The Third

When two dimensional forms are extruded they become three dimensional and then we get to live with them. Up until now we have explored the most basic concepts of design and now we are looking into those that we can touch and feel.

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Every single that we touch and use on our every day lives has all the characteristics of a three dimensional object: mass and volume.

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The successful transformation of two dimensional drawings into objects is the goal of every designers from industrial ones that design tiny chips for computers to architects who build massive skyscrapers.

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The best thing to remember when you design in paper is to visualize the impact that object is going to have on the real space, how is it going to look three dimensionally once you place it, and how its volume and mass is going to affect the other objects that surround it. Understand your objects and they'll work in your favor!

Have a lovely Monday!

Beachy Friday

I started the weekend yesterday with a sunset stroll on the beach and this weekend will be cheering on some friends running a triathlon. Will also take some time to visit all the blogs I haven't had the time to check over the past few weeks... Oops!

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Here are this week's links:

Gatsby's Storyteller

Environmental GIF's

Life on Mars

Moon's H2O

Everything Met Ball 2013

Trashy Store

CEO's and Employees

Women and Sports

New Target Collab

Gatsby Drinks

ABBA Museum 

Splurge of Save Diamonds

Have a great weekend!

Suspended Shapes

I have been a bad designer the past few weeks as my little studio on the beach looks nothing like I have been wanting it to look like. Since I arrived here, I've been collecting twigs and other things to make a nice long wall mobile... but work and life have gotten in the way.

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I have this loooong wall and the building doesn't let me put nails on the walls, so what I want to do is put double sided tape hooks and create a really long mobile on the wall.

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The challenge has been to narrow down the things I want to hang on the wall and the more I think about it the longer its taking me... Unfortunately, the organic nature of the project is out the window already!

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So, to make a long story short... I'll take a few days or mental break from the project, cool down and resume next week. I will take the tried and true design advice of stop thinking about it so I can retake it with a fresh perspective. What do you think? I guess this is a nice little conundrum to have... ha!

Have an easy day!

Flat Lands

One of the most visited parts of Argentina is La Pampa, which covers almost 300,000 square miles {or 750,000 km2} vast uninterrupted lands and extends into Uruguay and Brazil.

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This area is know for its fertile soil which makes it ideal for agriculture, wineries and cattle farmers. The famous Gaucho {or the regional version of the cowboy} comes from this region and is part of the national and regional identity of Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.

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The name Pampa comes from the indigenous language of Quechua meaning "flat surface". The dry zone of La Pampa is mostly barren and dry with streams and sandy deserts. The humid area comprises part of the province of Buenos Aires and it's the economic engine of Argentina.

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The main cities in these region are Buenos Aires, Santa Fe and Cordoba. The weather is mild most of the year and rains sporadically throughout the year. The best times of the year for travel are end and beginning of the year during the warmer months.

Have a lovely day!

Flat on my Plate

Flat shapes or two dimensional ones are present on everything... even our food. If you think about it so many of the things we eat have a shape like the ones from yesterday's post.

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When planning a menu, you can rely on how your dish is going to look by making use of some design principles, how they are best displayed on the plate and later on the table.

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You can complement the roundness of a tortilla, quesadilla or crepes with the round shape of a plate on top of a charger which is on top of a square place mat. Or you can think of a waffle and its many little shapes in contrast with a round plate and round berries on top.

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Use shapes to make the dish stand out when people look into it, you have the opportunity to enhance the flavor and the experience.

Have a delicious day!

Flat Shapes

All shapes start with a dot that extends into a line and end up forming a shape. We use two dimensional shapes on everything like fabric prints, paintings, and even when we set up the table for a party.

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Circular and round shapes give the impression to be constantly in motion, they are perfect as the have no beginning and no end, and the are the sign of eternity. They are perfect to be used in places where you want to create motion or a festive environment, they remind you of the sun when used with warm colors or the moon when used with cool ones, and they are playful in children's rooms.

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Square shapes are elegant, stable and balanced. These shapes are great to be used in seating arrangements as square tables are easier to fit in a space, square shapes buildings look more solid as they are firmly grounded and they are the foundation for the suits worn by men.

 

 

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Triangles are the divine shapes as they have been used throughout to define the trinity in Christianity or the burial place by the Egyptians when they built the pyramids. Triangles are directional and remind us of the way tree branches grow.

 

Have a lovely Monday

Smell Good Town

The other day I saw on TV a piece on the beautiful town of Grasse in the Alpes-Maritime on the French Riviera. This town dates back to the Medieval Ages and it's considered the world's perfume capital.

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Grasse's golden age happened during the 1800's when the European aristocracy flocked here during the summer months to be close to the sea. As other nearby towns in the Cote d'Azur rose to fame, Grasse's playground reputation faded.

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The town is one of those idyllic places surrounded by lavender, rose, jasmine and orange blossom fields which provide most of the needed scents for perfume making. This tradition is present all over the place and you can see its history at the International Museum of Perfumery.

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If you happen to visit the town make sure to stop by the three major perfume factories {Galimard, Fragonard, and Molinard} in town, the Provence Art and History Museum, and the beautiful church of Placassier.

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Have a lovely day!