IAR 212- Ads that Work

What I love about this ad is it's sheer simplicity. The black background becomes powerful in relation to most of the other ads and spreads in the magazine. It's also an appripriate choice for an ad about technology - it's sleek and provides high contrast between the text and the playful, brightly colored logos spilling across the page. This contrast only cements the concept of High Definition by bringing each visual element, whether graphic or textual, into a crisp clarity.



This is always my favorite page in my CRAFT magazine, and it's an advertisement! It just makes me happy seeing the smiling girl in her kitchy-crafty, anti-glam house. The method here is perfect for a craft magazine, imitating paper collage in the retro/rockabilly/mod style. There is an enormous amount of texture and pattern here that has been brilliantly balanced mostly through the use of solid white blocks, creating resting places for the eye. The text is as equally creative and loose without looking unplanned or messy.



This DisneyParks ad appeals to my imagination. They've used very sophisticated photography to create the illusion of bringing a storybook character to life. There is a dreamy, supernatural quality to the light in the way they have taken the beams of light and brought them into the foreground. In reality the tree and its branches would probably have been completely backlit. There is slightly sinister mood created here with the juxtoposition of the innocence of Snow White and the baby forest animals and the dark, lush forest that surrounds her, recalling the thread that ties all Disney movies together: the battle between good and evil. The other Disney Parks ads are just as successful at showing this play between dark and light, taking a contemporary look at fantasy that appeals to adults who have grown up with these tales, even more so than their children.

IAR 212 - Moods

The idea here was to create an image that caused the viewer to feel confused by combining elements from three different images and melding them together. My images were: a campfire, lava, and red ice.

IAR 202 - An Interview

An interview with Claudio:
An Interview

Ashley/Denise: Hello, Claudio. Thank you for taking the time to help us with our project. So we’ll begin by asking you what city you are from in Italy?
CS: From Naples.
Ashley/Denise: We are wondering why you would want to leave such a beautiful country?
CS: Yes, it is a beautiful country, but because of political and financial reasons, the opportunities and freedom for a prosperous life do not exist as they do here in the States. Our family was very poor; I would have not been able to go to college in Italy.
Ashley/Denise: So you went to college? Where did you go?
CS: Yes, I went to UNC-Wilmington and majored in International Business.
Ashley/Denise: That’s fabulous! So how old were you when you came to the States?
CS: I was 15. I’ve been here for 20 years.
Ashley/Denise: And how was your journey here?
CS: Well, I already had 2 older brothers that were American citizens, so the move here was not difficult. I lived with my family in New York for a year when I came over, and then we moved to Wilmington [NC].
Ashley/Denise: Will you tell us about your family?
CS: Yes, I have 4 older brothers and a younger sister. I also have 3 nieces and 2 nephews. My oldest brother, Giovanni, still lives in Italy near Bologna. Another brother, Nunzio, is in New York. He is married with 2 children. Everyone else is still in Wilmington.
Ashley/Denise: Are you married?
CS: No.
Ashley/Denise: And your parents?
CS: My Mom is in Wilmington as well; my father passed away in ’01.
Ashley/Denise: We’re sorry to hear that. How is your mother?
CS: She’s doing ok. Since all of us kids are grown, she thinks often of moving back to Italy to be with her twin sister in Ischia. Her English is still very broken, so it’s been difficult for her.
Ashley/Denise: So English has been hard for her. But you hardly have an accent. Was learning English difficult for you?
CS: Yes, I think that was the most difficult thing at 15 and having to go to high school. We all had tutors though.
Ashley/Denise: Were there other challenges?
CS: The process for getting a green card is long and tough. Oh, and finding Italian foods, like bread, meats, and different pastas was very difficult when we moved to Wilmington. The only kind of bread we could find was sliced sandwich bread. And Mueller’s pastas are awful.
Ashley/Denise: What kinds of things did you have to adapt to within the American culture?
CS: In America, drinking is such a ‘big’ thing. In Italy, it’s part of the culture—you grow up drinking wine that your uncle made. It’s a regular thing at dinner.
Ashley/Denise: So why did your family choose Wilmington for your place to live?
CS: Mainly because it’s close to the beach, and that is what we were used to in Italy. And, at the time, Wilmington was still very quiet and affordable.
Ashley/Denise: So your work is in Wilmington?
CS: Yes. I am the International Sales Manager for House of Raeford. We export poultry to other countries. I travel quite a bit.
Ashley/Denise: Do you enjoy it?
CS: Yes, I do. Importing/exporting is what I wanted to do when I finished college. For a few years, I imported Italian wine into the States. It was interesting and I learned a lot, but it was hard to make money. I guess there’s too many other people doing that as well.
Ashley/Denise: It sounds like you are enjoying your life here. What other things did you do to adapt to the American culture?
CS: I worked to get rid of my Italian accent. I believed that has helped me succeed in business.
Ashley/Denise: Well, Claudio, that’s all the questions that we have for you. Thank you so much for your time.
CS: You’re welcome.

IAR 212 - Pattern Perception

The Valencia Museum transformed into a mesmerizing spiral.

IAR 212 - Computing in Architectural Design

Assigment: Discuss the roles of computing in design today, speculating what it could be in the future

Required reading: Reference: "Computing in Architectural Design”, Architecture’s New Media by Yehuda Kalay

The article presents one example in which the product of computer aided design is not merely only as good as the designer who operates it, but, on the contrary, is highly reliant on the sophisticated computations only feasibly performed by a computer whose “brain” is infinitely more equipped than that of a human’s to handle millions of variables.


I become suspicious when researchers start talking about intelligent computers because I think that idea that computers are infallible holds no credibility. It’s only because I’ve experienced too many instances where data is lost or where as a designer, I am trained to create graphics that are limited by my understanding of the software, or the limitations of the software itself. I hope there’s a day when computers become more interactive and when they truly become an environment (“place”) where ideas and concepts may be crafted and realized in real time without being inhibited by too many codes, rules, and prescribed fixes. Those, I believe, should be left to the human brain.

I like to imagine the growth of networks and the development of highly interactive interfaces where we can talk to computers, use touch screens where our fingers become our tools, not necessarily light pens or other instruments, a design environment that becomes more sensory than ever. I like to imagine the disappearance of the computer lab. Instead computers are always there, wherever we need them, but infinitely more robust than the average laptop. An interior designer shows up at a job site, gets out of her car and grabs her blue print tube out of the backseat. Instead of reaching in to retrieve a set of plans, she pulls out a soft roll of what looks like black rubber, lays it out flat on the table, where we realize it is an interactive touchpad, a high-res screen and computer all in one, capable of linking into a network, a remote hard drive/power source where all power and information is all transferred over airwaves.

Fantasies aside, my fear is living in a world where we think computers can do our jobs for us. I am recalling to mind a time recently when I went to Starbucks with a friend and ordered two coffees and two waters. After the cashier printed labels for our drinks, after the barista lost them and refused for twenty minutes to fill our order since there was no ticket for it, and after a manager tried to assuage us by offering us coupons for free drinks instead of listening to my criticism of their obviously fallible, “automated” system that encourages employees not to think for themselves, I walked away wondering, (at the young age of 28, mind you) “What is the world coming to?”

As computers and networks become more sophisticated, instructors and managers must become ever more adamant about teaching students to use their most valuable tool and design environment: their mind.

IAR 202 - Mi corazon, companeros!

The assignment here is to design a welcome mat for a visitor from Cuba.
I made this thinking about my Cuban friend Arisdel from images she frequently uses in her letters to me.

Here's some inspiration I gathered before I got started:







I actually do have a Cuban pen pal. She's never been able to travel outside the island itself, even though she wishes she could very badly. So we exchange photos and stories. Here are some of hers:

Other sites if you're into Cuban art and culture:
Gladstone Gallery
Lisson Gallery - Allora & Calzadilla

Close to Home, From the Inside Looking In

The Edward Loewenstein Close to Home exhibit brings history close to home for University of North Carolina Greensboro students by offering a place to explore the origins of modernism, the story of one architect and educator’s emersion into his craft and into his community, and how modernism can become the vehicle for actively shaping one’s world.



A stunning view from inside the Gatewood building lobby reveals a structure occupying an interior space and immediately sets up a myriad of relationships between inside and out.

Patrick Lucas, Interior Architecture professor at UNCG, and his students designed an experience that allows the viewer to become an insider on the uniquely creative and prolific Loewenstein years and be inspired by a close interaction with his and his students’ particular brand of modern design and philosophy.

It seemed that the exhibit designers were aiming to recreate what Loewenstein’s students referred to as “warm modern,” featuring interesting textures and blending of interior and exterior finishing materials. The lumber, pipe, perforated metal sheeting which created formulations of interior and exterior, closed and open spaces within the exhibit achieved this aim very well. The use of magnets to hang the signage was pure genius in its practicality and minimal interference with the exhibit aesthetic and readability of information.

The color choices and application, on the other hand, did not as exude the same kind of authenticity. While it is obvious that material choices were influenced by mid-century modern but brought into the 21st century, I still wonder if the wood might have been painted rather than stained since the pine only looks cheapened by the stain and since the color was neither as bold as the blazing oranges seen in the photos of commencement house nor as earthy or “woodsy” as their exteriors.

In the case of lighting in the space, less was more. I did not really notice the light, neither shadows nor glares. I noticed when stepping outside the gallery, the wonderful play of shadows on the floor, but while in the space, I think not noticing the light was actually a benefit since the content and even the structure of the exhibit was of greater importance.

The images in the exhibit were really the most brilliant story-telling device. In the section on the general history of modernism in design, the exhibit featured images of art and architecture that I had previously seen in texts or slides from class, but never up close and in such detail and vibrant color. For the first time, the architecture really started to come alive, and it was possible to imagine myself standing inside the picture plane looking at the monument before me.
There was so much information in so many different forms, whether it was pictorial, textual, graphic, animated, archival, or experiential. I returned to the exhibit three times and have yet to comprehend its breadth- which is both a blessing and curse. It’s a blessing for the creators of the exhibit who had a lot of ground to cover, a lot to say, and a blessing for anyone who really thirsts for a comprehensive understanding of mid-century modernism from macro scale (international importance) to micro scale (how UNC Women’s College students and UNCG Interior architecture students have been and will continue to be involved in the actual molding of their immediate environments).

But it is also a curse for someone like me, who wants to read it all! Most people are probably satisfied to come in, grab a few bites and leave, but I find it somewhat overwhelming, and I’m lucky enough to be able to visit as often as I like! The exhibit is very successfully broken down into digestible parts, but it still feels like a bit too much.

The various media go a long way in communicating the feeling of looking at interiors and exteriors from an insider’s perspective. The photos, as I’ve mentioned, beautifully represent color and atmosphere, while the 3-dimensional models of the Commencement houses are brilliant for distilling the plans and sections while showing light effects or contemporary furnishings. I personally respond less enthusiastically to the animated visuals, especially since they only give a sense of structure and a hint of finishes, not detail. I also don’t tend to want to look at computers in exhibits unless they incorporate some sort of audio experience. I spend enough of my day on a computer that I find other media more exciting and compelling.

As one moves through the exhibit, there is truly a myriad of interactions between the architecture of the Gatewood building and the exhibit as well as relationships between the viewer and simulated interiors and exteriors, ceilings and floors, viewing surfaces and walls, and other people in the exhibit. The exhibit designers created a magnificent view of the exhibit from the outside. A structure on the outside links visually in one continuous plane to the inside.


The gallery space is divided up by structures that serve as partitions, wall mounts, or mini-dwellings. The viewer moves from many stages from feeling inside or outside depending on which way they turn. Take the area inside the right entrance to the gallery for example. You enter in, and moving to your left, you feel small in front of a large, long wall of images. Turn 180 degrees, and suddenly you are inside a structure, being held by two obtusely angled walls. But you see through the perforated metal so that you feel you are on the outside of some other space, glimpsing a moving light that makes you wonder what is inside the structure beyond the partition in front of you. So you navigate around the wall into a space with angled walls and ceiling- and you exit immediately realizing your best view is from outside. The visitor is constantly guided by information and by form.

The flow of traffic is one of the most successful of any small exhibit I have ever experienced. A class of 60 people managed to move about, occupy, and interact with the space and with each other with ease; unlike the modernism exhibit we viewed at the Weatherspoon where there were frequently areas of congestion. I am amazed that there was even room for seating! The exhibit itself is a true testament how creative designers can truly break down a space and exponentially increase the functionalism of every square foot in way that is respectful of and inspiring to the occupant making them feel like they are a part of something bigger – on the inside looking in.