What is concepting? The words idea, concept and design are often used for something similar, which can be confusing. Although there are many opinions, I like to explain it as follows. An idea is the spark that set things in motion. An idea might just pop into your head and subsequently be judged as useful or not, good or bad. A good idea has the potential to grow into a concept, a solid set of ideas, partly based on research and partly based on intuition, the base for a design process. The concept is the blueprint, on which all design decisions are made. The design is the detailed set of descriptions and guidelines on which the final product will be executed. So concepting is combining good idea’s to a coherent set of guidelines that make the blueprint for a well-designed product or advice.
Image: Snow owl at Dierenrijk Nuenen © Nina Kramer