Road Trip

"It all starts here. This is the opportunity to start building a base that will last a lifetime." (Piotrowski, 15) When I think about roots, I think of a foundation. As a designer it is good to have a foundation or roots to your style, your work ethic, and your inspiration for each project that you do. I feel like throughout this first year as an IARC major, I have created and developed my own roots as a designer from experience and also from those in whom I took inspiration from. For the 18x24 composite drawing that we are working on, my roots or inspiration comes from a varitey of things. Number 1: how others who have completed this project before me produced this type of project, (2) how I have learned to compose and display my own work over this past year, and (3) how I feel the layout(colors, fonts, etc.) will related closely to the site I am referencing which is Falling Water. "A designer tries to make thinks better..." (Bockus, 1) As a design student, we get compressed with so many assignments to do that sometimes we have to take it all compile it together and deal with it. I feel this too will be true in the design world just because there will be so many projects to complete that we will have to condense it all together and make the very best of it. When ever something is compressed, there has to be a release somewhere along the way. When comparing compression/release to design, the release is the inspiration and burst of ideas and concepts to began a project. The compression aspect relates more to the assigned duties of the project, or what the client wants. "The best solution is often a compromise that blends the most positive aspects of all." (Piotrowski, 15) Congruence in design is the ability to be versatile. In having versatility, it is important to know how to bring every idea, opinion, and concept together. However, the designer has to take control of the project and all though taking from the clients opinions and ideas, must figure out what works and what doesn't. This is very evident in all three of my IAR classes because the professors are there to lead we as students in the right direction, but we as the designers have to understand the project, but be able to decide what will and what will not be efficient. Researching, learning, and understanding different materials as a designer is very important. For studio, we were assigned 3 different materials to research and from our research, we were to create 11x17 graphics for each. From the three I had (Teak, Brick, Grass Wood), I found the material Teak to be the most interesting and inspiring. Although this was my favorite, learning about all three materials was both interesting and helpful. "Concept is the designers analysis of those factors which must be satisfied to acheive a solution." (Bockus, 13) Concepts are something that we are still learning about. However, I think I have a general idea of how to project one with in a project. For our project in studio, the idea is to celebrate light in two ways. I took interest in creating light in two opposite but similar ways, so my concept will be positive and negative space. The concept for the composite drawings that I have came up with is creating Falling Water in an 18x24 graphic. I plan on creating that by connecting the whole composition with similar colors from falling water and the use of a waterfall throughout.

Bockus, Bill. Designers Notebook. 1977. Macmillian Publishing Inc. New York, NY.

Piotrowski, Christine. Becoming an Interior Designer. 2004. Wiley & Sons Inc. Hoboken, NJ.