truly listening to a client, understanding their core, and then understanding who they're selling to. When outlining a concept, his advice is to "keep it simple", and always take note of the great ideas you see around you.


3. What does Curtis mean by "Eating the Audience"?
   When you internalize the audience and consider them in every part of the process (not just the design process), it will undoubtedly produce a successful outcome.


4. When Curtis talks about "Filtering", what is this, and when does this come into the design process?
   Curtis and his team see limitations — like browser restrictions or file size restraints — as filters for designing with the environment in mind. This helps to ensure the end product considers not only the user, but also the tools they have at their disposal.


5. "Justifying": What is it, and how can this relate to filtering?
   Part of Curtis's definition of justifying is when each element of a design is deliberating chosen.


6. What are your impressions of this article?
   Hillman Curtis discusses some interesting points in this section of Process: A common thread throughout is the idea of the designer as a mediator, someone who is constantly listening and creating and communicating. Curtis also describes and discusses the new media field as a totally collaborative process, which is relevant even more so today then when this was written.