Seeds of Design Influence

Wood workshop ,Bentota

As design students, we got a great opportunity to visit the wood workshop in Bentota. It is an area that manufactures furniture made out of both steel and wood.

 One of the most interesting aspect of the workshop was that they grew their own trees, cut the logs and put them together to make the furniture. After cutting the logs into the thickness they required, the wood is stored in the hut for some time before use.

Material Board.

After finalizing the materials required for the material board, the next task was to cut it into specific sizes according to the correct proportion. 

The Retail project, being our first main project as design students, gave us a small glimpse into the world of an Interior Designer. Since the beginning of the semester I was anticipating the day we will get our retail project brief, unaware of the struggles I will face in the days to come. And as the days went by, we completed small project such as model making and technical drawings, not knowing its importance until we got the brief for our first project.

The day finally arrived; marking the beginning of a nearly two month roller-coaster ride.

We had four deliverables for our project;

·         Development and research pack (45+)

·         Concept 3D model

·         Final Architectural model

·         2 x A2 printed presentation boards

All of which needed a lot of thought and hard work put into. Apart from this, we also had to pay attention to certain details while designing, such as lighting, materiality, target customers and type of furniture. We were also provided with a list of five brands to choose from; Prada, Camper shoes, Calvin Klein, G-star Raw and Desigual. For me, choosing the brand Desigual was a no brainer. I was always impressed by the design of their stores and their choice of bold colours and patterns,  

The first step in our design process was research. I started off by researching on the owner, Thomas Meyer, and how the company came into being. The company was launched in the year 1983 when Thomas Meyer released his first clothing, a denim jacket made of used denim trousers. Meyer then went on to release a second version of the jacket by obtaining a license from Disney the following year. This led to the opening of the first Desigual store in Ibiza. Apart from understanding the brand during the research, all our research work was to be documented, step-by-step. This was the first challenge I faced. Documenting all the information gained by portraying the core values of Desigual and also finding a balance between text, sketches and pictures while keeping the reader impressed and interested was a skill I had to develop.

The second step was coming up with a concept. I was not only inspired by the way Desigual made their customers interact with the clothing but also how they managed to interact each clothing with nature. After doing a couple of mind maps by following the advice of the lecturer, I came up with my final concept, ‘Connect’.

The next challenge was to make the 3D concept model. Making a 3D model was something I couldn’t comprehend at the beginning. However, after seeing a couple of works done by our seniors, I began to understand how to make an abstract model that does not necessarily explain your concept in the first glance. Thus, coming up with a sketch for the model became an easy task.

I now came to the point where I had to translate my concept into design. This got me brainstorming for ideas. As the store will be the first Desigual store in Sri Lanka, I knew I had to keep up with Desiguals’ crazy yet fun and colourful designs. And I also wanted it to be store that will give the customers of Sri Lanka a unique experience. This led me back to the first step, researching. This time however, I was researching on the different materials and technologies that can be used in order to make it an exciting experience.

After days of brainstorming for ideas, I learnt that we should not only come up with a design that looks good and portrays the concept, but it should also be functional. Due to this, many of designs had to be rejected as making it function in the space would be a difficult task. After finalizing the key features I wanted in my store, it was now time to draw the floor plans.

I started off by drawing the floor plans, sections and elevations of the space. By keeping multiple copies of each drawing, I started roughly drawing multiple layouts for each space. The main task at this point was translating my concept into design and being able to portray my concept with the choice of materials as well. After drawing a couple of layouts I decided to have my work reviewed before coming up with the final layout for each floor.

During my research, I found out that Desigual not only gives priority to the customers but they also ensured that their workers are always happy and they also focus on the importance of ‘being yourself’. Therefore I ensured that basement in the building has an entertainment section for the workers. Each floor is also equipped with a toilet for the handicapped which creates diversity not only in the customers shopping at the store but also in the workers.

After finalizing my floor plan, I began making my architectural model. As it wasn’t my first model of the space, I already had my main structure done. However the struggle began when I started making the furniture’s out of the 2 mm sun board. Cutting the boards to make furniture at a scale of 1:50 did not seem as easy as it looked.  

In addition to the four deliverables, a material board had to be submitted under the DE 1166 module, Architectural technologies for interior design. And thus the hunt for materials began. Going with my concept, I wanted to use materials that not only interacted with the people but also with each other. Thus, each section had a variety of materials. Hunting for materials made me realize that materials that we require would not always be present with the supplier, therefore we should be able to work our way with materials that are present. I also learnt that it is important to know the types of materials that are existing in the country before finalizing the proposal.

The stress and panic of not being able to complete on time began as we neared the submission day. The final touches in the presentation boards, architectural model and the development book were now being done.

Reflection!

Artificial Lighting!

These are few pictures of some lighting fixtures I have seen in IKEA.

Natural Light!

The effect of sunlight on the sky at different times of the day.

Light!

LIGHT ( / lʌɪt/ )

noun                                                                                            1.The natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible.                                                                    Synonyms: illumination, brightness, luminescence, luminosity,       shining, gleaming, gleam, brilliance

Light, due to the many applications it has, has revolutionized society through medicine, communications, entertainment and culture. It plays a vital role in our daily lives and without the invention of light, various privileges that we have would not be present today.                                                                             From its technological and manufacturing impacts to applications in healthcare, from its use in astronomy to molecular biology, and from poor lighting to light pollution, light is much more than just the switch of a bulb. 

Visible light, also known as the light we see, has great importance in the filed of design, although it is an element that is usually over looked. Just as color, lighting also helps in changing the mood of the space. It also helps in creating ambiance in a living space.

When we think of lighting, the first thing that comes to our mind is artificial light, however, finding a balance of natural light in a space is important too. 

The three main types of artificial lighting are,

Accent lighting

Task lighting 

Mood lighting 

Spreading Positivity!

One way of spreading light in terms of design is designing spaces and products that would help people or make their life easier. An example would be to design a space that is accessible for disabled people.

Colors used in Interior Design

COLORS! #2

In the last post i discussed about the meaning and emotions colors trigger. But what is color? How would you explain the color red? More importantly how would you explain colors to a person..... specifically, a blind person?

“What do blind people see?’ I was asked. “The color Black” was my immediate reply. However, after doing my research, i realized that blind people see nothing. Yes Nothing. I was never able to comprehend what the term “nothing” was. How can you see nothing? i mean, that has to have a color too right? Turns out that’s not how it works. 

Blind people not being able to sense even the color black is just like how we cannot sense the magnetic fields around us. Why would we need to sense the Earths’ magnetic filed? Well they give a sense of direction. For birds and other animals that can sense it, living without it would be impossible. However, since we can’t feel it, we don’t realize what we are missing. This is exactly how it is for a blind person. 

Below is a video of kids trying to explain color to a blind person.

Being able to see is a blessing whether we are color blind or not.

COLORS! #1

COLORˈ(/kʌlə)

noun                                                                                             1.The property possessed by an object of producing different sensations on the eye as a result of the way it reflects or emits light.                                                                                  Synonyms: hue, shade, tint, tone, tinge, cast, tincture

Color plays a very important role in our life. They have the ability to change our emotions and mood in more ways than other things.

“Colors, like features, follow the changes of the emotions.”                                                                           – Pablo Picasso

As designers, it is our duty to understand the emotions and moods that colors convey. They are an important tool for communicating and can indicate actions by triggering certain emotions. How does a yellow room make your feel? Does the color blue calm and relax you? How significant is the meaning of colors and why do they play such a big role in our lives? What impact do they have on our body and mind?

According to research, certain colors can raise a persons blood pressure just like how some of them can calm a person. They are also told to increase metabolism and cause eye strain if looked for to long. Surprising right?!                                                       Speaking of colors causing health problems, it is said that color can affect how food tastes and smell. it is a condition known as synaesthesia, which causes people to associate certain food with specific tastes. So what taste do you think the color yellow has?

Here are a few colors with their meaning.

Capturing small elements of nature...

Words of advice by Michelle Obama…

Came across few of my old paintings, sketches and drawings...