Name: Design
A skill which allows the character to design physical spaces / items to be pleasing to the eye and /or functional. This skill covers a variety of design disciplines and the discipline in question should be identified in the knowledge for this skill. Each of the disciplines is its own, unique skill. So, someone who designs beautiful rooms for the wealthy might have a skill in Design (Interior Design), a landscape gardener might have a skill in Design (Gardens) or an architect might have the skill Design (Architecture). This skill has a range of disciplines, which are identified below.
It is important to note that skill in Design does not mean that the designer is able to accomplish what they have planned. The ability to design a beautiful house does not infer that the character is able to build it, for example. This is about being able to conceive of ideas and plan them in an effective and realistic way. The end product of Design is a Plan, although the type of plan is specific to the design discipline and is included in the write up below.
Design & Other Skills Design has a number of skills which it works well with. Specifics for each design discipline are included in the write up below, but generally, the following skills are compatible with all schools of design.
Drawing: Design involves the creation of plans. These are enhanced by the use of diagrams which, in turn, are made more aesthetically appealing by a high level of the drawing skill. While Drawing has no impact on the functionality of the plan produced, aesthetics are important and clear diagrams with visual appeal might make the difference between who gets hired for a Design job and who does not. This skill has no impact on the end product, it only applies to plans.
Writing: Clear written descriptions are necessary when producing plans. Therefore, writing allows the plans to be concise and well written. Again, this has no impact on the functionality of the plan, but might make it more or less easy to follow.
Logistics: Logistics as a skill is about the ability to plan and prepare for the movement of goods, people and services. In Design, being aware of potential uses for a space or the ability to have contingencies in mind when preparing the plan can be helpful. An example of this is when designing a school room, considering fire exits.
Design Disciplines Design disciplines are identified below.
Interior Design: The skill of designing functional and beautiful interior spaces. These might be designing a space for a one-off event, or could be more long-term with homes, or places of business. The creation of an interior space includes considerations of utility, lighting, colour and functionality. An interior designer might work with a client to create a school room which is conducive to learning or redesign a kitchen in a restaurant. Which materials are used will depend very much on what effect is being aimed for as well as, of course, the costs involved.
End Product The end product of an Interior Design project will usually be a plan for the decoration and layout of a physical space. This will include a list of materials, costing and a drawing of the physical space with clear annotations. It might also be a scale model of the envisioned space.
Related Skills This is dependent on the space being designed. For example, when designing a professional kitchen, a chef might be able to provide greater insight than a Designer without the skill. Garden Design: The art of designing beautiful gardens and exterior spaces. This might be of any size, or a variety of functions and again considers both function and aesthetics. A character with the garden design skill is able to create ornamental gardens or highly functional farmlands or vineyards. This character will work within confines of climate, soil types, availability and durability of flora and, of course, how difficult or easy it is for the flora to grow.
End Product The end product of a Garden Design project will be a plan for the layout of a garden space. This will include a list of materials, costing and a drawing of the physical space with clear annotations.
Related Skills A working knowledge of Gardening and / or Agriculture is a real bonus to this skill, allowing the Designer to understand the idiosyncrasies of the individual flora. Without the Gardening skill, the Designer will have to do a lot of research and thus, the production of the plan will take longer. Architecture: This allows the character to design buildings; the skill of creating architectural diagrams and plans which allow those skilled in such to build a structure ~ from a humble warehouse to a temple. From the foundations to the apex of the roof, considerations of shape, space and safety are paramount here. The function of a building, the number of rooms, space available and how the building should look in comparison to the surrounds are all things which must be taken into account. Of course, materials and cost are enormously important.
End Product The end product of an Architectural Design project will be a set of blueprints for the construction of a building. A model of the building might also be produced, but even if so, the blueprints are absolutely necessary. A model provides a more clear visual for the non-technical.
Related Skills An architect needs a good working knowledge of basic Mathematics, in order to work out the angles and weight holding walls etc. Fashion Design: Designing clothes is an important and often overlooked skill ~ considerations of types of fabric, function of the clothing, cost and so on are all part of this aspect of design. Form and function are important for a fashion designer, but there also needs to be an awareness of what looks good on an individual, current fashions and long term appeal. This aspect of design also includes designing shoes.
End Product The end product of a Fashion Design project will be a plan for one or more items of clothing. These will often be in the form of a Pattern, as identified in the Needlecraft skill.
Related Skills Whilst Needlecraft will allow the Designer to create the garments designed, the Cosmetology skill enhances this as it allows a consideration of what sort of make up and accessories might work with the garment. This is especially true if one is looking to create an entire outfit. City Planning: The creation of towns, cities and villages from nothing, or the changing of existing city layouts. The character who specialises in this aspect of the skill deals with considering the 'big picture' of city design. Defence, the movement of goods and the balance between residential areas, mercantile and farmland, for example, is important here.
End Product The end product of a City Design project will be a detailed set of city plans, including infrastructure. Models may be built here, either of specific buildings or areas, or even of the whole city.
Related Skills Construction is a useful skill for a city planner, especially as it allows them to understand the creation of what is an enormous project. A Note On Design & Other Skills:
Design works best when the character understands the skill which will be used to turn their plan into reality. It is most effective when coupled with other skills: an events planner might combine design and logistics particularly well, for example. Since design allows the pc to design a plan for something, not create the item / space itself, it is important to consider (or at least take into account) those skills which work with it.
Novice: 0-25
The novice designer is learning their trade. It is in this stage that they are learning the "rules" of their particular branch of design. This will be, even from this early stage, specific to the discipline - the novice architect will learn the 'rules' of designing buildings and so on. What does and what, more importantly, does not work is the remit of the novice designer. This person will be able to create functional designs roughly half the time and will take twice as long to do so as a competent designer.
Competent: 26-49
A competent designer is someone who is able to create designs in their discipline. Whilst they create nothing extraordinary, this person is able to produce functional designs for usual requests. They are not yet able to produce designs "outside the box" or such, but they are able to meet most of the needs of most of the people nearly all of the time.
Expert: 50-75
An expert designer is someone who is bringing their own flair into the design process. They have built a name for themselves as someone who is particularly good at a particular type of garden (in one instance) or as an individual who has talent in designing business spaces, offices or ballgowns. Fundamentally, this person is able to produce work which is more individual, more unique and more immediately recognisable as theirs and all to a very high standard.
Master: 76-100
The master of design is someone to whom the rules don't seem to apply. They are able to plan for unusual materials, strange circumstances and so on and do so with real skill. They produce exquisite designs ~ so well conceived that they are sought after across Idalos. Whilst always working within the realms of what is possible, they can manage to apparently defy convention and make it work. They have a unique signature and can command very high prices for their work.
Credit: Faith
It is important to note that skill in Design does not mean that the designer is able to accomplish what they have planned. The ability to design a beautiful house does not infer that the character is able to build it, for example. This is about being able to conceive of ideas and plan them in an effective and realistic way. The end product of Design is a Plan, although the type of plan is specific to the design discipline and is included in the write up below.
Design & Other Skills Design has a number of skills which it works well with. Specifics for each design discipline are included in the write up below, but generally, the following skills are compatible with all schools of design.
Drawing: Design involves the creation of plans. These are enhanced by the use of diagrams which, in turn, are made more aesthetically appealing by a high level of the drawing skill. While Drawing has no impact on the functionality of the plan produced, aesthetics are important and clear diagrams with visual appeal might make the difference between who gets hired for a Design job and who does not. This skill has no impact on the end product, it only applies to plans.
Writing: Clear written descriptions are necessary when producing plans. Therefore, writing allows the plans to be concise and well written. Again, this has no impact on the functionality of the plan, but might make it more or less easy to follow.
Logistics: Logistics as a skill is about the ability to plan and prepare for the movement of goods, people and services. In Design, being aware of potential uses for a space or the ability to have contingencies in mind when preparing the plan can be helpful. An example of this is when designing a school room, considering fire exits.
Design Disciplines Design disciplines are identified below.
Interior Design: The skill of designing functional and beautiful interior spaces. These might be designing a space for a one-off event, or could be more long-term with homes, or places of business. The creation of an interior space includes considerations of utility, lighting, colour and functionality. An interior designer might work with a client to create a school room which is conducive to learning or redesign a kitchen in a restaurant. Which materials are used will depend very much on what effect is being aimed for as well as, of course, the costs involved.
End Product The end product of an Interior Design project will usually be a plan for the decoration and layout of a physical space. This will include a list of materials, costing and a drawing of the physical space with clear annotations. It might also be a scale model of the envisioned space.
Related Skills This is dependent on the space being designed. For example, when designing a professional kitchen, a chef might be able to provide greater insight than a Designer without the skill. Garden Design: The art of designing beautiful gardens and exterior spaces. This might be of any size, or a variety of functions and again considers both function and aesthetics. A character with the garden design skill is able to create ornamental gardens or highly functional farmlands or vineyards. This character will work within confines of climate, soil types, availability and durability of flora and, of course, how difficult or easy it is for the flora to grow.
End Product The end product of a Garden Design project will be a plan for the layout of a garden space. This will include a list of materials, costing and a drawing of the physical space with clear annotations.
Related Skills A working knowledge of Gardening and / or Agriculture is a real bonus to this skill, allowing the Designer to understand the idiosyncrasies of the individual flora. Without the Gardening skill, the Designer will have to do a lot of research and thus, the production of the plan will take longer. Architecture: This allows the character to design buildings; the skill of creating architectural diagrams and plans which allow those skilled in such to build a structure ~ from a humble warehouse to a temple. From the foundations to the apex of the roof, considerations of shape, space and safety are paramount here. The function of a building, the number of rooms, space available and how the building should look in comparison to the surrounds are all things which must be taken into account. Of course, materials and cost are enormously important.
End Product The end product of an Architectural Design project will be a set of blueprints for the construction of a building. A model of the building might also be produced, but even if so, the blueprints are absolutely necessary. A model provides a more clear visual for the non-technical.
Related Skills An architect needs a good working knowledge of basic Mathematics, in order to work out the angles and weight holding walls etc. Fashion Design: Designing clothes is an important and often overlooked skill ~ considerations of types of fabric, function of the clothing, cost and so on are all part of this aspect of design. Form and function are important for a fashion designer, but there also needs to be an awareness of what looks good on an individual, current fashions and long term appeal. This aspect of design also includes designing shoes.
End Product The end product of a Fashion Design project will be a plan for one or more items of clothing. These will often be in the form of a Pattern, as identified in the Needlecraft skill.
Related Skills Whilst Needlecraft will allow the Designer to create the garments designed, the Cosmetology skill enhances this as it allows a consideration of what sort of make up and accessories might work with the garment. This is especially true if one is looking to create an entire outfit. City Planning: The creation of towns, cities and villages from nothing, or the changing of existing city layouts. The character who specialises in this aspect of the skill deals with considering the 'big picture' of city design. Defence, the movement of goods and the balance between residential areas, mercantile and farmland, for example, is important here.
End Product The end product of a City Design project will be a detailed set of city plans, including infrastructure. Models may be built here, either of specific buildings or areas, or even of the whole city.
Related Skills Construction is a useful skill for a city planner, especially as it allows them to understand the creation of what is an enormous project. A Note On Design & Other Skills:
Design works best when the character understands the skill which will be used to turn their plan into reality. It is most effective when coupled with other skills: an events planner might combine design and logistics particularly well, for example. Since design allows the pc to design a plan for something, not create the item / space itself, it is important to consider (or at least take into account) those skills which work with it.
Novice: 0-25
The novice designer is learning their trade. It is in this stage that they are learning the "rules" of their particular branch of design. This will be, even from this early stage, specific to the discipline - the novice architect will learn the 'rules' of designing buildings and so on. What does and what, more importantly, does not work is the remit of the novice designer. This person will be able to create functional designs roughly half the time and will take twice as long to do so as a competent designer.
Competent: 26-49
A competent designer is someone who is able to create designs in their discipline. Whilst they create nothing extraordinary, this person is able to produce functional designs for usual requests. They are not yet able to produce designs "outside the box" or such, but they are able to meet most of the needs of most of the people nearly all of the time.
Expert: 50-75
An expert designer is someone who is bringing their own flair into the design process. They have built a name for themselves as someone who is particularly good at a particular type of garden (in one instance) or as an individual who has talent in designing business spaces, offices or ballgowns. Fundamentally, this person is able to produce work which is more individual, more unique and more immediately recognisable as theirs and all to a very high standard.
Master: 76-100
The master of design is someone to whom the rules don't seem to apply. They are able to plan for unusual materials, strange circumstances and so on and do so with real skill. They produce exquisite designs ~ so well conceived that they are sought after across Idalos. Whilst always working within the realms of what is possible, they can manage to apparently defy convention and make it work. They have a unique signature and can command very high prices for their work.
Credit: Faith
