A fun historic tale by Newbery Honor-winning author, Jean Fritz! No matter how busy he was, Ben Franklin always found time to try out new ideas: a remote-control lock (so he could lock his door without getting out of bed), a rocking chair with a fan over it (to keep flies away), and a windmill (to turn his roast meat on its spit). Aside from being a mad of ideas, he was an ambassador to England, a printer, an almanac maker, a politician, and even a vegetarian (for a time, anyway). "This biography is distinguished by its humanizing detail [and] amusing tone." - School Library Journal

As a beginning design student, you need to learn to think like a designer, to visualize ideas and concepts, as well as objects. In the second edition of Diagramming the Big Idea, Jeffrey Balmer and Michael T. Swisher illustrate how you can create and use diagrams to clarify your understanding of both particular projects and organizing principles and ideas. With accessible, step-by-step exercises that interweave full color diagrams, drawings and virtual models, the authors clearly show you how to compose meaningful and useful diagrams. As you follow the development of the four project groups drawn from the authors’ teaching, you will become familiar with architectural composition concepts such as proportion, site, form, hierarchy and spatial construction. In addition, description and demonstration essays extend concepts to show you more examples of the methods used in the projects. Whether preparing for a desk critique, or any time when a fundamental insight can help to resolve a design problem, this new and expanded edition is your essential studio resource.

Explores where new ideas come from, how to evaluate which ideas are worth pursuing, and how to customize ideas to suit and organization's unique needs.

Big ideas in abstract art—for little people! The Art Explorers series offers a new approach to art, encouraging kids to interpret what they see in famous artworks, then try the techniques themselves.What’s the Big Idea?: Activities and Adventures in Abstract Art, the fifth book in the series, draws children into the intriguing, involving world of abstract art by highlighting the work of six famous artists. FromRed Cannaby Georgia O’Keeffe toWeeping Womanby Pablo Picasso, fromLa Villeby Fernand Leacute;ger to a plate fromJazzby Henri Matisse, fromMyxomatoseby Alexander Calder toWater of the Flowery Millby Arshile Gorky, each artist is represented by a famous artwork, paired with questions to get kids thinking about what they see. Easy-to-follow activities provide hands-on experience with the artist's techniques, subject, and media, each illustrated with examples by real kids. Packed with great art and great activities,What’s the Big Idea?lets kids understand art—and become artists themselves. Praise for Art Explorers “Highly useful and entertaining.”—School Library Journal “Offers creative ideas for children.”—Publishers Weekly “A breath of fresh air.”—Library Media Connection “Well done.”—Kirkus Reviews “A terrific resource.”—Big Apple Parent • Interactive introduction to six famous artists: Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Fernand Leacute;ger, Georgia O’Keeffe, Alexander Calder, and Arshile Gorky • Hands-on approach to understanding great art • School budget cuts? Parents and teachers need Art Explorers—ideal for homeschoolers, too!

In this increasingly visual age, images speak louder than words. Studies show that images also help people think. Visual note-taking such as doodling increases memory retention rates by nearly 30 percent, and opens creative pathways, strengthens focus, and inspires self-expression. Driven by these groundbreaking findings, entrepreneurs Nora Herting and Heather Willems founded ImageThink, a graphic facilitation firm that has helped an elite roster of clients—from Google to Pepsi to NASA—visualize their ideas and transform their creative processes using simple drawing techniques that anyone can master. Draw Your Big Idea presents their sought-after guidance and more than 150 drawing exercises tailored to brainstorming, refining, and executing ideas in the home, design studio, and office. With this workbook, readers will learn to beat creative block—for good!

The Big Idea Journal is a workbook designed specifically for people with a vision that they would like to execute but could use guidance on how to make their vision a reality. This workbook provides structure and opportunities for reflection and is rooted in the comprehensive factors that contribute to achieving success. This resource guides you through the process of getting clear on your purpose, getting organized and focused, recognizing and overcoming barriers, reflecting on successes as well as challenges, and following through with your goals. Using this workbook as your guide, you may be surprised to see where your Big Idea may take you!

Katie Woo has lots of big ideas, and her readers do too! This journal activity book is the perfect place for young writers and artists to capture their best ideas, drawings, and stories. Katie gets in on the action by including some of her best work and inviting readers to do the same with writing and drawing prompts, checklists, and other fun activities.