WHAT IS DESIGN? DEFINED AS: The selecting and organizing of materials to fulfill a function. It is a conscious – not an instinctive process.

FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE DESIGN FUNCTION – What purpose will the object serve? MATERIALS – Of what will the object be made? TECHNOLOGY – How will the object be made? STYLE – Is the object appropriate and appealing to the user?

FUNCTION Most design today is, in reality, REDESIGN, or improving designs that already exist. Functional performance is the first test of design quality.

FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION SUGGESTS THAT THE FORM OF AN OBJECT OR SPACE SHOULD REFLECT ITS INTENDED USE AND FULFILL ITS INTENDED FUNCTION.

MATERIALS MUST BE SUITABLE AND ABLE TO FULFILL THE INTENDED USE OF THE OBJECT.

TECHNOLOGY BEFORE THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION EVERYTHING WAS MADE BY HAND. NOW WE DECIDE WHAT WE WANT AND CREATE A MACHINE TO DO IT FOR US.

STYLE STYLES VARY GREATLY FROM ONE TIME PERIOD TO ANOTHER AND FROM ONE HOME TO ANOTHER. OUR LIFESTYLE WILL DETERMINE THE STYLE OF INTERIOR DESIGN THAT WE USE.

TYPES OF DESIGN STRUCTURAL – AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE STRUCTURE ITSELF – WHEN THE STRUCTURE AND DESIGN CANNOT BE SEPARATED, BECAUSE IT WILL DESTROY THE OBJECT. NO ORNAMENTATION. DECORATIVE – THE APPLICATION OF COLOR, LINE, TEXTURE, OR PATTERN TO AN OBJECT. MAY BE USED TO ENHANCE A STRUCTURAL DESIGN OR MAY BE SIMPLY A WORK OF ART. APPLIED ORNAMENTATION CAN BE SEPARATED WITHOUT DESTROYING THE OBJECT.

EXAMPLES OF STRUCTURAL DESIGN                                                                                                                                             

GUIDELINES FOR DECORATIVE DESIGN ORNAMENTATION SHOULD BE SUITABLE FOR THE INTENDED USE OF THE ITEM. DECORATIVE DESIGN SHOULD BE APPROPRIATE FOR THE MATERIALS FROM WHICH THE ARTICLE IS MADE. EMBELLISHMENT SHOULD BE USED TO EMPHASIZE STRUCTURAL POINTS. DECORATION SHOULD BE APPROPRIATE IN SIZE AND AMOUNT TO THE OBJECT ON WHICH IT IS FOUND.

FOUR TYPES OF DESIGN (PATTERN) NATURALISTIC – REPRODUCTIONS OF NATURAL SUBJECTS FROM NATURE. CREATES A MOTIF IN A SPACE. CONVENTIONAL/STYLIZED – A REPRESENTATION THAT SIMPLIFIES THE SUBJECT, EMPHASIZING ITS BASIC QUALITIES. FREQUENTLY USES DESIGNS FROM NATURE IN A SIMPLIFIED OR ADAPTED WAY.

FOUR TYPES OF DESIGN (PATTERN) ABSTRACT – UNRECOGNIZEABLE AS A SPECIFIC OBJECT OR THING. THE INSPIRATION FOR THE DESIGN IS NOT RECOGNIZABLE. GEOMETRIC – MADE WITH THE USE OF STRIPES, PLAIDS, AND GEOMETRIC SHAPES.

NATURALISTIC DESIGN REPRODUCTIONS OF NATURAL SUBJECTS (FROM NATURE).             

STYLIZED (CONVENTIONAL) STYLIZED – A REPRESENTATION THAT SIMPLIFIES THE SUBJECT, EMPHASIZING ITS BASIC QUALITIES.

ABSTRACT DESIGN UNRECOGNIZEABLE AS A SPECIFIC OBJECT OR THING.

GEOMETRIC DESIGN MADE WITH THE USE OF STRIPES, PLAIDS, AND GEOMETRIC SHAPES.

            

EVALUATING GOOD DESIGN IN ORDER TO EVALUATE A DESIGN, ONE SHOULD BECOME FAMILIAR WITH THE ELEMENTS & PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN. LIKE A RECIPE, THE ELEMENTS ARE THE “INGREDIENTS” (TOOLS) OF A DESIGN, AND THE PRINCIPLES ARE THE “DIRECTIONS” FOR PUTTING THE DESIGN TOGETHER.

ELEMENTS OF DESIGN BASIC COMPONENTS THAT MAKE UP A DESIGN: LINE, SPACE, SHAPE, FORM, PATTERN, TEXTURE, COLOR, LIGHT.

LINE THE SHORTEST DISTANCE BETWEEN TWO POINTS. LINE CARRIES THE EYE FROM ONE POINT TO THE OTHER. IN INTERIOR DESIGN, LINE IS USED TO DESCRIBE THE OUTLINE OF A SHAPE. LINES CAN BE DESCRIBED AS MASCULINE, FEMININE, PRECISE, LOOSE, DEPENDING ON THEIR LENGTH, DIRECTION, WIDTH, ANGLE, OR CURVE.

TYPES OF LINE HORIZONTAL VERTICAL DIAGONAL CURVED

HORIZONTAL RESTFUL, RELAXING, AND INFORMAL

V E R T I C A L LINES LEND DIGNITY AND FORMALITY TO SPACES. FEELINGS: LOFTINESS, IMPOSING, FORMALITY, AND HEIGHT.

DIAGONAL MORE ACTIVE BECAUSE THEY SUGGEST MOVEMENT FEELING: ACTIVITY, ENERGY, EXCITEMENT

CURVED LINE FEMININE & GRACEFUL, BIG UPWARD CURVES TEND TO UPLIFT AND INSPIRE. HORIZONTAL CURVES DENOTE GENTLENESS, FEMININITY AND RELAXED MOVEMENT. LARGE DOWNWARD CURVES EXPRESS SERIOUSNESS OR SADNESS. SMALL CURVES REPRESENT PLAYFULNESS AND HUMOR.

SPACE THE AREA IN WHICH THE DESIGNER HAS TO WORK. SPACE SUGGESTS THE ABILITY TO CHANGE. ALL SENSES ARE INVOLVED IN THE WAY WE FEEL ABOUT SPACE. TWO BASIC SPACE PROBLEMS: TOO MUCH SPACE AND NOT ENOUGH SPACE.

POSITIVE SPACE FILLED SPACE THE DESK IN THE ROOM – FILLS THE SPACE.

NEGATIVE SPACE EMPTY SPACE THE AREA UNDER OR AROUND THE DESK.

WORKING WITH SPACE DESIGNERS USE THE OTHER ELEMENTS OF DESIGN TO MAKE THE SPACE AVAILABLE SEEM MORE SPACIOUS OR MORE INTIMATE. IF SPACE IS NOT CORRECTLY PLANNED, THE OTHER ELEMENTS OF DESIGN WILL NOT BE AS EFFECTIVE.

ILLUSION OF SPACIOUSNESS USE MINIMUM OF FURNISHINGS AND ACCESSORIES. ALLOW AS MUCH FLOOR TO SHOW AS POSSIBLE. USE LIGHT COOL COLORS.

ILLUSION OF SPACIOUSNESS USE MIRRORS TO HELP CREATE THE FEELING OF DEPTH. UNIFY SPACE BY USING THE SAME FLOOR COVERINGS THROUGHOUT THE HOUSE. ALLOW FOR EMPTY SPACE BETWEEN FURNITURE AND WALLS.

MAKING SPACE MORE INTIMATE USE LARGE FURNITURE THAT SITS DIRECTLY ON THE FLOOR. USE CONTRASTING PATTERNS, COLORS, AND TEXTURES. GROUP FURNITURE ACCORDING TO AREAS OF ACTIVITY.

MAKING SPACE MORE INTIMATE USE WARM, DARK COLORS. USE SOFT, ROUGH TEXTURES TO ABSORB SOUND AND MAKE THE ROOM FEEL PRIVATE.

SHAPE & FORM SHAPE IS TWO DIMENSIONAL. FORM IS THREE DIMENSIONAL. THE OUTLINE OF AN OBJECT. CIRCLE, SQUARE, TRIANGLE, RECTANGLE, ETC. FORM IS THREE DIMENSIONAL. THE OBJECT ITSELF. CONES, CYLINDERS, SPHERES, CUBES, ETC.

EXAMPLES OF SHAPE & FORM IN THE HOME RECTILINEAR FORM: (SQUARE SHAPES AND FORMS) FRIDGE, BED, PILLOWS, DISH WASHER, RUGS, WINDOWS, DOORS.

EXAMPLES OF SHAPE & FORM ANGULAR FORMS: (TRIANGULAR SHAPES AND FORMS) WINDOW TREATMENTS, CHRISTMAS TREE, ACCESSORIES, ETC.

EXAMPLES OF SHAPE & FORM CURVED FORMS: (CIRCULAR SHAPES & FORMS) PLATES, BOWLS, WREATHS, LAMPSHADES, PILLOWS, TABLES, ETC.

TEXTURE: THE APPEARANCE AND FEEL OF A SURFACE. TACTILE – CAN ACTUALLY FEEL THE VARIATION IN THE SURFACE. VISUAL – TEXTURE HAS BEEN APPLIED TO THE SURFACE USING COLOR OR LINE.

TEXTURE ADDS VARIETY AND INTEREST AFFECTS THE AMOUNT OF LIGHT AN OBJECT REFLECTS, THUS AFFECTING ITS COLOR.

ROUGH TEXTURES ABSORB LIGHT MAKE COLORS LOOK DARKER AND LESS INTENSE INFORMAL, RUSTIC FEELING

SHINY TEXTURES REFLECT LIGHT REFINED AND SMOOTH TEXTURES ARE MORE FORMAL MAKE COLORS APPEAR LIGHTER AND BRIGHTER USED IN HIGH-STYLE INTERIORS

EFFECT OF TEXTURES HEAVILY TEXTURED WALLS WILL MAKE A ROOM APPEAR SMALLER. WALLS WITH LITTLE OR NO TEXTURE WILL MAKE A ROOM APPEAR LARGER.

COLOR CAN ALTER THE APPEARANCE OF FORM AND SPACE, AFFECT OUR PERFORMANCE ABILITIES, AND CHANGE OUR MOODS. IS DERIVED FROM REFLECTED LIGHT IT IS PERCEIVED IN THE BRAIN THROUGH A RESPONSE OF THE EYES TO DIFFERENT WAVELENGTHS OF LIGHT.

Light Definition: makes things visible through illumination by one of two ways: 1. Nature: sun, moon, fire 2. Electrical devices: Incandescent, florescent, halogen or LED lights.