New and better than ever, Launching the Imagination treats design as both a verb and a noun—as both a process and a product. Design is deliberate—a process of exploring multiple solutions and choosing the most promising option. Through an immersion in 2-D 3-D and 4-D concepts students are encouraged to develop methods of thinking visually that will serve them throughout their studies and careers.

Building on strengths of the previous five editions Launching the Imagination 6e is even more:

• Concise. Content has been refined so that maximum content can be communicated as clearly and concisely as possible.
• Colorful. In addition to the full color used throughout the book, the writing is livelier than that in most textbooks. Analogies expand communication, and every visual example has been carefully selected for maximum impact.
• Comprehensive. Launching the Imagination is the only foundational text with full sections devoted to critical and creative thinking and to time-based design. The photo program is global, represents a myriad of stylistic approaches, and prominently features design and media arts as well as more traditional art forms.
• Contemporary. More than half of the visual examples represent artworks completed since 1970, and over 100 represent works completed since 2000
• Compelling. Interviews with exemplars of creativity have always been an important feature of this book. Three of the best past profiles have been revised and a new profile has been added. Now inserted into the body of the text, each interview deliberately builds on its chapter content. In Chapter Five, designer Steve Quinn describes the seven-step sequence he uses in developing websites, logos, and motion graphics. In Chapter 8, Jim Elniski describes The Greenhouse Chicago, an innovative home that is both highly energy efficient and elegant. In Chapter 11, ceramicist David MacDonald describes his influences and work process. And, in the new profile in Chapter 6, artist Sara Mast describes an ambitious art and science collaboration begun in celebration of the ideas of Albert Einstein.
• We have also added a new feature called Success Stories. These short interviews explore connections between foundational coursework and career success. In Chapter Five, Elizabeth Nelson discusses her wide-ranging design work at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. In Chapter Six, Jane Parkerson Ferry describes her work as Curator of Education at the Orlando Museum of Art. Jason Chin's interview in Chapter Seven connects directly to his self-designed project in the Self Assignment feature earlier in the chapter. As a freshman at Syracuse University, he completed this ambitious illustration project as the final project in a Two-Dimensional Design course. In the Chapter Seven interview, he describes his current work as a professional illustrator. In Chapter Eight, Dennis Montagna describes connections between his art and design major and his current historical preservation work for the National Park Service.
• Almost fifty new images have been added, representing major contemporary artists and designers including Wolfgang Buttress, Do Ho Suh, Garo Antresian, Janet Ballweg, Phoebe Morris, Alain Cornu, and Natalya Zahn.