How to display a timeline?

Since I got assigned to the Industries of the blind project, I thought it would be a good idea to research timelines for inspiration of how we will display the company's history.

At Suffolk university law school, they use a timeline as an architectural divide that directs circulation.

http://www.law.suffolk.edu/about/history.cfm

This timeline incorporates artifacts as well, which could be useful in displaying the products made at IOB.

http://enterprise.alcatel-lucent.com/?dept=CHUG&page=2011Dallas

I liked the bold and clear composition of this timeline:

http://www.behance.net/gallery/AFOSR-Timeline-Lobby-Display/869591

I believe the alternation of photos and text in this diagram was successful:

http://portfolios.aiga.org/gallery/FM-Globals-Historic-Sprinkler-Research-Timeline/839776

Inspiring Lobby Spaces

Because we are dealing with designing lobby spaces this semester, I decided to look at some precedents of other lobby spaces that inspired me.

http://arts.uchicago.edu/logan/design.shtml

http://designexclusive.onsugar.com/tag/inspiration

http://zelda-domaindesign.blogspot.com/2011/04/poesie-technologie-blast-inspiring-work.html

http://www.dimensioncraftinc.com/Environments-and-Events

Blog Post 001: IOB Experience

Before entering Industries of the Blind, I had no idea what to expect. The outside of the building seemed so sterile and there were no windows to offer a clue of what was going on inside.  My curiosity led me under a breezeway to the front door and into a small waiting area and reception room.  Through the reception room was a stairway with an interesting “meditation” area, with fake plants and stepping-stones that led to a water fountain. There was also an office chair by the meditation area that suggested employees should sit down and relax. Up the stairs I went and into a landing space with mismatched furniture and through a hallway to my left was a conference room with lots of wood and leather chairs and a large wood conference table. The striped wallpaper and molded ceiling tiles created a more formal look in this room.  At the end of the conference table on the wall was a wood and glass display case that show a few of the items made at Industries of the Blind.  As David LoPresti talked to us about the history of Industries of the Blind as well as what is made there, he passed around pictures of workers and other historic pamphlets and letters that will most likely be incorporated into a display in our redesign of the lobby space. Mr. LoPresti then took us on a tour of the factory facilities and we saw first hand how all of the military supplies are made.  In the first room, we saw hundreds of boxes of military neck guards to be shipped off.  I then realized how important this company is to the military and our country and how productive industries of the blind really is. The next room was filled with workers making shirts for the military at rapid speed and precision. Just thinking that all of these people were visually impaired was even more amazing. Everyone working seemed very happy to be there and proud of the work they were doing.  We then came to a room where military grade pens were being made. Machines were whirring faster than I could comprehend but the workers seemed to assemble the pens with skill and ease. I will never forget the blind man who boxed the pens so quickly and with such a cheerful attitude and smile on his face. We visited other rooms where clipboards, mops, and the neck guards were being made. In the neck guard packaging area, there was a sign that tracked the efficiency of the packaging (which was very impressive). Through all of these sites, I could not help but think how hard it would be for me who has 20/20 vision to do the jobs of these people who are visually impaired. As the tour wrapped up, we went back into the conference room and Mr. LoPresti expressed the need for Industries of the Blind to be a great place to work where workers come in and feel happy and appreciated. He expressed his desire for the community to be welcomed in the building to see what great things are accomplished there. We owe it to the workers of Industries of the Blind to make entering the building a happy, accommodating, and memorable experience.

 

GHM Exhibit Visit

"Voices" Exhibition

Upon entering the Greensboro “Voices” exhibition, your eye travels across the dramatic curved wall of illuminated photographs that create a timeline of the history of Greensboro.  The repetitive canvases that play off the shadows from the backlighting create a dynamic effect that gives the sense of Greensboro being a very important place with a rich history. The concept of separate photographs with individuals coming together to create one history creates a strong sense of unity, both in the design aspect and as a city living in harmony and paying homage to its past. Further into the “Voices” exhibit, display cases show artifacts from each of the people groups that settled in Greensboro, Germans, Jews, Quakers, and so on. This highlights the diversity rather than unity, and uses concrete objects rather than two-dimensional panels to create depth and interest.  Connecting two main exhibit spaces is a corridor with tall portraits of famous townspeople from Greensboro’s past. These portraits act as architectural elements that divide the space into smaller display areas filled with information about these people.  The panels provide rhythm and balance to an otherwise plain connector space.  The main areas of the “Voices” exhibition open up to showcase several large artifacts that become focal points of the space, such as the covered wagon in one area and the large sewing loom in another area. By placing such grand pieces against smaller displays, it creates hierarchy in the space that awes the viewer, drawing them closer to discover what the important pieces say about Greensboro’s history.

Period Rooms and Pottery Display

On the mezzanine level, period rooms show the lifestyles of some of Greensboro’s founding families, such as rooms from the Tate family home in the early 1900s.  Replicas of a bedroom, dining room, parlor etc. show how furnishings and materials have transformed over time. These rooms are all connected by a series of interior doors which not only function for museum staff who have to walk through these spaces, but make the rooms seem more realistic as if they are leading into another room in a house versus being separate compartments.  Vignettes of items such as children’s toys on the floor and a “magic” image projector and other items on a parlor table show how people spent their leisure time.  These items also give the rooms a very lived-in quality, so the viewer can envision people of this time interacting in the space.  The period rooms wrap around the exhibit space and are shown as recessed nooks off of the interior wall, which helps with circulation and creates a clear path around the pottery display.   The colorful pottery finds its identity through contrast against white display blocks and bright overhead lighting, which reflects off of the pottery glaze and draws attention to the exhibit.  The varying heights of the display blocks creates balance in the exhibit, so groupings of pottery do not compete for visual attention.  A clear glass wall surrounding the display does not subtract from the art itself, and allows the viewer to only see the pottery as they walk into the exhibit space, emphasizing its importance.

"Gate City" Exhibition

The “Gate City” exhibition takes interactivity to the next level as the visitor experiences a schoolhouse, pharmacy, fire house, theater, and phone operating booths and is able to participate in activities relevant to these locations.  The façades of these mini exhibits differentiate the type of location through use of material, such as clapboard on the schoolhouse and brick on the firehouse façade.  Because each storefront is unique, it sparks curiosity in the visitor as to what is beyond the varying entrances. Use of material on the inside of these attractions stay true to the era as well, such as dark wooden desks in the schoolhouse and antique-looking glass display cabinets in the pharmacy. Cutouts of people in the space, like the schoolteacher and pharmacist are focal points that actually teach the important information through recordings. Circulation also plays a major role in the experience of Gate City, meant to replicate a town square. The visitor is forced to move around a tree and benches in the center, which creates an illusion of being in an outdoor space. The arrangement of the attractions around this square rather than simply in a line in front of the viewer keeps the eye constantly moving and creates a more encapsulating experience.  Inside each of the “buildings” lighting plays a role, from the open schoolhouse with lots of natural looking light to a dark pharmacy and even darker theater.  The recapture of this bygone era is a charming way to show history and leaves a lasting impression on the visitor.

"Down Home" Exhibition

First walking into the “Down Home” Exhibition about Jewish life in North Carolina, you see that the exhibition as a whole is broken up into smaller display areas. In the first area, flags and other religious artifacts specific to our state are configured around the model of a synagogue, creating a circular pattern of circulation around this area and highlighting the model as a focal point. White display cases draw more attention to the artifacts themselves and do not detract from the information.  In the second area, you see a 1940-50’s style interactive kitchen with a refrigerator that visually teaches about kosher food, artificial challah bread laid on the counter with directions on how to make it, and an oven that tells a personal story of Jewish and Southern cooking when you open it. The interactivity aspect again plays as a visual and auditory learning tool and creates a memorable experience. The kitchen brings a playful quality to the exhibit, and resonates as a very Southern quality of Jewish history-- the kitchen being a symbol of the South.  In the third display area, glass cases show items such as draydels and menorahs and teach about Jewish traditions. The division of this exhibit into three distinct sections starting at the door gives the museum visitor a distinct path to follow and helps the flow of traffic through the exhibit by providing multiple options for destinations. The organization of the sections of this exhibit from the basic background of Judaism to food to traditions allows the visitor to learn the information about Jews in North Carolina in the most logical sequence, building from basic to more complex knowledge.

My Studio Project Preference

I believe that I can most contribute to the Industries of the Blind project. I was the most inspired when visiting this site because the story this business and all of the people working there tell is amazing. There are so many opportunities to tell their stories through displays, and I have already thought of several ideas to showcase their history, products and employee bios. I also see this project as a great opportunity to incorporate design for all senses, especially using texture to create a unique experience. I think my vision for the displays as well as my ideas for materials, color and an easier circulation paths could contribute to the group.

SEC Poster Contest

In Visual Communication, we participated in a poster design competition for the 2012 Southern Entrepreneurship in the Arts Conference. The theme was "Creating Entrepreneurial Magic in the Arts" and we were to use a rainbow motif to show how the aspects of creating a successful art business converges into a "pot of gold"which is success.  

Industries of the Blind Diagramming

To document my experience at Industries of the Blind, I created a circulation diagram that is color coded to show the entering path, main activities, and the departure path.  I believe this type of diagram is best to communicate the experience in Industries of the Blind because once inside, I felt disoriented due to all of the barriers between the front door and my destination, the conference room. The small spaces separating the entry and second floor lobby space make navigation difficult and somewhat labyrinthine.