less=more, more=less

From http://www.abstractconcreteworks.com/essays/lessismore/ls_s_mor.html

Have you wondered who originally said "Less is more"? 

Both Mies van der Rohe and Buckminster Fuller adopted it as a way of life--you can see it demonstrated in Mies' buildings and Bucky's geodesic domes--but they got it from a poem.

It's said by the painter Andrea del Sarto (who was a real person--1486-1531), in Robert Browning's 1855 poem by that name. You'll recognize another well-known line a little later in the same poem. Here's how Browning had Andrea del Sarto say "less is more." He's addressing his beautiful, but somewhat stupid and apparently unfaithful young wife, Lucrezia, for whom he abandoned an important painting commission and--some have said--his true calling. (click link)

So, the meaning behind this is that "The notion that simplicity and clarity lead to good design."

I for one am a fan of minimalism, never been one for novelty, garish or over the top designs. I very much prefer classic designs that age well, not like a heavily tattooed grandma in crop tops and tiny shorts. When using the minimal, it pushes ones boundary to achieve more, that's where less becomes more, as it can achieve more.it can achieve clarity and elaborate the message without clutter or over explaining. It stays relevant for a longer period of time. This is all falls back on what your goals/priorities are. It's usually down to earth in many ways.

More becomes less when there are too many distractions that rob the design of its main and ideal purpose. it just becomes a race of who has more and how much one can display at one point of time, not sending your message across successfully. Less is more as it also allows viewers./participants to decide       how they choose to perceive it, therefore gettin a whole lot of feedback and opinions and not just spoon feeding.they are allowed to think for themselves and there fore make their own desicion.

More things tend to create the restrictive pathway for a line of thought. We are fed and forced to think what is expected of them and not using their own minds/opinions.

LE MODULOR

According to Wiki "The Modulor is an anthropometric scale of proportions devised by the Swiss-born French architect Le Corbusier (1887–1965)."


what ti looks like?

As you can see its a scale for proportions. If you scrutinize hard enough, you will see that many things that are aesthetically pleasing are all within proportions. Whether it comes to monuments or sculptures, if it's a little out, it gets irksome.i for one get slightly annoyed when something seems out of place.we were made with proportions and in return should create proportions.



in every movement as a human (also in general as there are the odd few that arent so proportionate due to defects) everything makes mathematical sense. and mathematically makes it pleasing to the eye. it doesnt hv to be to the T, but it makes it 'beautiful'. to me,to see it balanced it makes a lot of sense... and somehow easier for the mind to compute.

Form Follows Function. Function Follows Form

According to Wikipedia "Form follows function is a principle associated with modern architecture and industrial design in the 20th century. The principle is that the shape of a building or object should be primarily based upon its intended function or purpose"




SO by right, the function of  a design or a layout should come first, and followed by the form, meaning how it looks like. Logically, it's a way that works to prevent wastage or unnecessary items. and as most striaghtforward  booths and exhibitions or even buildings go, straight up all the basic is usually key. 


I have looked at certain buildings and wonder, why is this here? it doesn't do anything. Now, had it been aesthetically pleasing, it wouldn't be half bad. But if it's a random corner that is out of place and totally nonfunctional, the question is why? So when it comes to this sort of issues, form does need to follow function.


But to bend the laws, function can also follow form. I believe that a design can come first, and once that is settled, the function can be fitted accordingly. If the aesthetic and design achieves the goal of the exhibition or is parallel to the brand/ sponsor, then its a go. Like oversized Golden Arches in a mall, it works, it attracts attention and is relevant to the cause. So oversize works when appropriate, in terms of function following form.


If we can imagine 'wide' enough, there's so many things we can do from a particular form without firstlyhaving a function in mind.

OOH Juicy!

I've always admired the intensity that goes into the deco at Juicy Couture outlets.

pic cred :http://www.timeoutsingapore.com/shopping/venues/consume/juicy-couture

What is Juicy Couture?

"Juicy Couture is a contemporary line of both casual and dressy apparel based in Arleta, Los Angeles, California founded by Pamela Skaist-Levy and Gela Nash-Taylor in 1996. It was later purchased by the Liz Claiborne fashion company, Juicy Couture is known for their signature velour tracksuits as well as other clothing and accessories."


Thanks Wikipedia.


But as far as the guys know, it's a super girly,chic yet somehow sporty,pricey line of women's apparel and accessories. Walking in, you could be easily confused as to which items are products for sale and which are just deco props. If you aren't an avid JC  follower it could be pretty awkward if you inquire about the price of the couch. And ego wise, it'll look pretty 'noob' if you go around turning over all the price tags. 

Anyway, that aside, the interior is really something to behold. Maybe it's pink overkill but thats what makes it special. All sorts of pink plunked into one area, accented with solid black. It stands out while giving out a whimsical vibe. Some stores even have those medieval knight's armour (unfortunately i couldn't find pictures)
I should be doing outlet by outlet,but generally theyre really quite similiar. These pictures are the ones taken from the outlet in spore, it has a "homey" feel, with the shelves and couch etc.

The one in Pavillion has two floors, seperating the apparel from accesories, so i guess that makes it pretty convenient (unless you hv knee problems )

What i like about this outlet is that it is not afraid to push to borders of interior design, bold is sometimes really beautiful. It somehow maintains a sense of elegance while all the while being a luxurious retail store. The mix and match of textures and shades does bring out the best in the brand.

I' sure at some point someone already did Alamanda, Putrajaya, But this is my take on it

Up close, i dare say it's pretty legible to read. Colourful blocks to indicate what is what, although the fact that it's not digital will require it to be manually updated once the new shops open (or old shops close down) On the bright side, no worries about system failure.

They've got little pockets for pamphets and fliers, but right now it's all filled up with the directory for Alamanda. Easy access, nothing fancy

How it looks like from far. Pretty simple and basic. Sturdy, solid base. Good angle to look at and search,but pretty low. You'd have to bend over to get a good look. Makes it a little inconvenient I think.

This is the signboard to indicate the direction of the different areas of Alamanda. It's clear enough even though it's quite high up. Short people like me need more effort, especially since I don't have perfect eyesight. 

It's pretty strategically placed, by dustbins and escalators. So you know if you're in the right place when you get off the escalator.

This is like a fancier board to indicate whats outside. 

All in all....pretty easy to maneuver because of the clear signs. colours are a little too garish for my liking,but to each its own. The signs are sturdy and large and therefore not easily damaged :)

Directory

Finally got to a mall on Deepavali. This is One Utama, and this is the directory.

Basically how it looks like and how you're supposed to use it. Looks pretty simple. I like the simple black and geometric shapes. looks sturdy enough.

Side view (literally! D: can't rotate it ) Looks sleek,slim and ergonomic. then again, maybe not so ergonomic. Look how far she has to bend over to use it. Maybe they wanted it accessible to kids (or short people like me)?

Evidence of it being kid-friendly

Strategically placed by the escalators. Stands out well thanks to the red sign up there. It's like a mini bus stop. Also helps if the location the user is looking for is situated a floor above or below.

 Slightly tilted screen. Kinda high-tech, cuz it's like touch screen? but...evidently here, it's having some techie errors.The screen's WAY out of proportion. Quite cacat. Due to the cacatness, the fonts were tiny and very difficult to read.

 The cursor followed my fingers!

And if you didn't see this coming, service unavailable. guess the system was down.

This page was supposed to be a search engine to search for specific shops. But as technology would have it, it is not without flaws. System failure with no backup renders this directory pretty useless. 

What else I didn't like about it :

It can only be used by one person at a time, which is quite inconvenient if there are other people who need to use it. If it's really busy with tourists, then they would have to line up.

i couldn't take a picture of the back of the setup because it was placed right against the railing. If it has screens on both sides, or at least a full non-interactive, non digital list of outlets, more people can use it at one go. Also, a non-digital directory would be a good enough back up should the system crash like it did today.

Overall a stable,safe design with minor flaws.

New Stuff

Will be using the blog for my  Environmental Design class.And the first assignment was to go to a mall.i have yet to go to one. D: sads. will head there as soon as i can to settle this.