Kayla Towns

ID 3311.002

GAINES

24 October 2011

Blog 7: Analyzing Design Elements and Principles

For this blog, I chose this image because in many ways, it exemplifies both the elements and principles of design. The elements of design are line, space, shape, form, texture, pattern, and color/ light. The principles of design are balance, rhythm, emphasis, scale, unity, variety and harmony. To begin my analysis, I will start with the elements of design.

In this photo, line is expressed through the horizontal and vertical lines in the doors and bookshelves, as well as the back of the couch and the coffee table. The use of shape is also found in the different accessories on the coffee table, shelves, as well as the “C” shape chairs and the square lamp shades. There are also several different textures is the room, such as fabric, metal, and wood. Although this room has a neutral color scheme, there is a use of color as an accent in the paintings around the room and through the doors to brighten the room with little punches of color.

And now I will analyze the principles of design and the use of each in the room. This room is incredibly balanced. From the arrangement of the chairs and couch to the placement of the shelves around the double-doors, this room is balanced 100%.  Even the lighting is balanced, both in the lamps and the accent lighting. The paintings start on the far left wall, make their way through the left shelves, through the doors and to the right shelves, creating a consistent rhythm and pattern across the space. The pillows on the couch also create a rhythm of square objects. There is a common theme of square shapes throughout most of this space, i.e. lamp shades, pillows, wall art, etc. There is emphasis put on both the coffee table and the shelves with lighting. There is also variety in the space, i.e. the gray throw pillow on the couch, the displayed items on the shelves and the cylindrical lamp shade on the right. As a whole, this room creates harmony through the choice of color, shape, and line. The fact that this room is almost perfectly balanced speaks for itself in the harmony department.

Overall, this room exemplifies most of the design elements and principles. I could definitely see myself spending time in this room because it is so inviting. Were it not for the design elements and principles, this room would be chaos and no one would spend time in it. Thank goodness for order!

Unusual Materials

Kayla Towns

ID 3311.002

GAINES

20 October 2011

Blog 6: Unusual Materials

For this blog, I had a hard time choosing what unusual material I would focus on. There are a lot of really cool ideas out there that are eco-friendly and beautiful at the same time. Although the material I chose is not eco-friendly, it is really quite beautiful in its own right considering what it is made out of.

After searching through many different unusual materials, I stumbled upon a very unique Chaise Lounge. Can you guess what it’s made out of? It’s a little out there, but this chair is made out of balloons, thousands of them! This lounger is actually an art piece, designed by Pini Leibovich, that is on exhibition in Israel at the Design Museum Holon. The most recent exhibition, which included this lounger, was held from May to September, highlighting many Israeli artists and designers work. Their instructions were to create something “straddling tradition with innovation” with whatever materials they wanted to use (a very open-ended charge). The Happy Material, as Leibovich calls his lounger, is not the only balloon chair he has created. There are at least two others that I could find. Pictures of these chairs are posted at the end of this blog. Leibovich is not only a consumer goods designer, but also a teacher at Shenkar College of Engineering and Design in Tel Aviv. Although he spends much of his time teaching, he loves to experiment with color, form and different materials. His balloon chairs have been featured in several different places, such as Zilla Online Magazine and Dwell Magazine. His work is all over the internet, proof by the multiple websites that contain information and pictures of his work.

In conclusion, although my material was not necessarily eco-friendly, it most certainly is beautiful. Pini Leibovich’s work is worth recognizing and investigating and I am glad that I took the time to check out what he does. It’s inspiring to see others so inspired by the simple. Life is most certainly about the little things.      

Kayla Towns

Design Day

GAINES

18 October 2011

Design Day

Design Day this year was really a very special treat for me this year. Although I wasn’t able to go to the learning lunch because of a test in another class, I was able to make it for awhile to the rest of the festivities. One of Dr. Collier’s good friends Brian Graham was the guest speaker at the luncheon and he ended up hanging around and talking with us at the Expo. I have had personal experience with Brian previously from the San Francisco trip Dr. Collier took us on during Spring Break back in March. We toured the Knoll showroom there and got to meet his lovely wife as well. He shared with us some of his design inspirations for his new lines and taught us everything there was to know about Knoll and what they do. We got to go through the showroom and try out ALL of the furniture. That was a blast! I’ve never enjoyed learning so much about furniture and office space solutions in my life. Getting to talk with Brian at the Expo made me relive a lot of moments from the Spring that I really enjoyed. In talking with Brian, I found out that he is a very down-to-earth person. Most designers that have made it to the big times think they’re too good to associate with or help students, but Brian’s not like that and that’s what I appreciate so much about him. He has always been warm and welcoming and open to any questions we might have for him about design or really anything for that matter. All in all, he’s just a really good man. We need more good designers like him in this world. Just as last year, there was wonderful food (those firecrackers were my favorite this year and last) and lots of good samples and pamphlets to take home. I came home with an entire bag full of goodies… again. When I get in a pinch with a project, it really helps to have abundant resources to rely on.

In conclusion, I really enjoyed Design Day at The Expo and look forward to next year. It is always a pleasure to be in a room full of sophisticated and ambitious designers and I am proud to be able to call myself and my friends as such. What a wonderful life this is turning out to be.

Materials Analysis- Draft 1

Kayla Towns

ID 3311.002

GAINES

6 October 2011

Materials Analysis: Library

For my materials analysis, I decided to take a closer look at a location students frequent and use every day on campus: the library. The library is a place for research, studying and quiet time and as students, we all need a place to do these things, so the library seemed to be the right choice for this assignment. In summary, the pros and cons of the materials used on the furniture in the library will be analyzed and discussed.   

To begin, as I already stated, I chose the library because it is frequented by students on a daily basis. When entering the library, there are many types of seating and materials to choose from, but in the end, it was the comfy lounge seating that I deduced would be the most used by tired students. In deciding this, I went straight away to the corner under the stairs to check out the empty seating. Upon my arrival, the chairs seemed to be in pretty good order. A closer look showed that heavy-duty material is used for the cushion and back of the chair and faux leather for the arms and base. The cushion material is made of a heavier, tightly woven material which will make it more durable. It is fairly soft in texture and is pretty comfortable. Because it is made of a thicker material, I concluded that it has a high double-rub count and that it is sustainable. The geometric shape pattern, along with the color scheme of purple, orange, green and yellow, makes for a very aesthetically pleasing look. The down side of this material, however, is that it stains easily. In the future, Scotch guard might be a good investment to keep it clean.

The faux leather is very similar to the first material for the cushions. It has a soft, smooth texture and is very comfortable to lounge on. It is also very heavy-duty in nature and is sustainable. The purple-grey color ties in nicely with the cushion material and grounds the whole chair with a deep, solid color.  The only sign of wear on the leather is a small patch on the arm where it is beginning to tear.

Overall, the choice of materials for the furniture in the library are good ones. They are both appropriate for the purposes they serve and are standing up well to the wear-and-tear of every day student life. Minus a few little problems, the materials chosen for the lounge seating in the library are a definite success.

Material Images