EVODESIGNing
Midterm Learning Portfolio Craig Dias Instructor: Jerry Lum Fall 2015
Week 1-2: The Sign Design as a Language -Anything we design is intended to express and evoke an emotional experience within any person viewing, using, or experiencing our designs -Designing our own personal signs was a fun experience. I had never seen such personalized signs as some of those found in Paris, had never considered how these store front signs might be used to communicate the type of business as well as atmosphere within. Perhaps more specifically I had simply never associated this idea with a storefront sign before; this type of design thought went into logo design, an area I had never attempted but had learned a little about. Mostly though, the signs from where I grew up were fairly straightforward, something eye catching enough to get you to stop and shop.
-This was, in my mind, the first attempt I have made to put some meaning behind every element I chose to use. Symbolism is an interesting idea, one that is immensely powerful and can bring life to your work and yet, at the same time, can be completely overlooked. Symbols, like words, represent a whole idea. A red octagon on a pole tells us to stop; two solid white lines across a road represent a safe area for people to walk; rectangular cloths with patterns of colors represent flag which are the symbols for whole nations of people. -However, the message we intended may not be the one interpreted by the viewer. In this sense, unlike words, symbols can be ambiguous. Not only might they have different cultural meanings but different personal ones as well, specific to each individual person. Yet the power of symbols cannot be denied. I have often wondered if we are able to recognize in some way, even if we are unconscious of it, when a designer is trying to communicate something through their work, or if we as the viewer are simply filling in the gaps ourselves because it has a “high brow� label attached to it, giving meaning where there may be none.
-The adjectives I chose were simple, complex, and calm. I began by looking up images that may have been related to these words. I knew from the start that I wanted to use some meditative image, specifically the raked pebbles found in Japanese gardens. Originally I was going to use a combination of the pebbles with stones stacked on top of each other, a simple form that is complex to balance and is also very calming. However, the gesture of the pebbles brought to mind a mountain and river so I started exploring this further. -When I started laying out the design I knew I liked the idea of how the final composition would turn out but was unsure how it would represent the adjectives I chose. My solution was to use negative space and cut the pieces out of the wood but use simple shapes to give just enough of an impression of what the scene contained. I felt that the idea of carving wood was a simple one, as were the shapes used to make the scene. So too as the scene itself, a simple composition of a river and some mountains, a calming place deep within an imaginary forest. The complexity, for me, was in trying to give just the right amount of an impression of the scene without being too heavy handed.
Week 1-2: The Sign -My first attempt was incomplete for a number of reasons. Most key was actually deciding on a final design, finding me going through multiple iterations before deciding on the best one. Secondly was material choice. I had decided to use balsa wood even though it was my first time carving anything out of wood. I completely underestimated the amount of time it would take to draw the composition desired and ultimately carve it out. Due to this delay I was unable to design a way to finally mount the sign. -My second attempt was much more successful, not least of all because I managed to complete it. With a solid design already in mind, I made a few minor teaks that I was critiqued on in class which was mainly focused on the composition itself. From there I was able to quickly lay out the drawing, moving swiftly on to the actual carving. Most of the difficulties of carving into the wood I had encountered in my first attempt were fairly easy to overcome and I was able to do the more intricate cuts without snapping the wood.
Week 3: A Short Stroll Design as a Language -Recognizing elements in other designers works and how the relationship between those elements affect our experience of them serves to enhance our own work -Originally I had picked Golden Gate Park because it was close to my house but in the end I’m glad that I did. I have oftenly walked through places in San Francisco, enjoying the experience of discovering a new area with all its nooks and hidden doorways. However, I was incapable of expressing the specifics of it because I lacked the vocabulary to do so; perhaps too I was simply incapable of recognizing the elements around me. I am beginning to think that in order to fully understand how any one design affects us we must be able to reflect on, and have a clear picture of, who we are as a person. -Getting lost in Golden Gate Park is always a means to a good day. It reminds me of being back home in Kona though, with much much taller trees. While I had been in the park many times, I had never stopped to put into words the reasons for my experience of the park.
-Most memorable was the feeling of disorientation after leaving the park. The second windmill actually confused me at first, making me think I was exiting where I had started. I had actually walked a considerable distance though it felt like nothing at all. The walk back to my starting point, along the Pacific Highway felt almost arduous because it was one straight path with the destination looming ahead, slowly getting closer. -In the park the roads are curved ever so slightly, sloping over gentle hills. Here the destination is never clear. The tall trees of the park act not only as a sound barrier but a literal wall between the city and the park within. As you slowly recede into its depths, the hustle and bustle of the city fades away tilll all you hear is the occassional car and the wind through the trees. -At times I felt as though I were exploring a whole new place I had never been before. Along the road are sperate walk paths that lead deeper into the forest. Its easy to get lost in here and still feel like you haven’t traveled far at all. I wonder if this was simply because I had no destination in mind, no purpose for walking through other than to enjoy the experience. Would I have felt diferently if I ere trying to get to a specific area of the park? Was what I recognized the objective intent of the design of the park or was it only my subjective experience of it?
Week 4: Project Wall-Research Design as a Language -”Of each particular thing ask: what is it in itself? What is its nature?” -Marcus Aurelius -In the beginning it was less about looking at examples of architecture that had already been built as much as thinking about the idea of how to envoke a feeling of wonder. This question became more specific to wondering what a feeling of wonder truly was. Why do we experience that sense of wonderment, amazement, that feeling that leaves us standing in awe? -I feel that this sense of wonder is tied to strong emotional experiences we have that are attached to specific events, places, or times. This feeling can be both positive and negative. The raw power and force of a hurricane or tornado dumbfounds us. We may be scared, fearful for the people caught in its path, yet we would stand in amazement with an overwhelming sense of awe, marveling at the destruction left in its wake. A long tight hallway leading to some focal point at its end has an aura of mystery surrounding it, again sparking our curiosity but in a much gentler, more tranquil setting. Both “events” are polar opposites of each other and yet can have an equally strong effect. Thus, I am beginning to think that in order to evoke this sense of wonder in any one person, the places we design must act as a catalyst for a strong emotional experience.
-With this line of thought, one of the strongest tools is the use of light. While it is an obvious statement perhaps, we take for granted that it is only with light that we are able to see anything at all. We need light, are totally accustomed to broad daylight. I think that because of this, when a space plays with light in some way we are immediately drawn to it. -It was with this idea that I began to construct my wall. The first hurdle to overcome was simply designing just a wall. At first I thought it was impossible to design a wall without the context of the rest of the building to help inform any decisions made. I began to build too much, tried to consider too many options in the beginning that had no real effect on the final outcome. In other words, the designs were shit.
Week 4: Project Wall-Research -Taking a step back, I suddenly remembered the Vietnam Memorial. It was funny too that it was mentioned in class. Here is a wall, specifically just a wall that still manages to have an extremely profound effect on any viewer. Unlike the other memorials you might see, the “wall” is hidden, low to the ground, seemingly symbolic of an entrenched position and the nature of how the Vietnam War is remembered in US history. The cold black granite gives the memorial a certain prestige and class while simultaneously making the space feel cold, somber. The names of all the soldiers, stacked one on top of the other in chronological order seems symbolic of a mass grave, bodies stacked neatly in rows and columns. Here I found the most perfect example of using only a wall, designing specifically a wall, that still manages to have an impact on any who visit the site. I went back to the drawing board at this point with the intention of designing specifically just a wall, focusing only on “it” and not worrying about the larger context of the space as a whole.
-I took a second look at the project here, considering how I could achieve all the objectives laid out in the project guide with only a wall. At this point one of my main focuses became creating a kind of nook, some safe little corner of the world free from prying eyes and distractions yet still kept a warm welcoming feeling on the inside. -I began to ask what a wall was as its own standing element. On the surface a wall is a wall. However, upon its construction it becomes a marker, a symbol of human engineering, craftsmanship, and perhaps in some way our own existence. If we imagine walking through a park and suddenly spotting a wall in the distance, not only would we recognize it as such but we may be drawn to it, our curiosity aroused. Why is it there? What is its purpose? Is it the remnants of a building now in ruins or is it a part of some art installation? A wall is a wall but it can become many things depending on the context we place it in and its relationship to that context. This seems true for any element in architecture we use as well as in our own personal lives.
Week 5-8: Project Wall -My first attempt at constructing the wall was pretty poor. I originally cut the pieces out modularly with the intent of gluing or taping the walls together once all the pieces were cut. This turned out to be a bad decision. Though my measurments were accurate, taping the pieces together was incredibly time consuing with a poor result in the end. -When I got to class I took note of the work of some of my peers. I noticed hat instead of cutting out individual modules they cut the wall out of one piece, bending it where they wanted a change in direction. This was such a simple and obvious solution that I had totally overlooked. -More determined than ever I returned home to reconstruct my wall. I kept the same measurements that I had originally decided on as I felt they were still to scale. The whole of the south wall spans 10” or 40’. The easter portion of the wall extends to exactly 5” or 20’, with its lowest point being 3” or 12’ high and rising to 3.75” or 15’ high. Thus, the “nook” begins at the exact center of the wall. However, I extended the corner obliquely, rather than symmetrically to distort the persons sense of proportions. By doing so, the nook of the room appears off-centered. The space here spans across by 3” with the west most wall being 2”.
-My second attempt was much more successful. It was a bit difficult to get the chipboard to hold its shape but I was still pretty happy with the end result, at least with the construction side. My biggest challenge was getting the light wells to work properly. As I was building the model, the question of how to direct light into the nook hounded me. The idea of the elevating roof came to me quite by accident! Quite a happy accident though as it not only allowed light into the space but gave the nook more visual weight, further making it the focal point of the room.
Week 5-8: Project Wall -It was around this point that I took the model into the 3D world. Not only could I quickly make changes to my design without cutting the whole thing out again, I was also able to do some quick lighting tests. My first tests showed that the nook still was not receiving enough light so I cut some small windows into its walls to get the glow effect I wanted. I also began adding a roof as well as some parts of the rest of the space.
-I was able to fully refine my narrative at this point. The approach to the site would be from the south, the building perched high on a hill. The nook would stand out here because of its construction but the heavy solid walls that enclose it disguise its light interior. When a visitor finally reaches the top of the site, they would enter the building from the north. -I want the nook to be a private area away from any public spaces, obvious and visible when you approach but discrete and hidden once you actually enter. To this end, in theory, there would be focal points that visitors would be drawn to once they enter from the north. Taking a cue from my walk in the park, I would probably use a lot of diagonals to disorient the vistor, disrupt their sense of direction to further hide the nook away. -My metaphorical stance, as chosen from the list, as the wall is my fortress. My own personal one that took shape would be less personality, more character.
Week 5-8: Project Wall
Week 5-8: Project Wall
Hope you’ve enjoyed! Thanks for reading Craig