Developing design concepts in functioning esthetically pleasing pieces involves both a artistic feel for the finished piece along with knowledge of historically balanced proportions. Assuring a good design involves the proper balance of the new and the old.
If you're like the rest of us, early on in your wood working experience, you've had the dubious honor of putting all your efforts into a special piece of work. You did everything right. All the joints fit perfectly.
When building a cabinet or piece of furniture, we routinely refer to these numbers, in an effort to create an esthetically pleasing piece. The next time you build a rectangular piece, take the smaller dimension, and multiply it by 1.618. It will then be a Golden rectangle, and is sure to be pleasing to the eye.
It all starts with an idea. But how do you develop a general idea into something specific, something that you can build? For example, you know you want to build an entertainment center but you're not sure if you want it to be freestanding or built into an existing wall.
Design can be one of the most satisfying aspects of woodworking because it is an opportunity to express yourself, to put your spin on something. But what is design, and more specifically, what is good design? If you ask ten different woodworkers that question, you'll get ten different answers because design means different things to different people.
When starting your first project, its a good idea to follow a plan. This way you can focus on your milling and joinery skills. Eventually though, you are going to want to start designing and planning your own projects. Thinking of the idea is the first part of the challenge, and coming up with a reasonable way to bring that idea to life is the second part.
