Blog #7- Photo Analysis

Blog #7- Photo Analysis

The photograph I chose for the photo analysis contains many features of the Principles and Elements of Design. Some of these elements are line, color, shape, value, space, form, texture, unity, pattern, movement, and balance. When doing a photo analysis it is always interesting to me that every designed space contains these elements that come naturally to the design. That may not always be the case for a designed space but by completing only two semesters in the major of Interior Design it is already coming naturally to me.

I am going to start explaining the elements of art in this picture. First, the color is vibrant and contains many different colors. With the use of line and shape all of the colors are incorporated into the design of the living room. The structure itself has very straight lines and so the designer used very straight and squared furniture to emphasize the architectural space. The room also contains a few pieces that are round like the seat in the front of the picture and the yellow lamp that is in the back left corner. The use of pattern is interesting because it goes along completely with the use of line in the space. On the linear couch the pattern consists of straight lines with various assortments of color. The red color on the wall and the white trim in the architectural space makes all of the colors used in the fabrics pop. On the round seat in the photograph there is a pattern used with various colors that is full of curvilinear lines.

With the use of pattern, color, texture, and form the viewer of the space can put together the use of principles of design. The first principle that stood out to me was, balance, with the principle of pattern and value the room looks proportional and balanced with the furniture arrangement in the architectural space. I also think that this room has movement with the linear lines of the architectural structure. Unity is also something that immediately stands out to the viewers eyes because the designer planned the space well with incorporating the same colors, patterns, and shapes into the space. For example, the linear pattern of colors on the sofa is also used on the window treatments which helps bring the space together.

Being able to recognize the Principles and Elements of Art and Design is so important when designing a space. If you are not aware of these subjects in a room the space will most likely not look the way you want it to look. I think this room used great aspects of the principles and elements that helps the analyzer know that the designer is educated and knows what they are doing. 

Blog #6- Unusual Materials

Unusual Materials Blog #6

Unusual materials are something used in a setting that is considered out of the norm for that scene. For example, a swing set built out of shopping carts. Looking through the Internet was inspiring to see how many different materials can be used for certain things.  For my assignment last week in Dr. Gaines materials class it was to find a picture of an unusual material and send a picture to Dr. Gaines. I found an image of a shopping cart turned into a cute little chair. The designer put upholstered cushions that used a really cute pattern and the chair looked comfortable and unique. As I researched further on the Internet I came across other types of chairs and furniture that had been created by the materials used in a shopping cart.

In Los Angeles, California there is a huge issue of pollution and trash in low-income neighborhoods. The poverty in these neighborhoods is mind-boggling and the trash and other items that linger on the streets have become complete eyesores. One eco-friendly focused designer by the name of, Ramon Coronado, grew up in a low income neighborhood and he saw the trash and debris all over the streets as an opportunity to change the eye sore into a recreational setting for the people and children of the community. 

He used shopping carts that on a daily basis the streets were accumulating more and more left over shopping carts on the streets and used the parts to create seating areas for that neighborhood. He also used the materials off of the shopping carts to make swing sets for the children. Ramon Coronado felt that by him creating these pieces of furniture around the lower income neighborhoods of Los Angeles would make the public more aware of the poverty levels and the trouble that these neighborhoods are facing. Not only did his design create recreational spots for the people of these neighborhoods but they also cleaned up the area and opened other people’s eyes as to what is really going on in the community. 

When Coronado created the swings for the children out of shopping carts he did this so that these children would have a place to go and play. Unfortunately, these neighborhoods do not have any safe environments for the children to go and play. There are no recreational parks for the kids and so with Coronado’s design of a swing set made out of lingering shopping carts that polluted these communities created a space for the children to go and play.

  It is inspiring as a student in design to look into these heart warming stories of designers using unusual materials and creating a healthier environment for the people living in densely populated areas such as Los Angeles. The use of shopping carts in making furniture not only cleaned up the area but also, turned an eye sore into something useful. Now instead of shopping carts being left on every corner of the neighborhood there are chairs that have been created out of shopping carts for the community to sit in. This use of unusual materials has an incredible value of turning a serious problem into something that can be used on a daily basis in the community. 

Blog Post #5- The Design Expo 2011

This year at the Texas Tech University Design Expo 2011 was an awesome experience. Each student or person attending design expo gets to walk around and visit different venues that have samples and all sorts of extra samples and handouts for the guests. The design day was so much fun, I and several other classmates started the day off by attending the learning lunch that had a guest speaker. Brian Graham is a designer that currently is working for knoll furniture. He had lots of great advice for the listeners. He had lots to say about design process, clients, and about companies that we may possibly work for in the future.

At the Design Expo that started at 4:00 later that day, me and several friends got there a little bit early we all were waiting around anxiously excited to walk around all of the different venues. As we walked into the showroom at the market alumni center we were given a bag that had design expo 2011 written on it, we were also given a piece of paper that was used to vote for the best vendor that could potentially win a prize if they won. There were lots of great venues but one in particular truly caught my eye.

Bart Turner, who is the owner of Bart Turner and Associates, was by far my favorite vendor. He had so much positive energy and lots of interesting things to say about what his company’s purpose in the design world is all about. When I got to his station he began by giving out a pen, and talking about the basics of his company. Some of these were signs that are used in different settings such as hospitals and schools. They were a very simple and clean design that for example could be used to put the sign on the outside of a hospital room door that lets the nurses and doctors and family members know what is going on in that particular room. Such as being on a fall precaution, having this sign clean and orderly was a great way for the nurse to know that this particular patient is going to need assistance to go to the bathroom and other things because they are prone to falling in the condition that they are currently in.

As he was explaining all of the different types of sign designs that he works with, there was a brochure to the side that talked about television screens and creating menus with them. For example, in a modern and eco friendly design of a restaurant typically the restaurant would just print out menus and hand them out to the guest. With Bart Turners explanations, the newest thing is to put a television screen that is touch screen with a menu so that the customer can just touch on the television screen and create their own order and the order will be electronically sent directly back to the kitchen. Having this feature will create such an easy flow of the eating orders. Instead of having a waiter write down your order and possibly write down the wrong order you now can touch the screen and the order will be just the way your order it on the screen. Bart Turner was so enthusiastic when explaining all of this really cool new technology. For his presentation he had uploaded a video of this new technology in design that showed different examples of how these computer operated touch screen televisions can be used. The video was a great explanation.

I voted for Bart Turner and Associates as the best venue at the Design Expo. I did this because he truly explained the concepts of the design better then the videos that he showed us himself. He was so informative and motivational to me as a student about all of the new exquisite technology that I as a future designer will get to work with. I really enjoyed the Design Expo; I have enjoyed it every year that I have gone. It was fun to get dressed up, walk around with friends, eat snacks and learn about all of this great new innovative stuff in the design world. I am looking forward to the next two years of design expo and hopefully I will see Bart Turner again and talk more with him about how his new technology design is working out in the real world, I am sure he will have something new going on that will amaze me. Design Expo is a great experience for students to experience, there are so many venues that you can see how broad the interior design world truly is and all of the cool things that we will get to see in the future. 

Blog Post #4- Design Expo Learning Luncheon

Blog #4 – Design Expo Learning Lunch

            On Tuesday October 4, 2011, Texas Tech University has a luncheon and showroom full of different vendors for designers and student designers.  Fortunately, I got to attend the learning luncheon this year and I really enjoyed the speaker. Bryan Graham an interior designer who is now a furniture designer for knoll furniture. I really enjoyed hearing a well known designer talk about their experiences as a designer.

            Bryan Graham had lots of valuable information to tell while he was speaking at the learning lunch. He first started off by showing a picture on a slide show of his office in San Francisco, California. It was really neat seeing a picture of the space that the designer has all of their wonderful ideas drawn out. He explained to us that as an Interior Designer hanging things up was very important for the designer to notice any details that have been left out or changed. He had an excellent way of talking about the basics of interior design and furniture design and also life long strategy on how to work with a client, company, or with other designers.

            Before the Design Expo Luncheon I did not know who Bryan Graham truly was. I knew that he was a designer but I did not realize he was a designer for knoll furniture. It was really neat to hear a designer of furniture talk about the steps and ideas that actually went into a collection or piece of furniture that he had created as well as something that I have actually been drawing this year in Dr. Don Collier’s Interiors III course. The Graham Collection is the furniture that I am most familiar with of Bryan Graham.  He was a very entertaining speaker and liked to interact with the audience. It is amazing to see the change of presentations in the present day. At the design expo luncheon Bryan Graham showed his powerpoint presentation off of his iphone. I thought that was really cool because it was so casual but at the same time, a nice way to present something without staring at a computer screen and getting distracted.

            He had wonderful advice for students who are getting together their portfolios and trying to get jobs in the real world. One thing I specifically remember him talking about was how in our portfolios we need to show the employer how we developed and achieved the skills we know, especially in sketching.  His point to this was that as a designer, when he is interviewing students, he wants to know how this student processes and thinks through a situation. He wants this because he wants to see if the student and the employer are going to work well together while designing. If he can see the thought process of a drawing or sketch of an interior he can read the designer as a person and know if the work that particular designer produces is something that he can work with in the future of partnership in design.

            The design expo luncheon was extremely influential and a lot of fun. I learned things that I do not think I would have had the opportunity to hear anywhere else. Bryan Graham was a very entertaining speaker and I learned a lot.