Creative Space

Pictured above,  Thomas Edison's laboratory and the Eames' office space, are two different spaces that served and inspired their users in a way that was functional and pleasing to each.  Our studio spaces should inspire us to work as a cohesive part of the design process.

Edison's laboratory is a very open space.  The space itself is tall and raw and Edison's things are displayed openly within the space, rather than stuffed in cabinets.

There is something whimsical, something magical about the Eames' office.  Inspiration and ideas hung on the walls and tucked into the nooks and crannies add character and a childlike essense that creates such a delightful workspace.  The space is beaming with motivation and enthusiasm.

Our spaces should stimulate and energize us; provoke thoughts and visions. Inspire.

A wall of inspiration.

An inspiration drawer.

An inspiration journal.

Inspiration. Key.

I have tons of little things that provoke big ideas and I think it's important to not only keep these things but to display them or have them handy so you can later pull from them.

I myself don't like to be stuck inside to do my work.  Being outside inspires me, so I love the idea of a little...maybe not this little...backyard studio.

I also like the proximity to home but still being able to keep your work at arms length when you're done for the day.

I could go on and on and show tons of pictures of creative spaces but the common thread is that they bring out your creative side. They are functional and motivating.

Four Men in a Trainstation

A Photoshop composition made from these two photos

"Because the bars are always open, and the time is always right, and if God's good word goes unspoken, the music goes all night."

Two Minds Are Better Than One::Collaboration in Design

      

"Great designers need great clients" -I.M. Pei 

     The design process is a journey that is never taken alone.  Like we talked about in Tuesday’s class, looking at something from other perspectives can only make us more aware.  If I were to take on a design without getting advice or input it would be tremendously less successful.  In some of my other design classes we have been discussing Interior Architecture versus Architecture and in discussing this I have become more aware of just how many groups of people become interdependent factors in your design. 

      In the beginning there is you- the designer, you have a source of inspiration, and whether it’s a person or object that thing is something you carry with you throughout the design process that shapes the end product.  It is the simplest kind of collaboration; it is you and your inspiration and ideas in your mind.  This is all before the people come into play. Whether it is a client, a partner, an engineer, or an expertise, all of these people are factors that mold your design.  Your ideas provoke input and input shapes your ideas.

       One of the most important relationships in the design process is between the designer and the client.  It’s kind of like 'If Mommas not happy, nobody’s happy.'  In the end if the design and client aren't happy, nobody. is happy. 

Meet Louis I. Kahn: one of the most influential designers of the twentieth century.  By his side, Jonas Salk: developer of the polio vaccine and one of Kahn’s most influential clients.  This six-year collaboration resulted in The Salk Institute for Biological Studies.   One of the most noted pieces of work of Kahns career

I haven't pictured The Salk Institute here because I think this video does it more justice than a still-frame and elaborates on the relationship between Salk and Kahn.

Kahn + Salk

Powers of Ten

The Eames' film, Powers of 10, shows the world from broader perspectives.  Looking at things in a greater context can exercise your mind to think in a more proactive way, in turn pushing you to make proactive decisions and designs that create positive change.  This type of design thinking causes a ripple effect.  In the film the ripple effect was shown by zooming out several times, each time into a broader perspective.  Everything is designed, whether successfully designed or poorly designed; and everything has connections that spread to a greater context.  Everything is relative, you just have to look at things in context and from different perspectives.  Design thinking is taking an innovative and strategic approach to a problem, and the process a designer goes through to come up with an effective solution that not only solves a problem- but plays a part in a ripple effect that can shape our world.

photo credit