Biography Poster Process Book

LAND WATER AIR

Process Book Sept 24–Oct 10, 2018 Lily Greenwald

“An idea is salvation by imagination.”

-Frank Lloyd Wright

Research for this project in a sense more biographical than visual. The intention was to translate someone’s work in the means of land, water and/or air. Because I chose an architect, and a very well-known one, I had to try to step away from the visual vocabulary he created to create my own. Therefore, the images I found of his work were to be used as support for the information I found rather than the information itself.

It was a simple process finding facts on Frank. It apparent in everything I read that nature was his muse for almost everything he’s done. He incorparted the landscape into his houses and vice versa. While researching, certain themes kept arising and in some resources those themes were expliciting laid out. It was my job to take those themes and find something eye catching out of one or a connection of some. Immediately, I thought of possible titles for my posters.

Style “Prairie Style” long, low, open plan structure

Emphasized horizontal line of the prairie and domesticity

“The relationship of inhabitants to the outside became more intimate; land

scape and building became one, more harmonious; and instead of a separate

thing set up independently of landscape and site, the building with landscape

and site became inevitably one.”

“Usonian” in Great Depression era developed simplified approach to residential construction that reflected both economic realities and changing social trends Philosophy “Design for Democracy” architecture for everyman “Integrity and Connection” not just about buildings but nourishing lives of those within them “Nature’s Principles and Structures” a truly organic building developed from within outwards

in harmony with time, place and inhabitants all different components work

together as one thing, Wright designed furniture, rugs, fabrics, art glass,

lighting, dinner and graphic arts “Material and Machine” constantly pushing boundaries of his field in terms of technology and tactics

testing his materials (sometimes to brink of failure) to claim something

uniquely his own “Architecture as the Great Mother Art” seeking a consistent expression of underlying unity Fallingwater Designed in 1935 as private residence/weekend home for family of Pittsburg department store owner, Edgar J. Kaufmann, Sr. Philosophy of organic architecture: harmonious union of art and nature In Laurel Highlands (Southwestern Pennsylvania) in Fayette County or 70 miles east of Pittsburgh Risen above the waterfall over which it is built Native sandstone and other materials quarried from the property Mountain stream called Bear Run Kaufmann thought Wright would design home on banks of river, facing the waterfall Wright wanted to integrate house with waterfall so it would be essential to the structure instead of being a pretty backdrop Interior meant to feel like the surrounding forest Rock outcropping incorporating into living room’s hearth Glass hatchway in main level’s floor opens to staircase leading down to stream below Color choice inspired by “the sere leaves of the rhododendron”

Upgrading Nature A house for everyman different than every man’s house

Falling for Frank Lloyd Wright Using the Sight as His Source Uniting Nature and Art Nature is not the view, it’s the house Working with Water Extending Nature A Comeback with a Fall

“Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.”

-Frank Lloyd Wright

I discovered it was harder to create a visual language that represents Frank Lloyd Wright without utilizing his work to some degree. While creating mock-ups I looked towards using his images of his work, or the blue prints of his work and also to not using any image at all and letting the text create an image while providing information.

I found myself consistently going back to using the blue print. I felt as though it was more legible and thus more succesful than the ideas that I had with only using text.

My idea with the text was to mimic a waterfall in a minimalistic manner but by doing so I felt as though I was not doing enough work. Additionally, I got more positive responses from my peers about the the blueprint version and although it isn’t immediate that it’s Frank Lloyd Wright from a blue print, it immediately reads as architect from a far distance when you may not even see the text on the poster.pr

“The truth is more important than the facts.�

-Frank Lloyd Wright

Refinement was an interesting process in that I felt I would make a large change then very small changes. I repeated this process twice or three times. With the blueprint, I made the decision to change the colorscheme and orientation. This allowed me to think of a more creative way to fit the information in the blue print rather than just placing text on top. In my original blueprint iterations, the name and title were integrated in an interesting manner but now I had to integrate both of them, whether separate or together in an interesting manner within the frames that the blue print laid out.

All the while, I did not let go of the waterfall idea. Although I wasn’t making new iterations, I still felt the need to pin up the idea with the blueprint. Eventually, I did make a completely new iteration of it that, when hung up at full scale next to the blueprint idea looked like two different people had done Frank Lloyd Wright and pinned up next to each other.

“The thing always happens that you really beleive in; and the belief in a thing makes it happen.”

-Frank Lloyd Wright

Critique is the reason for the decision that I made at the end of this project. The blueprint was nice, but it was expected. It wasn’t something someone had to think about, which can be a good thing, but I got tired of it and needed a change: a breath of fresh air, white space, type with no image.

The waterfall idea was there from the start but what really made it a feasible option as a final product was allowing the letters to be the waterfall rather than blocks of color in the background. I still made one last iteration of the blueprint version allowing more color and visual interest, but once I got going on the text as image idea the blueprint was lost on me. Seeing the letters condensed and connected and so blown up was the exact sensation of refreshing I was looking for. There had to be tweeks in how the body text was included; similar to the blueprint version, I had to look for negative space in the created image rather than try and force the text in space that didn’t exist. In the end, I am proud I made the switch to a smarter, found-image-free design.