Pat's Chair Plan
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Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Audience, Character, Transition
"Designers should be fair and candid with their clients and serve them
to the best of their abilities..." (Deitch, 22) We as designers are characters and our clients, employers, teachers are our audience. As designers or characters our job is to intrigue our audience with something expressive, innovative and inspiring. We can get inspiration from things that interest us or things that may relate closely to the concept of the project. As inspiration for my pattern layout for studio, I focused on the contours of berries and how they interact with one another. 
In the Baroque period, artist and designers were innovative and fresh with new ideas, but they also took inspiration from previous periods. Just as a writer writes a play and is in control of what happens, we as designers have that same opportunity when it comes to our work. Although our audience may have ideas and suggestions about our design, it is our slate or canvas to create. "The artist has a responsibility to the blank page..." (Robin, 80) With in our designs there are many characteristics that help our work stand out. We have to figure out what characteristics are needed to make our work "pop." 
In studio, my curves and strong contrast of positive and negative space are the characteristics that added a element of interest and uniqueness. Transition in design is very common as designers move from one idea to another. It can also be evident in our work as one concept can transition into the next. In the Baroque period, emotion was evoked and change was identified. The transition from the Renaissance to the Baroque period forced designers to be more creative and innovative targeting a new audience, but also taking from the past. "There is one profession and only one, namely architecture...in which the reference is always to yesterday." (Le Corbuisier, 109)
to the best of their abilities..." (Deitch, 22) We as designers are characters and our clients, employers, teachers are our audience. As designers or characters our job is to intrigue our audience with something expressive, innovative and inspiring. We can get inspiration from things that interest us or things that may relate closely to the concept of the project. As inspiration for my pattern layout for studio, I focused on the contours of berries and how they interact with one another. 
In the Baroque period, artist and designers were innovative and fresh with new ideas, but they also took inspiration from previous periods. Just as a writer writes a play and is in control of what happens, we as designers have that same opportunity when it comes to our work. Although our audience may have ideas and suggestions about our design, it is our slate or canvas to create. "The artist has a responsibility to the blank page..." (Robin, 80) With in our designs there are many characteristics that help our work stand out. We have to figure out what characteristics are needed to make our work "pop." 
In studio, my curves and strong contrast of positive and negative space are the characteristics that added a element of interest and uniqueness. Transition in design is very common as designers move from one idea to another. It can also be evident in our work as one concept can transition into the next. In the Baroque period, emotion was evoked and change was identified. The transition from the Renaissance to the Baroque period forced designers to be more creative and innovative targeting a new audience, but also taking from the past. "There is one profession and only one, namely architecture...in which the reference is always to yesterday." (Le Corbuisier, 109)[Re] vision:
"Without vision there is no art..." (Collier, 235) Revisioning or revising my work as a designer a key is a step in every design process that I am faced with. 
Through experimentation with different shapes and lineweights, I found patterns that did and didnt work. With the patterns that did work, I revised them to make them better and came to my final pattern. The Baroque period can be looked at as a revision of the Renaissnce. By taking what did work from that period, the designers then made improvements to further advance design in the world. In drafting, we always practice revision because we are required to produce atleast 2 copies of each assignment. That is succesful in that when drafting the final product, we are able to use what works and fix what doesnt.
Through experimentation with different shapes and lineweights, I found patterns that did and didnt work. With the patterns that did work, I revised them to make them better and came to my final pattern. The Baroque period can be looked at as a revision of the Renaissnce. By taking what did work from that period, the designers then made improvements to further advance design in the world. In drafting, we always practice revision because we are required to produce atleast 2 copies of each assignment. That is succesful in that when drafting the final product, we are able to use what works and fix what doesnt.
Datum
"The distinction of a fine face lies in the quality of the feature and in a quite special and personal value of the relationship b/t them." (Le Corbuisier, 203) Through datum we understand order, compostion and overall organization in design. In finding/creating a pattern for our studio project, datum is an important factor in the final design. Though datum has a greater reference to straight lines, it can also be about how to organize positive/negative space. With that being said, my design/pattern is inspired from berries found in nature so its datum will be more organized around the contrast of positive/negative space more so than lines. Since datum relates also to organization, today's sub-divisions are composed around a datum on both a community scale and an individual scale. Just as Patrick suggested, the way the homes began to be organized in the 17 century around and enflade is the same way homes are organized today.
Works Cited:
Collier, Graham. Form, Space, and Vision. 1972. Prentice Hall Inc. Englewood Cliffs,
NJ.
Corbuisier, Le. Towards a New Architecture. 1986. Dover Publications Inc. New York,
NY.
Deitch, Ronald M. Professional Practice. 1931. Peguis Publishers Limited.Winnipeg,
MB.
Landa, Robin. An Introduction to Design. 1983. Prentice Hall Inc. Englewood Cliffs,
NJ.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Pee Week
Professional:Portfolio:Process:
"Interior designers are educated to become creative professionals who analyze problems from many different perspectives" (Veitch, 7) Taking from Ronald Veitch, designers are not only limited to designing a space well, but in addition, we must be able to explain our designs to others whether they are in our field of professionalism or not. The presentation board that we are putting together in Suzanne's class is a good example of this, as well as a good way of making a formal presentation very professional. Whether it is a digital or physical presentation, certain "rules" remain in effect such as datum, grid, order, and craft to make it look professional. In the professional world, a very common and successful way of representing yourself through your work is by putting together a portfolio. 
"The audience may be a client, a committee, or merely someone browsing for an idea. Whether produced to assist the client's imagination or to obtain a commission, either privately or through a competition...it should communicate as clearly and accurately as possible..." (Ching, 322) A portfolio is a representation of an artist or a designers best work, and it shows how he/she has progressed and how their work has became stronger. Both my digital and physical portfolio's include my best work, but they also include my process work. 
That to me is very important when presenting work to clients or employers b/c process is what shows them where you started and where you ended up. It also shows them that you are both experienced and willing to do the project right by taking time to carefully plan out every step. "Writing the design program is clarifying, to the satisfaction of both the client and the designer, exactly what is needed and wanted in the space under construction...it is a lengthy investigative process, sometimes taking up to one-third of the project's total time." (Veitch, 92) Stoel instructed us to include both a bond and vellum copy of all of our work in our portfolio's. "rough draft," or bond copy is the beginning phase. In this copy, the assignment is started and it serves as a reference for the final copy, but it doesn't include the aspects that make it final. The "final draft" or vellum copy is the completed copy with all details such as the borders, name of assignment, north arrows, scale, etc.
Periphery:Perspective:
"The audience may be a client, a committee, or merely someone browsing for an idea. Whether produced to assist the client's imagination or to obtain a commission, either privately or through a competition...it should communicate as clearly and accurately as possible..." (Ching, 322) A portfolio is a representation of an artist or a designers best work, and it shows how he/she has progressed and how their work has became stronger. Both my digital and physical portfolio's include my best work, but they also include my process work. 
That to me is very important when presenting work to clients or employers b/c process is what shows them where you started and where you ended up. It also shows them that you are both experienced and willing to do the project right by taking time to carefully plan out every step. "Writing the design program is clarifying, to the satisfaction of both the client and the designer, exactly what is needed and wanted in the space under construction...it is a lengthy investigative process, sometimes taking up to one-third of the project's total time." (Veitch, 92) Stoel instructed us to include both a bond and vellum copy of all of our work in our portfolio's. "rough draft," or bond copy is the beginning phase. In this copy, the assignment is started and it serves as a reference for the final copy, but it doesn't include the aspects that make it final. The "final draft" or vellum copy is the completed copy with all details such as the borders, name of assignment, north arrows, scale, etc.The job of a designer is to take a project/problem and complete it or solve it. With this, I feel that designers should be limited to nothing.
The periphery or boundaries are in a sense not present. Of course somethings are not going to work in every design, but the idea is to think outside of the box. Our minds should be more complexed and detailed than our clients. Whether we are given a lead as to what they want or whether we have to start from scratch, the end result should be extreme but functional, and aesthetically pleasing. If our clients have and idea, we should make it a reality. "If nothing is so powerful as an idea whose time has come, nothing is so enevervating as an idea that's been sitting around for years like money not earning any interest. That is precisely the concept of moving from the design of things to the design of the circumstances in which things are used." (Caplan, 152) Also as a designer, our skills should be advanced and practiced enough to where we are not just single-minded about designs. We should obtain different perspectives of design. "The challange in mastering perspective is resolving the conflict between our knowledge of the thing itself...how we perceive its optical reality - as seen through a single eye of the spectator. (Ching, 201) With that being said, we should view the world of design through atleast 2 perspectives: our as the designers, and others as our clients, employers, co-workers, or people in general.Tying it together:
As designers, we must be professionals in which we always have our work ready to be viewed by generating a portfolio, know and understand the process of design and be able to carry it out, be open to try new things and see design from not just our perspective, but others, and lastly be able to think outside of the periphery of normality.
Caplan, Ralph. By Design. 1982. St. Martin's Press.
Singapore.
Ching, Francis D.K. Design Drawing. 1998. John Wiley and Sons.
New York, NY.
Veitch, Ronald M. Professional Practice. 1931. Peguis Publishers Limited.
Winnipeg, MB.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Monday, March 2, 2009
Inspiration Artist
The final three drawings that I chose I felt best represented and imitated the inspriation artists work the best. With 2 of the 3 being from Brooke Morgan, her style and technique in representing an interior really struck and stood out to me. Her use of clean lines, variating line weights, and light water color to make the floors appear glossy added visual pleasure to her work. Looking at her work made me want to actually inhabit and experience the spaces in which she communicated through drawing. The other artist Wyzte van de Belt really stood out to me because of the way he chose to make line vertical lines with horizontal lines. Also, through his shading technique, he didn't need an "outline" of the space, but rather he chose to let the horizontal lines make the composition. 
Micro: Macro
Impression:
Impression kind of reminds me of a precedent, only I feel as though it is something stronger than a precedent. In Suzanne's class, the inspiration artist was suppose to influence us and help us learn to incorporate different styles and techniques in our own work. I feel as though the artist I chose actually had an impression on me because I will now in most if not all of my drawings focus more on line weight, shading, and cleanness just as she did. "It's not what's there that counts...but rather the received impression." (Raymond Price, Impression)
Porch, Court, Hearth:
Through diagrams we can better understand the porch, court, and hearth of a area or space. For instance, when diagramming the MHRA building, the porch would clearly be the entrance to the building, and the actual space once you enter the building. The court would be the main gathering space for students and faculty which is the two-story area which is domed in. The hearth(s) of the building would consist of personal offices and bathrooms. Although the classrooms are one of the main aspects of the building, they could go for the court or the hearth of the building depending on how they are used. In Florence, porch, court and hearth were important aspects of the architecture of the medieval time period.
Detail:
Details are one of the most important aspects of design. "The artist should fear to become the slave of detail. He should strive to express his thought and not the surface of it.What avails a storm cloud accurate in form and colour if the storm is not therein?" (Albert Pinkham Ryder, Detail) We were prompted to choose 3 out of the 5 best drawings that we completed in Suzanne's class and detail them to perfection. Line weight is an important detail for drawing, and especially in drafting, because it helps communicate things such as closer/distant walls/elements, where a plan is cut at, invisible lines, dimension lines, and so on. Without these details, we cannot ensure that a structure is constructed and read the right way. As we install our portal panels in Studio, we understand that each detail is essential in making the final product a success. Details are also the hidden elements that can help keep a project together. For instance, with our portal panel designs, we cannot just stick cardboard to the wall and hope it stays, but instead, we must plan and prepare to include small details in which will successfully and aesthetically hold our projects together.
Diagram/Composition:
In design, diagrams are used to help us better understand plans and they give us a more in depth understanding of how things will or do function in that space. It is a way of simplifying a plan so that clients and other's who aren't educated in reading plans can understand. "The hallmark of a diagram is its ability to simplify a complex notion inot essential elements and relationships by a process of elimination and reduction." (Ching, 289) In Suzanne's, we as groups were assigned to diagram our buildings into four different parts. My part was to diagram the function of the space. I highlighted the public and private areas, and used different hatching and line techniques to diagram offices, bathrooms, classrooms, etc. In the 13 century medieval world, the city of Florence as a composition was also diagramed into public and private spaces. Composition and wholeness go hand in hand in my opinion. When thinking about something that is whole, thoughts about all of the parts that play together to make it whole come to mind. The same is true with a composition. "It is not an isolated fragment in itself, but part of the world which includes the gardens, walls, trees, streets beyond it boundaries, and other buildings beyond those. And it contains many wholes within it- also unbounded and continuous in their connections. Above all, the whole is unbroken and undivided." (Alexander, 80) The composition of Florence was based around the "unified center" which was the Duomo. From that, the city consisted of churches, markets, and palatzzo’s which were the main house forms. Although separated into public and private, the city of Florence was still a connected composition. In Studio, our portal panel designs are pieces coming together to form a composition. While there is the actual installation of the cardboard and paper, there are other elements such as our 11x17 graphics, our translucent graphics, and our digital presentations in which all compose the final project.
Tying it all Together:
This weeks words all communicated circulation and order to me. With relations through diagrams creating compositions and vis-a-versa we can understand things such as the porch, court, and hearth. The details are remenant of diagrams because they help us better read and understand certain things.
Alexander, Christopher. The Nature of Order. 2002. The Center for the Environmental
Structure. Berkley, California.
Ching, Francis D.K. Design Drawing. 1998. John Wiley and Sons. New York, NY.
http://www.yourdictionary.com/quotes
Impression kind of reminds me of a precedent, only I feel as though it is something stronger than a precedent. In Suzanne's class, the inspiration artist was suppose to influence us and help us learn to incorporate different styles and techniques in our own work. I feel as though the artist I chose actually had an impression on me because I will now in most if not all of my drawings focus more on line weight, shading, and cleanness just as she did. "It's not what's there that counts...but rather the received impression." (Raymond Price, Impression)
Porch, Court, Hearth:
Through diagrams we can better understand the porch, court, and hearth of a area or space. For instance, when diagramming the MHRA building, the porch would clearly be the entrance to the building, and the actual space once you enter the building. The court would be the main gathering space for students and faculty which is the two-story area which is domed in. The hearth(s) of the building would consist of personal offices and bathrooms. Although the classrooms are one of the main aspects of the building, they could go for the court or the hearth of the building depending on how they are used. In Florence, porch, court and hearth were important aspects of the architecture of the medieval time period.
Detail:
Details are one of the most important aspects of design. "The artist should fear to become the slave of detail. He should strive to express his thought and not the surface of it.What avails a storm cloud accurate in form and colour if the storm is not therein?" (Albert Pinkham Ryder, Detail) We were prompted to choose 3 out of the 5 best drawings that we completed in Suzanne's class and detail them to perfection. Line weight is an important detail for drawing, and especially in drafting, because it helps communicate things such as closer/distant walls/elements, where a plan is cut at, invisible lines, dimension lines, and so on. Without these details, we cannot ensure that a structure is constructed and read the right way. As we install our portal panels in Studio, we understand that each detail is essential in making the final product a success. Details are also the hidden elements that can help keep a project together. For instance, with our portal panel designs, we cannot just stick cardboard to the wall and hope it stays, but instead, we must plan and prepare to include small details in which will successfully and aesthetically hold our projects together.
Diagram/Composition:
In design, diagrams are used to help us better understand plans and they give us a more in depth understanding of how things will or do function in that space. It is a way of simplifying a plan so that clients and other's who aren't educated in reading plans can understand. "The hallmark of a diagram is its ability to simplify a complex notion inot essential elements and relationships by a process of elimination and reduction." (Ching, 289) In Suzanne's, we as groups were assigned to diagram our buildings into four different parts. My part was to diagram the function of the space. I highlighted the public and private areas, and used different hatching and line techniques to diagram offices, bathrooms, classrooms, etc. In the 13 century medieval world, the city of Florence as a composition was also diagramed into public and private spaces. Composition and wholeness go hand in hand in my opinion. When thinking about something that is whole, thoughts about all of the parts that play together to make it whole come to mind. The same is true with a composition. "It is not an isolated fragment in itself, but part of the world which includes the gardens, walls, trees, streets beyond it boundaries, and other buildings beyond those. And it contains many wholes within it- also unbounded and continuous in their connections. Above all, the whole is unbroken and undivided." (Alexander, 80) The composition of Florence was based around the "unified center" which was the Duomo. From that, the city consisted of churches, markets, and palatzzo’s which were the main house forms. Although separated into public and private, the city of Florence was still a connected composition. In Studio, our portal panel designs are pieces coming together to form a composition. While there is the actual installation of the cardboard and paper, there are other elements such as our 11x17 graphics, our translucent graphics, and our digital presentations in which all compose the final project.
Tying it all Together:
This weeks words all communicated circulation and order to me. With relations through diagrams creating compositions and vis-a-versa we can understand things such as the porch, court, and hearth. The details are remenant of diagrams because they help us better read and understand certain things.
Alexander, Christopher. The Nature of Order. 2002. The Center for the Environmental
Structure. Berkley, California.
Ching, Francis D.K. Design Drawing. 1998. John Wiley and Sons. New York, NY.
http://www.yourdictionary.com/quotes
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