Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Marina Bay Sands Hotel - Singapore

Okay, I'm probably posting this because I need a vacation and I'm also a dreamer, but I thought this Hotel was amazing. The Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore has three giant towers with a "sky park" cantilevered atop of them. The sky park features an infinity pool that is the world's largest outdoor pool at its height. The breathtaking view is to die for!




Interesting Lighting

Continuing the theme of our blog assignment, I decided to post some cool images I found of interesting lighting designs.

"Huggable" Lighting


Backlit wallpaper


"Moonstruck" lighting perforated from porcelain


http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g33389-d1015782-Reviews-Red_Mountain_Grill-Dillon_Colorado.html
http://www.geekologie.com/2007/10/lightemitting_wallpaper_is_coo.php
http://www.getmarried.com/wedding-blog/2009/06/01/weddingceremony-location-and-decorations/
http://homedesigninterior.com/2011/02/10/d°-light-huggable-cool-lighting-inspiration-for/
http://www.squidoo.com/cool-lights

Blog Post 005: Lighting in the IOB

Talking with lighting designer Scott Richardson last friday helped out group come up with lots of lighting ideas for the Industries of the Blind. One main point he made was making it easier on older eyes, eyes with visual impairments, and even young eyes with great vision by decreasing glare. He suggested we do this by decreasing the difference in inside light and outside light while entering the space by creating a transition that allows the eyes to adjust to different light. We discussed the harsh, hospital-like florescent lighting that is currently in the space and he advised us to look at different kinds of florescent lighting that isn't so harsh. Upon Scott seeing our hexagonal graphic, we discussed backlighting with him as a way to highlight the shapes as well as creating interesting shadows to continue patterns on the floor, walls, and ceiling. He saw our triangular overhang idea as a good opportunity to diffuse light using a translucent material. I also believe that spotlighting should be used when we incorporate a timeline into our hexagon graphic in order to draw attention to the information that Richard and Dave LoPresti wanted to be displayed.

Monday, October 24, 2011

Instructional Compositions


IKEA generally has very successful instructions that come with their home assembly products. In the composition above, IKEA uses simple, easy to understand illustrations along with humor to show how to  assemble their products in a user-friendly manner. 

I thought that this origami instruction composition was successful because it gives a clear order of how to fold the origami by using numbering and a path graphic leading up to the final product. The color also ties the composition together. 

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Candice Olson

Candice Olson is probably the only designer on HGTV whom I agree with almost all of the time. Her designs truly are "divine" as the name of her show "Divine Design" suggests. It is my aspiration to one day be like her. I am in love with her classic, elegant style.








http://kravet.typepad.com/inspiredtalk/candice-olson/
http://meganleiter.wordpress.com/2011/05/05/designer-spotlight-candice-olson/
http://paintbyjosie.blogspot.com/2011/06/metallic-wallpaper.html
http://blog.ashleycampbell.com/2011/05/04/inside-the-mind-of-candice-olson/

What's Running Through My Head

I thought I would commemorate my 100th blog post with some of the songs that provide a soundtrack, inspiration and life while working on assignments. Here's a few faves:

Melt My Heart to Stone--ADELE
Tears Dry On Their Own--Amy Winehouse
Happy Days Are Here Again--Barbara Streisand & Judy Garland
Because--The Beatles
Magic--Ben Folds Five
Three Little Birds--Bob Marley
Fast Car (feat. Kina Grannis)--Boyce Avenue
The Scientist--Coldplay
Courtship Dating--Crystal Castles
The General--Dispatch
Dreams--Fleetwood Mac
Handlebars--Flobots
Details In The Fabric--Jason Mraz Feat. James Morrison
Cathedrals--Jump Little Children
Time To Pretend--MGMT
Love Today--Mika
Wagon Wheel--Old Crow Medicine Show
Sleepy Head--Passion Pit
Little Secrets--Passion Pit
Two Princes--Spin Doctors

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Karim Rashid

http://www.speakersbulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/karim_rashid.jpg

Karim Rashid is one of my favorite designers. I love his playful use of color and materials in all of his designs. His website is just as fun to explore as his designs are to view. 

Rainbow-Inspired Architecture

Emmanuelle Moureaux Architecture designed the Shugamo Shinkin Bank in Shimura, Japan, inspired by a rainbow. I liked the built in lighting effects and the use of bold color against a white backdrop. The skylights on the second floor are encased by glass, continuing down to the first floor. This dramatic use of scale enhances user experience.







Photoshop Compositions

For this composition, I first placed all of my images as different layers and scaled all of my images to the desired size. I then experimented with moving the images around until I decided on a layout. I used the text tool to title my composition and the line tool to create the "violin strings" as a border that I liked from my original composition. 

In this composition, I used the same process to scale and place my images, but decided on a different layout. I used the eyedropper tool to highlight the orange accent color in my perspective for the text and the lines. I decided on a more appropriate font for my violin concept that was more visually interesting. 

In my third composition, I scaled and placed my images in a way that gives more hierarchy to my perspective, by having my sections and plan to the right and my perspective framed by the border. I used the eyedropper tool to highlight my violin brown to use in my title and border. I kept the same script font from my second composition because I thought it was successful in conveying my concept.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Blog Post 004: Principles and Elements of Design


Rhythm: 
Rhythm is clearly present with the repeating geometric shapes we have explored. Rhythm is seen in the "triangle tree" trellis idea and the hexagonal shapes comprised of smaller triangles. We also explored rhythm with repeating square, circle and diamond shapes. Rhythm will be important with the installation of textures in the IOB as a means of way finding and keeping visually cohesive. 

Balance:
Symmetry has been created through patterns we have created, thus contributing to balance. In our display, we balanced larger elements with smaller models. In our space, we will use a similar method when combining large architectural pieces with smaller pieces. 

Emphasis:
We placed emphasis on shape, color, and texture in our presentation, but as a whole I believe our strongest emphasis is on the hexagonal pattern that we plan to incorporate in a large scale. 

Unity:
Unity is achieved through repeating geometric forms throughout the space. We also hope to achieve unity through a warm color scheme. 

Proportion:
Our overhang structure is dramatically scaled to create hierarchy using proportion. Smaller elements such as braille complement larger pieces going into the space. 

Line:
We have used very harsh lines and sharp angles to create a modern, industrial aesthetic. Softer lines are incorporated in wall fixtures and the overall trellis structure. 

Color:
We decided on a warm color scheme mixed with neutrals. We have 3 different color options that combine reds, oranges, browns, yellows, grays, and beiges.

Shape:
Geometric shapes such as hexagons, triangles, and circles have been used so far. We will be incorporating softer shapes such as circles to complement our design

Texture:
Texture has probably been the most important element thus far in designing a facility for the blind. We first used braille inspired textures to use as wall or floor coverings and then expanded to geometric textures. In our models we used textured paper, cardboard, styrofoam, plaster, metal wire, chip board, bamboo skewers, etc. to create and explore texture. Texture in our final project will be to direct users to focal points and highlight important areas. 

Form:
Geometric forms, especially triangles and hexagons have been a focus in this project. We have tried to incorporate softer forms with the use of curves in the trellis structure and other wall elements. 

Space:
Negative space is an important element in creating texture and shadow. Within the negative space in the hexagonal pattern 

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Inspired by Fallingwater

When I stumbled upon this "luxury villa" in Thailand, it reminded me a lot of Fallingwater. 

Here's the link to the website:

it's pretty awesome.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Dale Chihuly

I just discovered the sculptural glass works of Dale Chihuly and had to share. These are simply amazing.

http://www.seriousluxury.com/dale-chihuly/

http://twilightfromthecold.blogspot.com/2009/03/glass-art-from-dale-chihuly.html

This piece is from the ceiling of the Bellagio in Las Vegas:
http://www.royallyflushed.com/general/bellagio-glass-artist-dale-chihulys-work-on-exhibit-in-phoenix/

http://arrynvogan.wordpress.com/2011/02/17/artist-of-inspiration-dale-chihuly/

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Interior Lighting Effects

This is a photo of artificial light affecting the space; an overhead light casts a shadow from the chair onto the floor.

The elevator door in Tower Village suites is a vertical reflective surface.

A recessed light that causes a shadow above the door is another example of artificial light affecting a space.

This photo shows daylight entering a space.

A reflective floor surface shows the reflection of a table and chairs.

A mirror is an obvious reflective vertical surface.


More natural light entering a space, onto a restaurant table.

Reflective floor surface in the Gatewood lobby.

Reception Space: Final Composition









Saturday, October 1, 2011

Successful Compositions


This composition was from landscape architect Janet Lee Coleman's website. It has clear hierarchy, the large colored plan on the right is commanding the most attention. This drawing also has the most value, which adds to the amount of attention given to it. She pulled colors from her rendering into the graphic on the left and her border, which is cohesive with the rest of the composition. I chose this composition because  I thought the border and graphics were successful in drawing attention to the drawings. 



Hierarchy is present with the size of the left image drawing more attention than the right images. High value is used in all of the computer renderings in an equal way which makes all of them read clearly.  The designer pulled color directly from the renderings into the background and border which makes for a cohesive look. I chose this composition because of the use of color in a successful way as well as the incorporation of information into the border.