Computational design
Designs by defining computational processes (rules, parameters, data and simulations) that generate and evaluate solutions, instead of drawing each form by hand.
What it deals with
Some problems have too many variables to solve by drawing: computation makes it possible to explore and compare many options.
Principles
Design the process
You define rules; the form comes from them.
Simulate
Test the behavior before building.
Explore variants
Generate many options and choose with judgment.
Applications in design
Use it like this
Use it when there are many variables to balance or many variants to produce.
Avoid
Confusing it with using a drawing program.
Don’t fall for it
The algorithm also has assumptions: check which criteria you gave it.
Especialidades
Algorithmic design
Uses algorithms as a design tool to explore forms that are hard to imagine by hand.
Generative design
Writes rules that generate many variants of a form, instead of drawing just one.
Connections
Authors and works
- 1999
John Maeda
Taught visual designers to program with a simple language made for them.
- 2011
Achim Menges and Sean Ahlquist
Collected the foundational texts of computational design, from mathematics to biology and systems theory.
Sources
Original sources
- Maeda, J. (1999). Design by numbers. MIT Press.
Academic reviews
- Menges, A., & Ahlquist, S. (Eds.) (2011). Computational design thinking. Wiley.
Last reviewed: