Slides from the talk I got to give on the 1st day of the Web Visions conference in Chicago at the Gene Siskel Film Theater

1. STRUCTUREDoing it right, and how you’d know

3. Photo from Library of Congress Detroit Publishing Collection, Call Number LC-D4-3320

4. Photo from Library of Congress Detroit Publishing Collection, Call Number LC-D4-3320

6. DESIGN IS THE
RENDERING
OF INTENT
Jared Spool

7. Steelcase Corporate Development Center in Gaines Township, Michigan Photo by Wikipedia contributor “Trance88”
1989
$111,000,000

8. Steelcase Corporate Development Center in Gaines Township, Michigan
2015
$2,800,000
Photo by Dan Klyn

9. With kind permission of John Auchter, Originally published in the Grand Rapids Business Journal, July 27, 2009

10. Howard Miller Clock Company Headquarters, Zeeland Michigan
Photo by Dan Klyn

11. Howard Miller Clock Company Headquarters, Zeeland Michigan
Photo by Dan Klyn

12. Howard Miller Clock Company Headquarters, Zeeland Michigan
Photo by Dan Klyn

13. Howard Miller Clock Company Headquarters, Zeeland Michigan

14. Christian Norberg-Shulz
PLACES
REPRESENT
ARCHITECTURE’S
SHARE IN
TRUTH

15. Interfaith Peace Chapel by Philip Johnson
Photo by Dan Klyn

16. “ There needs to be
a place… one place.
One complete thought
around music… “ Trent Reznor

17. A PLACE
MADE OF
INFORMATION

18. Chapelle Notre Dame du Haut – Ronchamp by Le Corbusier. Photo by Jopa Elleul
1955

19. “Sculptured House” by Charles Deaton, photo credit unknown, Wikimedia Commons
1963

20. “Sleeper” by Woody Allen © United Artists 1973A scene from the film “Sleeper” by Woody Allen © United Artists 1973

21. 1963
“Sculptured House” by Charles Deaton, photos by user “digijeff” on Flickr
I WANTED THE SHAPE OF IT
TO SING AN UNENCUMBERED SONG

22. 1962

23. 1962
West elevation blueprint drawing of TWA Flight Center at JFK Airport in New York City by Eero Saaranen
ALWAYS DESIGN A THING
BY CONSIDERING IT
IN ITS NEXT LARGER CONTEXT
Eliel Saaranen

24. Vintage postcard depicting the TWA Flight Center at JFK Airport in New York City by Eero Saaranen
1962

25. https://flic.kr/p/awoXAa https://flic.kr/p/awoXAa
19631962

26. WHAT IS
GOOD STRUCTURE?
1964
Photo by Dan Klyn

27. TACTICS
Photo by Dan Klyn

28. STRATEGY
Photo by Dan Klyn

29. Richard Saul Wurman Photograph by Melissa Mahoney
THERE IS NO
RIGHT WAY
Richard Saul Wurman

30. Richard Saul Wurman Photograph by Melissa Mahoney
Richard Saul Wurman

31. 1894
Santler Dog Cart, the earliest British-made automobile. Photograph by Martin Godwin for The Guardian.

32. 1899
Horsey Horseless, early American-made automobile. Illustration from TIME magazine online,
http://content.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1658545_1657686,00.html

33. 1930

34. 1836

35. St. Francis de Sales Church in Muskegon, Michigan by Marcel Breuer. Photo by Dan Klyn
TOWARD GOOD
STRUCTURE

36. MAPPED
INTENTIONSAn “Elephant Path” from the back cover of Jan-Dirk van der Burg’s book Olifantenpaadjes
http://www.amazon.com/Desire-Lines-Olifantenpaadjes-Jan-Dirk-Burg/dp/908176070X

37. MAPPED INTENTIONS
Desire Lines in Detriot by Sweet Juniper
http://www.sweet-juniper.com/2009/06/streets-with-no-name.html

38. Alfred Korzybski
THE MAP IS NOT THE TERRITORY,
BUT IF CORRECT, IT HAS A SIMILAR STRUCTURE
WHICH ACCOUNTS FOR ITS USEFULNESS

39. BUSINESS REQUIREMENTS DOCUMENT

41. PERFORMANCE CONTINUUM

42. Service Acquire

43. EITHER / OR

44. YET

45. Acquire Service
Optimize Innovate
Now Future
Engagement Conversion

46. Service
TRUTH
INTENTION

47. Service Acquire

55. INTENT
STRUCTURE

56. Photo of Richard Saul Wurman for LOOK Magazine by Joel Baldwin
1971
Richard Saul Wurman
THE CLASSIC,
PERVASIVE SEDUCTION
TO DESIGNERS HAS
BEEN TO FIND A
SOLUTION INSTEAD OF
THE TRUTH

60. http://99percentinvisible.org/episode/u-t-b-a-p-h/

61. MAPPED INTENTIONS

62. Photo of Zen Garden at the Richard and Hellen DeVos Japanese Garden by Dan Klyn
ARRANGE FOR
MEANING

63. 1989
From a special issue of Design Quarterly titled Hats, by Richard Saul Wurman

64. 1989
From the first edition of Information Anxiety, by Richard Saul Wurman

67. CHANGE IN ARRANGEMENT
CHANGE IN MEANING

68. A captivating experience.
News brings the beautiful editorial layouts and
typography of print to the screen. Enjoy
interactive and engaging stories, rich with
photo galleries, videos, and animation.
Content is optimized for both iPhone and
iPad, so you’ll have a great reading
experience no matter which device you’re
using.
CHANGED ARRANGEMENT =
CHANGED EXPERIENCE

70. “The Structural Integrity of Meaning Across Contexts”
- Jorge Arango

71. 1972
Analysis of all of the words on advertising billboard signs along the Las Vegas “strip” in 1969, in Learning From Las Vegas ,
Venturi, Scott Brown and Izenour, Published by MIT Press, Cambridge

72. STRUCTURE
INTENT
MEANING

73. DUMB
MODELS
Promotional image of Derek Zoolander, played by Ben Stiller from the 2001 Paramount Pictures film Zoolander

74. 2001

76. RHETORICAL > PICTORIAL

77. shopping shopping
quoting
rentals
quoting
requesting
customrentals
us
us
custom
CONCEPTUAL MODELS

78. 1972
From Learning from Las Vegas, by Robert Venturi, Denise Scott Brown and Steven Izenour. Copyright MIT Press, 1972
APPROACH METAPHOR

79. 1959
Michigan State Medical Society Building -- Minoru Yamasaki 1959
Photo by Dan Klyn

80. 1959
Drawing of Michigan State Medical Society Building -- Minoru Yamasaki 1959 by Michael Nÿkamp
http://mkn-design.com

81. DUCK
Integral Ornament Innovative Revolutionary Original Pretty All Around
Advanced Technology Looks Expensive “Interesting” Heroic

83. DUCK-LIKE MODEL
• Depends on Clarity
• Amplifies Meaning
• Can Become a Joke When Shrunk

84. 1972
From Learning from Las Vegas, by Robert Venturi, Denise Scott Brown and Steven Izenour. Copyright MIT Press, 1972

85. 1950*
Photograph by Bruce Walker FAIA, * precise date of project is unknown.

86. Applied Ornament
Evocative
Evolutionary
Ordinary
Conventional
Pretty In Front
Inconsistent
Looks Cheap
“Boring”
Expedient
DECORATED SHED

88. DECORATED SHED –LIKE MODEL
• Less Risky Duck
• Increased Dependence on Context
• Increased Dependence on
Excellence in Implementation
and Maintenance

91. 150X/DAY
40HRS/MO
Photo by David Peter Simon

92. ENT
MEANING
STRUCTURE

93. MAP
ARRANGE
MODEL
Desk at The Glass House, by Philip Johnson in New Canaan, Connecticut USA.
Photo by Dan Klyn

95. CLEAR
go backward from the “problem” to what’s true
( be dumb )

96. WHOLE
not things, patterns
not objects, ecosystems.

97. Photo from Library of Congress Detroit Publishing Collection, Call Number LC-D4-3320
THANK
@undrstndng
http://understandinggroup.com