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For todays assignment I am doing it on the romanticism style. In the photo is a picture of Davis Hall on the URI campus. The architecture of this building is absolutely beautiful and was built back in 1895. The URI website even identifies it as the most recognizable building on campus because of its “castle-like” appearance. The turret roof and stone on the building is what gives off the medievalism and gothic style as well. A lot of the older buildings on the URI campus show a similar style to this, but the new/remodeled buildings are loosing this style and becoming more contemporary. 

For todays assignment I chose to focus on the neoclassic style. In these two photos is the replica Monticello that is actually located in my home town, Somers, Connecticut. The first pic is from my brothers prom but I grabbed a photo from google of the entire building since I didn’t have a good one in my camera roll. This building represents the neoclassic style because of its very basic classic look. It also gives a very federalist style with the red brick and very grand entry way. This building definitely does not belong in my very small town which is surrounded with corn fields and tobacco but that is why its neoclassic style stands out so much because there are no other building like this in my town. When you move inside the building it also represent a neoclassic style, everything is very clean, sterol like and more modern versus the Baroque style which is very layered and detailed. Neoclassic still shows wealth but in a more subtile. 

Cultural Identity is feeling like you belong to a specific group, whether it be nationality, ethnicity, religion, social class, or even what generation you are in. Cultural identity plays a huge role in design when it comes to the clothing you wear or even how your house is decorated, the way it is built ect. Our lives actually revolve around cultural identity because it also plays a role on how we view ourselves and others. I chose Lulu Lemon leggings for a piece of clothing that makes me feel like I am part of a specific “group” I use quotations around the word group because there is a lot of controversy around these types of leggings and how people will assume you are wealthy and assume your social class if you wear them, which is why I think its a perfect example of cultural identity. Now personally I do not purchase these leggings because I want people to think of me as wealthy because I certainly am not at all!  I buy them because they are good quality and have lasted me many years so it was almost like an investment. The number one element of this product that makes it identify as a cultural identity is the price point, they retail for just about $98.00 a pair, the entire brand is very pricy which then makes the people who wear and buy their products look like they are in a higher class. 

Yesterday I took a trip to Newport and went to the Brick Ally Pub restaurant, they have so many great examples of 3d design elements as you can see from this picture.  Specifically I would like to focus on the 3d tiger head they have displayed. If this were changed into a 2d painting or drawing of a tiger the sense of it actually being in the room with you would be completely lost. Since this tiger is more simplistic and not as realistic in its features, if this were transferred into a sketch it wouldn’t be as interesting to look at or have any impact on people viewing it. The fact that the tiger is a 3d sculpture makes it okay that it is not as realistic because you still get the feeling that it is real and in the room with you. For this piece to become 2d and still have the wow factor on people it would defiantly need to have lots of realistic features with emphasis on the shadows and highlights to almost give a 3d feel even though it would be 2d. 

      For this assignment the item I chose for good design is the key pad locks on our dorm room doors. The purpose for this design of lock is for the safety of not only the students living inside the rooms but also their belongings. Each resident that lives in the room has their own personal key code which makes the security even better and also the fact that you need your ID card to swipe before hand. All of these functions this lock has are important to communicate to someone who would be creating an lock like this. The design of this is quite simply and would be easily explained to a new user, once they has an activated ID card all they have to do is swipe it and enter the custom code given to them. Inherent constraints include, the durable material it is made of and the compact shape and size the lock. An Imposed constraints on this product could be the fact that if you had the physical key you wouldn’t need to use an ID card or pin number to enter the room and it would be a bit easier. 

      For this assignment the item I chose for having a deign problem is my sectional couch at home. Now although this couch may look very enjoyable to lounge on it actually has a lot of deign issues. Starting with the cushions, they are very hard and dense making it very uncomfortable, we have had this couch for years and it hasn’t been worked in at all. The next problem that my dad always points out is when you sit back in the couch your feet don’t touch the ground because of how thick the frame of the couch is and wide the cushions are. The way I would tackle these issues to create a deign solution is changing the material used for the cushions and cutting down the height of the frame of the couch so that when you sit you have maximum comfort for this style of couch. The one thing I wouldn’t change about this piece of furniture is the fabric used because it is very soft and similar to a sued. These issues that me and my family have noticed over time are important for everyone to keep in mind when trying to find the perfect couch for your home. My family and I actually rarely sit in there anymore since we bought recliner couches for our den!