Creative waves: online collaboration in the creative process: working with the most interactive community of designers we have [n]ever met

This paper provides a retrospective opportunity to review Creative Waves, the world's first major international online design project. Creative Waves is significant in that it represents the first project of such scale and nature to be endorsed by Icograda (International Council of Graphic Design Associations) and its Education Network (IEN). Undertaken over a six-week period throughout March-April 2005, over 120 art and design students, teachers, practitioners and writers from around the globe were linked into small creative clusters, where no team member was in the same geographic location. Using the unique 'Omnium' online design studio framework, participants were able to interact in shared, creative exchanges, responding to challenges set by an unfolding design brief: ultimately being given the opportunity to balance individual and collaborative studio approaches, and engage in active and reflective modes of creative dialogue, discussion and visual collaboration