Introduction

Diversity

 "It is not the number of diverse things in a design that leads to stability, it is the number of beneficial connections between these components"

 One of the main areas of my design concerns bringing together the best design work of all the different Diplomats & their different skills. Up to this point there has been the same degree of diversity, but components have not been beneficially connected together. Putting all this important design work in one place achieves this & each designer benefits from having the value of their work increased as a result (a student is much more likely to access a website or buy a CDROM full of different designers' work than that of just a single one). In turn, designers can also become aware of other designers doing work of interest to them (for collaborations or learning purposes) & so more beneficial connections can be made there too as a result.

 In my own portfolio I create these connections between the different web pages. Where a subject has connections with another I can easily insert a link between the two. This has the effect of guiding the reader through the portfolio on their own path, whilst demonstrating these connections by allowing a high degree of cross-referencing which would be virtually impossible within the paper format. This creates a feeling of being able to go anywhere within the structure from anywhere, very easily.

Energy Cycling (Self-Regulation)

 "The purpose of a functional & self-regulating design is to place elements or components in such a way that each serves the needs & accepts the products of other elements."

 New & existing outputs from the accreditation process (Best designs) become inputs to the Diploma WorkNet 'design bank', which in turn becomes an increasingly valuable learning resource to serve the needs of other Diploma students & the general public. Diplomats & Teachers educate the public, who in exchange provide them with a percentage of their income. Design course graduates can become Diploma students who continue to benefit from the input of Diplomats in exchange for their funding & then in turn they produce more valuable work themselves to help educate yet more people. The 'Design bank' becomes a hub around which all this can operate most effectively & the WorkNet is also funded by it's students.

Guilds

 "A guild is an harmonious assembly of species clustered around a central element. This assembly acts in relation to the element to assist its health, aid our work in management or buffer adverse environmental effects."

 Good examples of guilding in my design are the clustering of the postal service & WWW, my computer setup & my website & general computing skills around the design work done by myself & existing diplomats. Together these effectively create a new resource of easily accessible & inspiring information. These designs are of course already in existence, but without the computer setup to digitise the data, my skills to carry out the operation or the postal service & WWW to distribute it, it would not be such a 'healthy' system. Similarly, the Diploma WorkNet 'design bank' can be seen as the central element around which designers, tutors, teachers, students & the general public are clustered. Each maintains the system in a healthy way, by either feeding in information or utilising it in different ways, to increase its value. Of course individuals could also be moving from a position of accepting outputs to providing inputs & move from being one 'species' to another (all groups within the system apart from the general public probably have the potential to feed into the system as well as accept its outputs).

 In my portfolio, I cluster sound clips with lots of photos, drawings, documents & mindmaps around the text, to enhance my communication of ideas. Take away any of the elements & it becomes a less effective communication tool; particularly relevant in an age when younger people are so used to seeing the multimedia presentation of information.

Minimum Effort for Maximum Effect

 "Make the least change for the greatest possible effect."

 This principle is utilised when placing the existing best design work onto the WWW where its accessibility becomes almost unlimited. Transferring these designs into the digital domain is a relatively small amount of work compared to the energy already input into the designs' presentation in paper format. This 'least change' creates an increase in value by combining the designs in a diverse collection, making them available as an educational resource to anyone with internet (WWW) or postal (CDROM) access & provides other spin-offs too, such as promoting permaculture generally to funding bodies. Designing my portfolio in CDROM format from the beginning can also be seen as a 'least change' (I was still going to put the same work into creating a paper portfolio). This format gives me more options to convey the information I have to impart & to duplicate it much more easily too. In turn, the CDROM format creates the opportunity for a further 'least change', that of trimming a few big files away & uploading it to the WWW for a massive increase in potential access (effect).

Multiple Function (Yield)

 "Every component of a design should function in many ways."

 Diploma Portfolio: Provides a record of the students work for accreditation purposes. Helps the student revise their design work as they compile the portfolio. Helps the student gain skills in presentation (layout, creative use of materials, learning use of software?). Provides example(s) of best design work to add to the 'design bank'. Mine provides me with the basis for my accreditation presentation.
 Best Designs CDROM: Helps students on Diploma pathway, aids teachers in demonstrating good design work. Raises funds for the Association directly (selling it) & indirectly (impressing funders). Helps designers to become aware of each others work for inspiration, learning & collaboration.
 WorkNet 'Design Bank': Helps students on Diploma pathway, aids teachers in demonstrating good design work. Provides the general public with good access to examples of good permaculture design for educational purposes. Provides instant access for potential funders to view examples of good permaculture design.
 Accreditation Event: Opportunity for me to present a summary of the design work I have done on my pathway. A place to offer a new way of producing the Diploma portfolio. An opportunity to present how the new 'design bank' will work on the WorkNet. A celebration!

Multiple Supply

 "Every essential function should be supported by many components."

 CDROM Portfolio: Text is enhanced by the use of different images & sound clips, all of which provide a description of what I have been doing. Important documents have full page versions within the web pages for enhanced readability. The client can also choose between the lower resolution files within the web pages & the high resolution files that don't fit into the more user-friendly format.
 Accreditation Presentation: My talk will be backed up by projected images, paper designs on display & an opportunity to peruse the CDROM on a computer.
 Design Work Dissemination: Paper (most portfolios & 'best designs' currently in existence), CDROM & WWW will give access to good design work to just about anyone, anywhere should they want it (with the help of a few good translators!).

Relative Location

 "Place a component in relation to other components or functions & for more efficient use of space or nutrient. Look for products that serve special needs, not otherwise locally available."

 This principle is particularly important in the way I have designed the structure of the website & CDROM. Obviously it would be very confusing if I put sound files relating to one page on a different page for instance & the same goes for putting pictures next to the relevant text of course. However, I have had to think about the order in which people will need to peruse my Portfolio so that it makes the most sense to them. This is why the CDROM has an introductory page that autoruns, telling the user about the different files that are on it. Similarly, the first picture button on the Home Page is Portfolio Navigation as this contains the important information about how to find everything that is in the Portfolio. All the link buttons on the web pages are laid out in the order in which it would make most sense to view them & rather than clutter up the text with explanations, I've included a Glossary which is linked to, whenever a potentially unfamiliar word or phrase is used. I have tried to ensure that each element sits in it's ideal place within the overall layout of the Portfolio.

 The positioning of best designs on the WorkNet pages certainly fulfills the criteria for providing products that serve special needs, not otherwise available locally. Before being placed on the WWW, a student would have to do a lot of searching to find anything of similar value to them on the Diploma pathway. The same could be said of it's value to other client groups, such as the Association who could make great use of a CDROM to show to potential funding bodies.

The Problem is the Solution

 Am I pushing my luck by classifying having to write up this Portfolio as a problem? Or the deadline that I have set myself to finish it by? The former certainly produces plenty of yields, not least in inspiring me to design in the WorkNet's 'Design bank' into the process. It also becomes a good research resource, something to promote my design work to potential clients with & it will earn me my Diploma which will also help me in that same department. Plus, I am able to use it as the basis of my presentation without having to create any more visual aids. The deadline is providing me with the motivating force to finally get it all written up, whereas without it I may have ground to a halt again under the considerable workload.

Unlimited Yield

 "Yield is not a fixed sum in any design system. It is the measure of the comprehension, understanding & ability of the designers & managers of that design."

 Putting all this information, whether it be my Portfolio or the Best designs onto the WWW, increases the potential yields enormously by allowing it to be accessed by almost anyone, anywhere in the World & for all number of reasons. Producing CDROM versions increases the potential yield even further by catering for those people with computers & postal access, but without an internet connection.

 With all these things considered, we are now ready to look at my Final Design.