Reading Response: Two Symbols in One!

In the article "Two Symbols in One!" Adams Morioka explains a different process of idea making, because he found that his students too often used a scenic depiction as a solution. He explains that most people experience the world in scenes, and this sometimes causes people to design in a scenic manner. While scenes aren't necessarily a bad solution, as designers we need to be able to visualize the world on different levels.

Morioka introduces the formula of the "fused metaphor" which involves combining two symbols to create something new. For instance, using the example of Summer in Los Angeles, in his own process he'd make a list of every symbol pertaining to the concept and then combine them to see what those relationships create. Morioka believes this process of making has more resonance and while I agree with him, I feel he overlooked explaining why with more detail. The juxtaposition of elements will always produce some new meaning. It requires our viewers to recognize those symbols and put the pieces together. During our process we should think about how we formally combine elements and make a habit of asking questions.

Article Source: Two Symbols in One!