Hi,
I have two book suggestions for you. I really liked each of the below, for different reasons.
the main point I got out of this book (to paraphrase from page 177) is that the gap between studying design and creating design is wider than expected, and if the gap is not bridged by some means whereby the student can easily move from imitation to creation, it will be difficult, and a good way to bridge this gap is through variation. The book goes on to walk you through this process, as well as many others. My friend further enlightened me by suggesting that when I look at the things that I like, to try to discover “what” “it is” about these things that I liked…then taking what I learn and applying it to my work to make it my own, rather than a copy or derivative of someone elses work…he called it “finding your own voice” (which I am still trying to do!).
what I liked about this book is that it walked me through “Design Stages” (ie: design development, inspiration, research, model making, etc) , and talked about different “Elements Of Design” (ie: shape, texture, emotion, etc), and various “Creative Concepts” (ie: iconic, narrative, organic, etc)…
…all parts of the process…all things which I did not know to consider and had never stopped to think about, but which prompted me to try to open up my mind to deeper contemplation…
Books are awesome!
Julie