Super Bowl 2015 has created a push for restaurant design in and around Westgate City Center in Glendale, Arizona. Westgate is anchored by a 2-story AMC Theatre and University of Phoenix Stadium. We are working with J.J. Girn , an entrepreneur and franchisor of Fresh Healthy Café a new dining experience moving into the Entertainment District at Westgate. During the design phase of this project I had decided to see Malifacent the movie with my kids. To kill time we hung out in the splash pad area. As I looked to find the empty suite where Fresh was going to be located I noticed how big and bold Buffalo Wings signage was. It occurred to me that we needed to make sure the signage on Fresh was just as bright and tall.
Signage
It is important to use contrast so signage will read correctly. Look at the photo on the left above, the yellow lettering really POPS! Fresh Healthy Cafe uses bright lime green and white for their branding so the sign will be able to compete with Buffalo Wild Wings. I was against putting the signage on the gray block wall being that it would be too far back from Wings lettering. This just proves how important it is to look at your design from every angle not just as if you were standing in front of the storefront looking straight on. Or even worse never getting out to see a movie! Most people will take 6 seconds to make up their mind about the visual message of a storefront. You have to convey a positive attraction quickly or it is a design failure. Like a friendly wave saying “Come on over here, I am clean and fun inside!”
The rendering above is what the final design will look like. We thank Bootz and Duke Signage Company for helping us make this a reality.
Most of the equipment to make the healthy wraps, smoothies and salads was established when we first came on board. We took the concept from Fresh Healthy Cafe and then verified clearances, finalized finishes, light fixture layout and the design of the outdoor patio eating area. We satisfied all the code requirements and worked with the building management and City of Glendale. We even helped our client select the building contractor. We spoke with the candidates past clients to ensure this build out will be complete in time for the BIG GAME!
When designing anything it must be functional and meaningful. The photo below is a stop shot. That’s when I make whoever is driving stop the car so I can take a photo. The architect probably used this 1960’s CMU pattern on many of their buildings back in the day. But someone creative added the sweet colors so it caught my eye. Is it meaningful? Yes, it keeps the rain out of the inside of the building and heavily armed knights charging the wall with x-calibers.
It is easy to get caught up in design especially architecture and forget that people are actually going to use your design after you leave your new building or whatever you designed. The photos below are from the Peterson Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. I like this exhibit because it reminds the visitor of playing with cars. I always like when collections of any kind are showcased. To make it more meaningful and fun they could design a ramp and let you race cars. The orange track has the cars permanently mounted. Cool but too static and boring.
You need to look at the problem from a different angle or a different outfit. Stepping back is a good way to do this. Changing into flip flops and shorts could work too. Ask a friend for their perspective.
The Collections Cafe in Seattle is a great example of meaningful design. Forgive me for not listing the designer, whoever you are… Can I be you? You rock! Suspended accordions, vintage transistor radios, and creepy yard sale poodle statues are all part of Dale Chihuly’s private collection. Hence the name of the Cafe. Crazy I know! It was a sequential understanding of one artist’s work. First you start in the dark gallery where the glass art is the main focus. Then you have lunch at this cozy cafe and absorb visual clues of Chihuly’s inspirations for his work. I could imagine him looking around at flea markets in hopes of finding another fishing lure for his extensive collection.
The menu design is wonderful too with a continuation of shapes and color. The whole design package is a design win!
There I was watching our final brochure getting printed out at lightening speed today. This brochure is the second try at coming up with a brochure for Buckeye Main Street Coalition. We are a group that volunteers our time to make Down Town Historic Buckeye look better. We want new and current businesses to thrive on Buckeye Main Street.
This is a big ass printer at a place called http://www.lithotechaz.com/ in downtown Phoenix. Shelly Butler, with Forms Management is a Buckeye girl who helped us find the right place to print this vertical accordian style double sided brochure. The place was on Grand Avenue and 27th Avenue which is pretty industrial place. So I found out that Grand Avenue really has an end point today. It ends at Indian School Road. Now you can all sleep.
Everything looked so sharp and the colors were really deep. I did notice the sky could have been blended a bit better because the cowboy photo was not quite tall enough. So only you and I know. Next printing I guess. No one will care except for me. Even the horse hair is so crazy sharp.
So one side has photos of fun things to do in Buckeye like go to a demolition derby, get a burger at Cafe 25:35, go to a car show, buy some jeans at Saba’s Western Store and have 99 cent tacos at La Placita Cafe. Then on the flip side is the map with location dots. We tried to squeeze everyone on there. If you are not on there just call me up and we will put you on there for the next printing.
There are so many printing options. I think as being the graphic designer it helps to go and watch how it is actually printed. By visiting a print house it is a great way to learn about new finishes, colors and formats. There were so many exciting projects going on at once at Lithotech today. There is a lot that happens behind the scenes. It is isn’t as easy as design a brochure and poof it magically appears at your doorstep as a folded brochure. There are many steps to the finished product. Right now our brochure is probably waiting to get the bleeded edges cut off and then folded.
There have been thousands of apps created. What Apps are useful that can enhance our lives and not just waste your time. I suppose it comes down to personal preference. I have listed the top 10 App’s I use on daily or weekly basis on my smart device or computer.
What’s your favorite APP?
1) YAHOO FINANCE
A great place to check upon your latest stocks to WILL them to go up, CRY when they go down or just PONDER if you made the right decision.
2) GPS DRIVE
If you’re someone who doesn’t like to ask directions or driving in a questionable part of town with the windows up and doors locked, look no further. This app will take you around the perils of traffic jams or deliver you to your meeting place on the nick of time. If you want some further abuse from an inanimate object, use the British Voice Guidance and she will tell you when to ‘piss off’ like a true Brit from across the pond (Top Gear Style).
Ever wonder what song that was on the radio, playing on a loop at the restaurant or when stuck listening to melodramatic saxophone as a passanger on an elevator, Shazam will tell you. It even gives you lyrics for your karaoke session later tonight. You can even find out “because i’m happy” which songs need to go in that eternal vault you want to throw the key away for.
4) SPOTIFY
My latest streaming music APP. I used to be solely a Pandora user but have now found Spotify. This is the next generation of music streaming app’s which allow you to search by song title, artist, or genre and then lets you play the song over and over until you “were not going to take it” anymore”. It’s a good place for “electric avenue”.
5) MAP MY RIDE & 7 MINUTE WORKOUT
We all want great abs right! Here is an app which does what it states, maps your ride. It’s a great place to keep track of all the miles you wasted away while running on the treadmill last year. There are even ways to tell the world through facebook and twitter how fast, long (don’t go there!) or how many calories you burned while running or biking. But who wants to brag! The 7 minute workout is fairly new to me, however it really gets your heart pumping if you can’t get to the gym. All you need is a chair and a wall.
6) THE WEATHER CHANNEL
For those of us who want to confirm that it’s never going to rain again in the Phoenix area. It is also good at reminding us when its the perfect time to fry the egg on the sidewalk while in the midst of summer. Ouch!
7) KINDLE
A great place to read a book when you have a few minutes to spare, even when your in the dark. If you also use a real kindle, it keeps your place no matter which device you are reading at the moment (phone / pad). Also no one knows how absorbed you are in your favorite book, because they think your just checking the weather channel.
8) FLASHLIGHT
We all need a little light once in a while. This APP is good for finding that lost item that fell under your desk at work. Just ignore the dust bunnies that hop on by.
9) CAMERA
Camera is always great for taking the family portrait or selfie, but one of the best uses is a pic to remind you of an item you would normally write down onto a sticky note or honey to do list. This is great for future reference. The last time a used this was for my favorite bread package. Trying to avoid buying that tasteless 7-grain again.
And for #10. You say “Wait Wait Dont Tell Me!” Well here it goes
10) NPR NEWS
A great place to catch up on local and national news, the Diane Rehm Show, Splendid Table, Car Talk, Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me!, Morning Addition, Science Friday and Fresh Air. Now you know my favorites.
WHATS YOURS?
I will share with everyone ‘anonymously’ the responses.
As architects, our virtual world we design eventually becomes a reality. At least that is what our intentions are when designing the built environment (buildings). We have many numerous tools, such as complex computer programs like REVIT, a 3dimensional modeling program more difficult to fly than a 777 Boeing airplane ORSketchup, equivalent to hopping on the neighbors bike for the first time and going for a joy ride. Whatever tool is your fancy, we can develop ideas into a virtual reality.
REVIT – Center for the Arts
About 10 years ago, I stumbled across TV glasses. Skymall made it mainstream or so it tried, but the cost of the glasses were outside the reach of many. It gave opportunity to immerse oneself into a world of movies or tv with little periphery distraction. It’s displays however were still like watching a tv set, not following the motion of your head. I thought it would be a cool idea to take this technology and use it somehow to present architectural ideas, but it was too premature.
VIRTUAL IMMERSION
Fast Forward 2012, Oculus Rift is developed, eventually purchased on March 25, 2014 by Facebook for 2 billion dollars to develop further for gaming platforms and other yet to be explored uses. It contains LCD screens and 3-axis gyros, accelerometers and magnetometers to track head movement. This allows the user to look around virtual worlds.
ARCHITECTS VIRTUAL WORLD
As an Architect, I have dreamed up scenario’s in which I could utilize a technology such as this to present my ideas. Imagine developing designs in 3dimensions and incorporating this into a world that is becoming more digitized (Google Streets). What if we could join the two together into a virtual presentation.
Imagine walking down a virtual street while a designer presents before and after views of the streetscape. This would enable a designer to express their ideas with more reality.
Before Image
After remodel image
This could further be enhanced by entering a 3dimensional virtual world of a building, highlighting the spaces to get a sense of the spatial relationships. I envision this not in an exact replica of reality, but more in a conceptual stage to convey ones ideas. I feel that is has to be simple and affordable so designers can incorporate this into their projects. Having to use someone who specializes only in creating virtual reality presentations will only stunt the creativity process. Here is just one example of my virtual world, created in sketchup without holding onto the handlebars.
Now imagine if YOU could control where you walked and what direction you were looking in.
Remember, this is not reality, but virtual reality.
I am excited what the future has in store, are you?
Architects depend on presentation to convey their ideas to their clients. Presentations come in many facets, from hand drawn images on paper, computer generated drawings shown on a screen and physical models.
Watercolor of Buckeye Park and Ride
LACMA – Los Angeles County Museum of Art Peter Zumthor’s Design Model
THE VIRTUAL WORLD
But what we really want is virtual reality to go places that are developed in our minds yet not here. Architects have been creating virtual reality in their sketchbooks and drawings boards for ages but today we are even closer to further immerse ourselves into the worlds we create.
GAMING
Computer gaming has shown us that we can escape into the various worlds. Some games I have seen are fairly detailed and there are examples that are highly fantasy.
HOLOGRAPHIC VIRTUAL REALITY
As movies develop further and video becomes more advanced, people are developing ways to bring a virtual reality into a new dimension. Just check out what the people at AV Solutions have developed to create this holographic virtual world. www.avconcepts.com
DRAWING BY HAND
The artfulness of hand drawn images are becoming a thing of the past. We used to pride ourselves in our office that we still produced water color images of our designs, however there has been a shift to put the pencil down and really focus on what technology can do for us.
Every so often, I see an article in an architectural magazine with a STARCHITECT stating that the art of hand drawings is being lost to the computer, but if you notice they are usually 80+ years old. They never learned the art of the computer. I don’t believe they are wrong, just right for themselves. One must realize that technology is just another tool for the modern architect to convey their designs.
“The computer is wonderful for certain things, but it is hard for your mind and hand to work together unless you continue to draw … they don’t have to be beautiful drawings, just get it down. It is your language, you cannot give it up” Michael Graves
DRAWING BY COMPUTER
If you grew up using DRAWSOMETHING2, imagine how good you would be creating those images once only possible with pen, pencil or brush. You can now “let your fingers do the walking”, (another quote from past time) and create master pieces. I’ve seen some amazing renderings watching my kids play DRAWSOMETHING2.
As the STARCHITECT’S are getting younger and developing their careers during the computer age, I believe we will hear less of the grumbling about the pencil being lost and more about embracing new ways to present our ideas.
