finis. design portfolio
content professional design work:
communicating planned action th 145 shoreline subarea plan otak, inc,
conveying lid strategies city of burien lid code update otak, inc.
downtown revitalization city of twin falls otak, inc.
personal design work:
graphic design on the street event posters and marketing
signage and history
experiential design / signage
leave your mark
urban art intervention
disclaimer: all professional work shown is created by myself as a member of the otak team. The work was created in contractual consult with the defined municipality or party. these work examples are meant to exemplify my capabilties as an urban planner and designer. While all shown illustrations, maps, and diagrams examples were created by me, as with any collaborative design process, i cannot claim 100% responsibilty for the final published documents or designs, unless otherwise noted,
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potential residential development existing land use and planned mur-35’ mix
potential mixed use development planned mur-70’ and mur-45’ mix
communicating future planned action
professional design project
the 145th Street Light Rail Station Subarea Plan is an effort to define long-term land use planning goals through the engagement and support of community members and stakeholders in planning for the linkage of Shoreline to the regional light-rail transit network. This project included the development of responsible zoning recommendations in support of future transit-oriented development. Professional responsibilities included, but were not limited to, developing maps and experiential graphics of future conditions.
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conveying strategies
low-impact urban development professional design project
water is Introduced from Atmosphere through rainfall as a product of evapotranspiration
water runs from polluted streets into curb extensions and bioretention cells (figures 1 and 2)
polluted water is cleaned by soils and plants, infiltrating to the water table or reintroduced to the atmosphere through evapotranspiration.
The Low-Impact Development (LID) Code Update for the City of Burien included the research and development of municipal code recommendations to the City for the incorporation of LID strategies in future planned development in an effort to preserve and enhance urban and environmental health.
for this project, my responsibilities were as follows: 1. research lowimpact development best practices strategies as they apply to the city at macro and mirco scales; 2. develop illustrations to clearly communicate the value of the proposed strategies;
Cleaned, infiltrated water flows to creeks, rivers, watersheds, and the ocean. This water provides aquatic habitat, and is reintroduced to the atmosphere in a circuitous cycle.
how lid street interventions affect aquatic habitats and health
3. create a form planting plan and palette of native vegetation suitable for bioretention planting for use by developers or community members in public-private lid interventions.
lID strategies for
streetscape design Some LID strategies for urban environments include curb extensions, bioretention cells, and utilizing native vegetation as plantings. These strategies are implemented at the street level and can serve the concurrent functions of mitigating the impact of stormwater runoff, improving environmental health, and creating a pleasant pedestrian experience. Curb Extensions clean polluted street runoff (Figure 1, runoff is illustrated as white arrows, while cleaned water is blue). Water is cleaned by creating curb-cut inlets that capture and clean runoff before infiltration. Bioretention Cells (Figure 2) capture runoff from the street and hold it in deep, planted cells along the sidewalk. The cells also filter stormwater runoff before infiltration into the water table.
figure 1: Planted Curb Extensions
carex obnupta
lupinus
betula papyrifera
cornus sericea
polystichum munitum
acer circinatum
symphoricarpos albus
cornus sericea
native bioretention planting palette
figure 2: bioretention cell installed on an urban sidewalk
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street furniture space plan mid-block crossing
Arrangment of 6’ benches alongside light posts creates an intimate “Living Room-Style” space, promoting social interaction; Preservation of accessible pedestrian and thoroughfare from crosswalk; Situation of bike racks behind the planted area and near storefronts provides greater visibiity and security for locked bicycles; Placement of garbage and recycle bins near the sidewalk provides greater pedestrian access for disposal.
developing urban design
streetscape solutions
professional design project
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street furniture space plan amenity zone
4’ benches flexibly arranged in 4’ amenity zone create an intimate conversational area to promote social interaction;
The Main Avenue Master Plan and Streetscape Design Project encompasses the revitalization of a five-block downtown street core and alleyway network to include physical design improvements for traffic flow, elevating the pedestrian experience, creating equitable public space in sidewalks and plazas, and improving user accessibility.
Benches are situated on northwestern side of street trees for maximum shaded comfort in the hottest part of the summer day.
illustrated space planning and street furniture designed by finis ray as a member of the otak team in consult with the city of twin falls.
graphic design on the street personal design project As a designer, I lend my visual communication skills to the local techno-music artists’ collective, MÖbius Sisters. The collective hosts shows at the Seattle LGBT enclave, The Eagle. This type of personal design work opens opportunity to participaate in a layered approach to urban planning and design, as these posters are representations of the intersection of graphic design, street art, and microurban economics. Decorating street light poles or windows of businesses, these posters contribute to life on the street and an individualized pedestrian experience. Functionally, the posters seek to drive urban dwellers to support local artists at a local gay establishment. Further, by promoting the attendance of events at the Eagle, I am striving to advance the preservation of gay enclaves for myself and my community in Seattle, and promote social equity on a micro-scale. To read my graduate public history research paper with regard to the Seattle LGBT community, please visit: Gay Spaces of Seattle: The Devolution of Pioneer as a Gay Enclave.
poster concept one Television Static
poster concept two discotheque
poster concept three black textures posters designed by finis ray as a personal design project.
signage and history
experiential design personal design project
An historic Seattle factory is in the process of being transformed into a museum. As part of an in-house design workshop, I developed art and signage concepts to help convey the history of the building and attract visitors from the street. The three large heads are representative of the changed status of the human in the evolution of industry. Once an integral cog in the industrial machine, the human has become less and less significant, illustrated in the changing sizes of the heads. They give a subtle historical story, while also serving as public art and playscapes, giving imageability to the site and opening opportunity for user-marketing through social media posts and photos. The signage is simple – “Steam” – noting the function of the historic factory as a steam plant. The shadows cast from the letters cut-out from industrial metal change shape and form throughout the day, taking the form it that is prescribed by the elements – not unlike steam itself.
ENTRANCE SIGN CONCEPT CUT-OUT TEXTURED METAL 5’-0” X 10’-0”
streetscape, illustrations, and space planning designed by finis ray as a personal design project for this portfolio.
LEAVE YOUR MARK
URBAN ART INTERVENTION
personal design project
“LEAVE YOUR MARK” WAS A TEMPORARY URBAN ART INTERVENTION THAT ASKED PEDESTRIANS TO LEAVE PHYSICAL TRACES OF THEIR MOVEMENTS ON THE SIDEWALK TO CREATE A LIVING, MOVING, MURAL. WASHABLE, BIODEGRADABLE PAINT WAS POURED INTO PUDDLES OUTSIDE THE U-DISTRICT FARMER’S MARKET, INVITING PEDESTRIANS TO STEP IN IT AND PLAY. SOON, COLORFUL FOOTPRINTS TRAILED FROM CROSSWALKS TO STOREFRONTS. FOLLOWING POLICE INTERVENTION, CAUTION TAPE CORDONING OFF THE PAINT, PEDESTRIANS PROTESTED, PUTTING PAINT ON THE CAUTION TAPE, ORANGE CONES, AND LEAVING WRITTEN MESSAGES ON THE SIDEWALK.
a personal academic project for a graduate architecture studio. concept by finis ray, done in collaboration with colleagues..