Showing posts with label Architecture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Architecture. Show all posts
Tuesday, 22 February 2011
The Ocean Club Signage System
The graphic design consultancy The Kitchen, were faced with the dilemma of creating a signage system for people who could not see. It was commissioned to create this for Ocean, which is one of the largest music venues in London with a capacity of over 3000 and three auditoriums over four levels. I found this example of a signage system in “Mapping An Illustrated Guide to Graphic Navigational Systems” by Roger-Fawcett and William Owen. The Kitchen attempted to devise a system that was as restrained as possible, working all the signs into a square format produced in enamelled metal panels.
As you can see from the images, white backgrounds were applied to all of the signs bringing the element of consistency and also making the text stand out. This also made the signage easier to read and more legible. To create a design that was going to be suitable for a blind person, braille text was added to the bottom of each panel. I think that the placement of this is quite important and will have required a lot of thought and testing, particularly for blind people to be able to read it. By placing the embossed braille at the bottom of the panel, I think this would have made it more accessible as opposed to having to feel around the board. This will have been more convenient and saved time.
As you can see from the images, white backgrounds were applied to all of the signs bringing the element of consistency and also making the text stand out. This also made the signage easier to read and more legible. To create a design that was going to be suitable for a blind person, braille text was added to the bottom of each panel. I think that the placement of this is quite important and will have required a lot of thought and testing, particularly for blind people to be able to read it. By placing the embossed braille at the bottom of the panel, I think this would have made it more accessible as opposed to having to feel around the board. This will have been more convenient and saved time.
Stansted Airport Signage
I found this example of airport signage in Stansted Airport in “Mapping An Illustrated Guide to Graphic Navigational Systems”, by Roger Fawcett-Tang and William Owen. Architect Sir Norman Foster designed the system. He commissioned the design consultancy Pentagram to create a signage system that would compliment the distinctive architecture.
As you can see from the images, the signs are very large and appear on the walls next to what it is they are representing, such as currency exchange, toilets and food services. These symbols guide the traveller in the airport and so also act as a reassurance for them. The design of these symbols is consistent with the use of space to create shape and also curves to the design. As well as that, the use of the colour blue is apparent on all of the symbols, which shows that there is a link between the signage as it all appears within the airport. This style of design with the incorporation of consistency through colour brings about professionalism, which is something that people in the airport would want to feel. As they are waiting to board a plane, which can be quite daunting for some, feeling comfortable and knowing their surroundings would be key to the audience of travellers.
Creating pictograms as large as this would work well, particularly in an airport, which can be very spacious. Facilities may not be in close proximity to where it is you are waiting in the airport. This would mean that the large pictograms would be eye catching on the wall and would be good at informing people who may be quite far away from them, meaning that they could spot them from a distance. This may be something that I would have to bear in mind when I am designing the pictograms for the university departments.
As you can see from the images, the signs are very large and appear on the walls next to what it is they are representing, such as currency exchange, toilets and food services. These symbols guide the traveller in the airport and so also act as a reassurance for them. The design of these symbols is consistent with the use of space to create shape and also curves to the design. As well as that, the use of the colour blue is apparent on all of the symbols, which shows that there is a link between the signage as it all appears within the airport. This style of design with the incorporation of consistency through colour brings about professionalism, which is something that people in the airport would want to feel. As they are waiting to board a plane, which can be quite daunting for some, feeling comfortable and knowing their surroundings would be key to the audience of travellers.
Creating pictograms as large as this would work well, particularly in an airport, which can be very spacious. Facilities may not be in close proximity to where it is you are waiting in the airport. This would mean that the large pictograms would be eye catching on the wall and would be good at informing people who may be quite far away from them, meaning that they could spot them from a distance. This may be something that I would have to bear in mind when I am designing the pictograms for the university departments.
Centre Georges Pomidou, Paris
I found these images of the Pomidou Centre in Paris in the book “Mapping An Illustrated guide to Graphic Navigational Systems” by Roger Fawcett-Tang and William Owen. The signage system was developed by Ruedi Bauer and is based on the idea of ‘spatial explosion’ of information usually contained in a single panel. The idea of having the same words close together appearing in different languages was to express the interdisciplinarity and multi-culturalism present at the Centre Pompidou.
As you can see from the images, the signage works on both surfaces, such as banners on the side of the building, as well as non-surfaces, such as freely suspended neon typographic elements. The idea of the use of many different bright colours along with the many different words was to bring about a sense of energy and immediacy, which I certainly think the Centre does very well.
As well as the signage of typography, there are also pictograms that also are conveyed through the use of bright colours like yellow and blue. These two colours particularly compliment each other because they stand out well on each other and so remain legible. I think the colour use is key within the Pomidou because of the way that they want the visitors to feel a sense of energy from the architecture inside, which is something I think is really interesting. When looking at the project expansion from the brief that I have chosen, I think analysing the architecture that the signage will be on is very important and so I will have to bear this in mind.
As you can see from the images, the signage works on both surfaces, such as banners on the side of the building, as well as non-surfaces, such as freely suspended neon typographic elements. The idea of the use of many different bright colours along with the many different words was to bring about a sense of energy and immediacy, which I certainly think the Centre does very well.
As well as the signage of typography, there are also pictograms that also are conveyed through the use of bright colours like yellow and blue. These two colours particularly compliment each other because they stand out well on each other and so remain legible. I think the colour use is key within the Pomidou because of the way that they want the visitors to feel a sense of energy from the architecture inside, which is something I think is really interesting. When looking at the project expansion from the brief that I have chosen, I think analysing the architecture that the signage will be on is very important and so I will have to bear this in mind.
Thursday, 3 December 2009
York Minster
If you have never visited the city of York, then why not? Perhaps you feel it's not man enough for you like Leeds or Manchester maybe? That it is predominantly populated by men dressed as macho vikings and the elderly?........well I'd say men dressed as strong and powerful vikings is man enough. It was only this weekend that I was in York killing two birds with one stone....not literally...... my mum had gone for the weekend with friends as it was her birthday, a big one at that, and I was also visiting my boyf who attends York University. I had a really nice weekend infact and it made me realise how much I actually like the city of York, despite it being the complete opposite to Leeds.
Whilst there I ate tasty food and drank fine wine as well as visiting the Christmas market and walking along the famous shambles. I also saw the Minster because for one, it is pretty hard to miss and two I think in terms of an architectural structure it is powerful and towering in height but on closer inspection the sheer detail within everything from the stained glass window to the archway entrance is incredible.
Here are some facts about the Minster itself. Did you know that it is the second largest Gothic cathedral of northern Europe? Building work of the present structure began in 1230 and was completed in 1472......over 240 years to complete, which an extremely long time you can imagine. On the whole York is well known for producing beautifully created stained glass and the Minster is no exception. Some of the stained glass in the Minster dates back to as early as the twelfth century and it is the 76 foot tall Great East window that actually breaks records. It is the largest example of medieval stained glass in the world, created in the early fifteenth century by a man called John Thornton.
I could not resist taking a few photographs whilst passing the Minster. Standing very close however makes it quite difficult to get a shot of the entire structure onto one photograph. I have created a joiner from the different photos that I took, which is shown below.
Whilst there I ate tasty food and drank fine wine as well as visiting the Christmas market and walking along the famous shambles. I also saw the Minster because for one, it is pretty hard to miss and two I think in terms of an architectural structure it is powerful and towering in height but on closer inspection the sheer detail within everything from the stained glass window to the archway entrance is incredible.
Here are some facts about the Minster itself. Did you know that it is the second largest Gothic cathedral of northern Europe? Building work of the present structure began in 1230 and was completed in 1472......over 240 years to complete, which an extremely long time you can imagine. On the whole York is well known for producing beautifully created stained glass and the Minster is no exception. Some of the stained glass in the Minster dates back to as early as the twelfth century and it is the 76 foot tall Great East window that actually breaks records. It is the largest example of medieval stained glass in the world, created in the early fifteenth century by a man called John Thornton.
I could not resist taking a few photographs whilst passing the Minster. Standing very close however makes it quite difficult to get a shot of the entire structure onto one photograph. I have created a joiner from the different photos that I took, which is shown below.
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