postcard to jay lennartson

diagrams

Syrian Biscuit Tin

The Syrian Biscuit Tin was created by Huntley, Boorne & Stevens in 1903. It was made with the technique of offset lithographic printing. The design was printed onto a glazed, flat cardboard sheet which was then offset on to the tinplate. The object has an overall hexagonal form and emulates a carved Islamic wood table from the 18th or 19th century. The colors used in the object are browns and golds. The top consists of 3 hexagons within each other, each ornamented differently. It consists of six sides and is very symmetrical. Each side is rectangular, has a square on it and is very intricately decorated. Repetition can be seen all throughout the object. Along each side is a pattern of repeating circles and diamonds. Along each top side is a pattern of diamonds and within each square is another pattern, all intricately ornamented. Along the top edge of each side is a solid band that is gold and really stands out in comparison to the rest of the object. Another part that catches your eye is the gold colored circles within each square. Overall, the biscuit tin is a solid form except for around the base on each side. Here you can see negative space between the ‘legs’ of the tin which has an Islamic shaped cut out.
One object that is similar to that of the Syrian Biscuit Tin is the Sofa by John H. Belter. The color scheme of the sofa is the same with browns and golds. The sofa is also symmetrical like the tin and is very intricately ornamented. An object that is contrasted to the biscuit tin is the Sheraton Tilt-top Dining Table. This table has a circular top and is one solid color. It also contains no ornamentation and is not as solid of a form as the biscuit tin.

communicate: get the message out

Here are the different marketing tactics that our group thought of to get the message out about our studio class:

people:
For marketing through people we would have a "hands across Greensboro." We would link hands from the Gatewood building down to the depot. We would also wear shirts with our logo and web address on them.

places:

For marketing through places we would wrap the bus depot and then we would also wrap bus shelters throughout Greensboro. The depot would be wrapped like the world since it is the center connecting point and all the shelters would be in green.

products:

We thought of several different products as a group. These include an umbrella, tote bag, calendar, and soap. All would include either our logo, website, or slogan...or a combination of the three.

print materials:
For print materials our group thought of using Grow-a-Note Paper which is a seed embedded paper that recycles into the ground naturally as the seedlings grow.
We would have the paper done in the shape of our logo and on one side we would print our slogan ("Gatewoods Gateway to the Gate City") as well as our website (http://www.communitybydesign.blogspot.com/). On the other side would be instructions on planting the paper.
We would not only hand these flyers out but also put them in the Greensboro newspaper so it could reach people all over Greensboro and beyond.


http: As far as marketing on the internet, our group decided on making youtube videos on all of our other marketing ideas and events that happen. These videos would be posted on youtube as well as our studio blog.


other:

We also choose to do marketing through an event. We would have a "Green Fest Weekend" where we would invite people in the community to come. There would be food, donors, concerts and information related to our project.

other group members include: Maiken, Melia, Monique, and Christyn

codes +

After paying closer attention to standards and codes, as a group, we realized we needed to make changes to the way we had designed things. Some of the changes include more space for egress, handicap accessibility, the amount of personal space a person needs, proper seat heights, stair heights and other ergonomic issues. As designers we need to recognize who we are designing for. Whether that is a child, an adult, or a handicapped person; each has differing abilities that have to be accounted for. Codes help in design by making sure that the environments that are designed are safe and accessible for people to interact with. They allow for consistency in design, no matter where you go, or who the designer is. Certain things will most always be the same. As designers, codes give us basic guidelines and understanding for what will make a space functional. They are also set in place to insure the safety for people that will be using the space. It helps us remember that we are designing for people and to keep our designs grounded in reality. We anticipate that codes will change our work as designers by taking our abstract designs from first year students and transforming them into spaces and environments that are usable and safe, as well as functional. We are no longer designing for our personal interests or what we think ‘looks good.’ We are now designing for the best interest of others, aesthetically and functionally, and codes will only help in this transformation.

Shelter Bus

bus shelter research

postcard

Dear Jenny,

Thank you for coming to speak to us on Wednesday about all the sustainibility practices here at UNCG. I think all the programs that are being practiced are excellent and I am proud to be part of a community that is doing this. I especially enjoyed hearing about all the different areas that sustainibility practices are being used. I was definitely surprised at how widespread and how many different areas there are. Thanks again for all the hard work you do to make not only our campus a better place but the world as well.

Meg McMillan

Taking a ride on the bus

the bus stop we choose to start at

about to get on the bus
detail picture of the seats on the bus

pulling up to the depot

seeing a person waiting at a bus stop...they look asleep

our ending stop

For our second project in studio we were ro take a ride on a city bus for at least a mile and take note of our surroundings as well as read an excerpt from William H. Chafe's Civility and Civil Rights. Despite the fact that I've riden on public transportation before I was nervous about this experience. I have never riden the Greensboro city bus and had no clue about the routes. Before going, Megan, Sara and I looked online to find the bus stops, where each route goes and the times. When we pulled up the website for the Greensboro Department of Transportation it took us a while to find out where the information we needed was. And even once we found it we were still unsure about what we were doing. We eventually found a route that we thought would be good to take and there was a bus stop right near my apartment so we decided to take that one. As we were getting ready to leave we asked Jenni if she wanted to go with us.
We eventually got at the bus stop and waited only a few minutes before the bus was there. I was kind of anxious about what was to happen because the bus stop signs that were there didnt give you a lot of information about where that route would take you, the bus fares, or any other information.
As we got on the bus, the bus driver asked us if we were going to the Depot, if we were going to transfer. I didn't know what this meant. I had assumed that the bus continually went along the route and that we could stay on the one bus until we got back. The four of us took a seat in the back and preceeded to take everything in. I had taken my sketchbook with me and had planned to draw on the bus, but it was way too bumpy for that. Jenni videotaped the entire trip while Sara and Megan took some pictures. The four of us definitely felt out of place on the bus, and people were definitely looking at us.
The bus then arived at the Depot and we had to transfer to a different bus. We had no clue which one to get on so I asked the bus driver which bus we would take to get us back to where we came from. His response: "well why did you get on the bus in the first place." We told him it was for a school project and then he pointed to the the one we needed to take.
We got on the second bus but there wasnt room for all four of us to sit together so we split up. Eventually we got back to where we started and everything worked out fine. However, I have to admit that it was not the greatest of experiences and a little bit stressful.
After riding the bus I read the reading by Chafe. The reading was about segregation of races. And for me personally it did not influence my perception of riding the bus. While we were on the buses I noticed that there were people from all different types of races; not just one in particular. I also noticed that a lot of the people looked like they were coming from a job or on their way to one by the way they were dressed. Some people slept on the bus, while others just sat there, but not many people really talked to one another. While I dont think there was an segregation as to race on the buses I definitely think there was a sense of segregation of class. We didnt see anyone dressed in a nice suit or someone that looked like they came from a high paying job.
Another thing that I noticed on the bus was how there was no information or clues that told you what to do. If you had never road the bus, you wouldn't know...and thats exactly how I felt. The only thing I knew was the little bit of information we saw on the the website and that was even unclear. What about the people that dont have internet service? I think a lot more could be done, could be designed better so that people could travel on the public bus system more easily. From this experience I learned that things need to be designed well so that people can easily understand it. That they dont have to ask people question or look very hard to find the answers that they need on how to get somewhere. Also, things should be designed so that people from all different walks of life can function easily, and confortably within a space.

A lesson in "Wayfinding"

So this first week of school has been a good but busy one. We've already completed our first project in studio that had to do with 'wayfinding.' We were each given a destination in Greensboro to go to. Along the way we were to take notice of what stood out to us and the different things that helped us to reach our destination. My destination was Dana Auditorium at Guilford College. The previous post shows all the things I saw on my journey. Along the way the different things I noticed were paths, edges, districts, nodes and landmarks. All of these things make up a city and help you to find your way or recognize where you are.

After each of us drew vignettes of our journeys we were to work as a group to create a composition of how our paths cross, converge or diverge. My group choose to each create a node, landmark, or edge that stood out to us in our journey. We then put all of these together to show how all of these work together to create a city.

After the four different groups in our studio class did there own group composition we had to work as an entire studio to create something even bigger that demonstrastes wayfinding. As a studio we decided to make a game that not only demonstrates the sense of wayfinding but all aides in learning the different elements in a city.

From all of this I've really learned about design and the way in which things should be planned out. Interior spaces should be designed well so that people can easily move around in them and understand the space and this should not be limited to signs. There are many other things in our environment that help us in wayfinding.