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Gwinnet County Educational Center

In Gwinnet county, Georgia, a new school has just opened. It teaches children in grades k-12. The teachings focus mostly on water and the importance of conserving it. The school itself is built completely with sustainable design in mind. This building is an excellent example of how sustainable design can be just as beautiful as normal buildings. People seem to think that "green" buildings aren't as well designed as a building with no restrictions. That just isn't true, nothing has to be sacrificed.

Coca-Cola

This is a vintage ad design for Coca-Cola. This ad can be looked at in two ways: from the point of view of someone reading it when it was first released or from the point of view of someone now. Seeing something as "vintage" is in itself an advertising strategy. People like to remember the past and "better days" I guess you could say, especially for the older generations. And for the younger generations it acts as a sort of portal into a world they never really knew.

Green

This ad is really powerful. You can tell at first glance that it is about something important, that it is for a real cause. I guess certain things send people messages when the first see them. For example: the hands in this ad say "help" and "comfort." The bracelet is very well lit and looks very beautiful which makes the consumer want the product that much more. So this ad has two things going for it, it is visually appealing and also makes consumers want to help out with the cause.

absolut

The point of a good ad is to really sell the product, to make the consumer want to go out and buy it right then. I think that this add really does that well. It makes the drink look so cold, clean, and crisp. The reflection on the table is also a really nice touch.

Colored Pencils

This picture was in an add for colored pencils. I really like the picture. It shows all the colors and the picture is so close up that you can see the craft of each pencil. It just makes the person who is looking at it want to draw. I think that is when you know that an add is really well designed, when the picture makes you want to use the object being advertised.

Frank Lloyd Wright

We studied Frank Lloyd Wright in my Art History class this semester and I am sorry to say that I'm not all that impressed with him. He seems to just pick one theme for all his projects and then that's it, no more compromising. We studied his Robes House. The theme for this one was horizontal line. Everything was horizontal, even the bricks were longer and more horizontal than normal bricks.

Youth Bedroom

This room is perfect for a young girl. It has plenty of space for her to run around and play and the low key colors make it relaxing for her when she is trying to go to sleep. The colors are also versatile enough that she will still like them when she gets to be a teenager. They aren't too "girly". The white furniture is also a nice addition to the room and everyone knows that anyone who is in school needs a desk. The window are also very beautiful.

Contemporary White Bedroom

I really like the way this bedroom looks. It is so clean and new and I really enjoy the one burst of color from the fuchsia flower in the corner. But in the terms of functionality, it's probably not the best idea. It would be so hard to keep it clean and as soon as there was a spot on the wall, bed, or carpet, the whole feel of the room would be lost and so would it's allure.

Dallas Galleria Mall

I love the way these staircases are designed. They are so simple, but they say so much at the same time. they give the mall goers something to look at and talk about. Malls can sometimes seem so boring, and simple aspects that they have to have, like stairs, can easily be made more interesting to make for a better over all experience for shoppers.

Dubai Shopping Mall

think that a lot of times, public places such as shopping centers and malls are somewhat neglected in terms of being well designed. I guess there just aren't enough funds and people just don't see it as a necessity for these places. But if these options available I think that they should definitely be put to good use. A nice serene environment for people to shop in can make crowds less rowdy and may even cut down on some violence. People don't feel as threatened when they are comfortable with their surroundings. I think that the Dubai Shoppin mall achieved this task very well. I would love to shop there. the circular balcony and matching light piece really add a calming and uncrowded feel to the whole space.

Modern UK Bathroom 2

I like this bathroom way more than the first modern UK bathroom that I looked at. I love the color green that is incorporated in the room. It is retro and modern at the same time . I love designers who can take two themes and combine them and make them look good together. I also love the shape of the room. It looks like it might be under a stair case with it's angled ceiling on one side. It looks cozy and inviting and those are both important aspects of a bathroom.

Modern UK Bathroom

This bathroom just seems kind of weird to me. It looks like a fancy airplane bathroom. Everything is miniature and compact. There doesn't seem to be a reason for all the appliances to be so small. The size of the bathroom is large enough to handle a regular sink and toilet comfortably. I guess it is just a new trend, but I'm not such a big fan.

Cool bathroom

I love this bathroom. I love the modern look of it and the color of its walls. I also like how it is so open. I feel like I would really be able to relax if I were to take a bath in it. It reminds me of something that Frank Lloyd Wright would design. We have been learning about him in my Art History class and studying his design of the Robie House. Wright seemed to be almost obsessed with horizontals when designing this house and the fact that this bathroom also has a lot of horizontal features reminded me of him.

Sandra Nicholson Interior Space

I absolutely love this room that Sandra Nicholson designed. I love that it is all neutral. I think that it makes a lot of sense to make a room, especially, a living room all neutral. First of all, you never feel to crowded or like the room is too busy with neutrals. If anything, they make a small space seem more roomy. Also, they will make the house easier to sell if you want to sell it in the future. Buyers want a house that they don't need to repaint. More people like neutrals than bold or bright colors.

Wohnmodell 1969

To tell you the truth, I have never really liked the bright 60's look. I don't really understand it. Like in this case, what is the point in the big whit sphere in the corner of the room. It just seems to me like it is taking up space. It has no function as far as I can tell. I just would never be able to relax in a room like that. It sounds funny, but it looks like a room out of one of the Austin Powers movies. I realize that this was designed in a different time but the style is still celebrated and I don't really understand why. There is so much unneeded pieces of furniture that don't do anything but take up space.

The inside of a modern spaceship

I found this particular interior environment to be really interesting. When I was reading about I wasn't only learning about the space, but also about the space ship. This is the inside a spaceship created for commercial space tourism. It is designed for the rich and famous. Those are the only people that will be able to afford a luxurious ride into space. The chairs, I have to say, are amazing. I think anyone could fall asleep in them. The whole environment is very modern and futuristic, very appropriate for a modern space ship. The windows are also very appropriate. There is a window for everyone to look through and a big window in the front so everyone can see where they are headed.

Burj Dubai tower

This is currently the world's tallest building. I don't really understand this building at all.. and don't like it. I feel like its only purpose is to be the tallest building in the world, and we all know that it won't hold that title for very long. I think that designers get way to carried away with breaking records and barriers and their actual design suffers and sacrificed for this very reason. This tower is a good example of someone getting carried away, in my opinion.

Building in Toronto

This is an office building in Toronto Canada. I really love all the angles on the outside. It accomplishes the task of making an average office building look more upbeat and modern without making it look unprofessional. There are so many different ways to make a building stand out and look original and I think that exterior angles is one of the most successful.

CN Tower

This building is more of a tourist attraction than anything else. I visited it in Toronto a couple of years ago and they have a really neat thing at the top. First of all, you can walk around the big round part at the top, which is really cool. It is kind of mind boggling to look down from that high up, especially when you are standing outside. Also, on the inside there is a glass floor in one area that you can stand on and it makes you feel like you are just standing in mid air about 100 stories up. It's crazy and it was an awesome experience. Not to mention you get up to the top in a glass elevator. I felt like I was in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory . This building is definitley worth the time and effort to visit.

Empire State Building

Perhaps, this is the most famous building of all. It is was personified and shaped what people think of when they hear the word "skyscraper". In my opinion, it was the first and the greatest. It's classic and it can't be beat. It is simply built with just the idea of going up instead of out. It also looks amazing at night. It stands out from all the rest. It is one of the main reason that I want to visit New York City.

Atlantis

I have always wanted to visit the Atlantis towers in the Bahamas. They just look like so much fun. They fit into their environment so well. They are so tropical. I love the shape and my favorite part is the tunnel between the two towers. I think it would be amazing to stay in a room located there. It just seems like the designers did everything possible to make this hotel really fantastic and I think they did it very well.

Shanghai Financial Center

This building is a lot like the first building I wrote about. It has the same basic shape. Actually, what attracted me to this building and what pushed me to write about it was because it kind of looks like my jump drive. I wonder where the designer got the inspiration for this building. It is under construction right now and when it is done it will be the tallest building in the world, but only for just a few weeks. I wonder how far designers are going to be willing to go in the future so that their building is the tallest. How tall can buildings be without worrying about the safety of the people inside?

Ryugyong Hotel

The first aspect of this building that I noticed is obviously the shape. It is a pyramid and it's extremely tall. It towers over every other building around it. I think that hotels have way more options than say a bank tower or an office building. They have the freedom to be funky and fun and experiment with different shapes and forms without being called "too much." This hotel took complete advantage of this. It is huge and in a shape that people don't see everyday. It makes me interesting and it makes me want to stay there.

Gehry Tower

This building is really cool. It creates an optical illusion for those who walk by it. It looks like it has just been twisted slightly. The really cool thing about this building is that the window are still on somewhat of grid. It seems like that wouldn't be possible with something that has been twisted, but the designer really pulled it off. I think that it is really appropriate that this building is on the corner of two streets instead of just along side one street. It definitely demands attention and I think it is well deserved.

Building in Minneapolis

I looked forever for the name of this building but I couldn't find it. I found it on a kind of blog that someone mad while visiting Minneapolis. I love this building I love the way it looks like it is coming apart at the top. It looks like someone has just smashed the top against a wall. This seems to give the building the illusion of movement. I really like the design. It is subtle enough to where it doesn't completely take over the building and make it looks somewhat unprofessional. I think that some designers take there "abstract" idea to too much of an extreme. I also enjoy the mirror blue of all the window. It looks sleek, simple, and industrial. This building makes me want to visit Mineapolis.

Kingdom Centre

This building design is a finalist in an international contest. I don't think that it has actually been built bu there are some pictures of what it would look like in it's proposed location. It is to be located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. I think that it looks completely misplaced there. It is way way bigger than anything else in that area. It just seems to stick out like a sore thumb. There aren't even any other skyscrapers near it. I guess that cities have to start somewhere when wanting ot industrialize, but i don't think the need to start with this extreme of a building. But, taking the building out of its locational context, its definitely a cool modern building. It is really fun to look at. It reminds me of a boomerang or something. I think the idea and design of the building is really innovative and cool but I don't think that it is being built in the right place.

Burns+Beryl

I think this is my favorite website that I have looked at. It is so simple and understated. I really like it. It has a dark gray background and orange and white writing. It looks really clean, simple, and professional. Also, the only text is in the upper left-hand corner. It is super easy to navigate. It just seems professional and like they aren't trying to hard. they just want to make it easy and simple for their clients. I think it really works well and it is easy to read and look at. Take a look.

James Heimler, Architect Inc.

This website is a little bit different than some of the other ones that I have chosen to write about so far. It is highlighting one particular architect. The web page itself seems a little sloppy and poorly put together, but the information is still quite useful. There is a sort of biography on the architect, which I think is a nice addition. It is nice to know about the life of the person you may hire to design your home or workplace. I don't like that the background is black and the text is a bold white. It is hard to read and it hurts your head to look at. I think that there could have been a little more thought put into it to make it look a little nicer. Take a look.

Kirksey Architecture

This website has something I think every design or architecture firm should have: an online portfolio. A lot of other firms had previous projects but a portfolio just seems more professional and it show process and progress, which we all know is very important. This website also seems more technical than some of the other one that I have seen so far. There are links to licensing statement, privacy statement, and disclaimers. This sure does make for easy access to these things but I am not so sure that they belong on the homepage. It just seems a little impersonal to me. Take a look.

Wylie Architecture

This particular website used the simple approach. There isn't very much on their firm's homepage. But there is one thing that is very important. On the right they have slide show of some of their best projects. Like I have said in previous entries, it is very important to show potential clients some of your best projects. It could be the deciding factor on whether they choose to hire you or not. I think that the simplicity of this web page really works well. There isn't too much information but there is enough to where you get a good ideal of what the firm is all about. They also provide some background information on the firm and the owner, which reaches the client on a personal level. Take a look.

Design Group

I really enjoyed looking at Design Group's website. As soon as I logged on I saw this animated box at the top of the page with different slides and pictures of projects by the firm. It really caught my attention and held it. Then I scrolled down the page a little bit and they had a really nice introductory paragraph explaining who they are and what they are all about. I thought this was a really nice touch because it really reaches the consumer on a personal level. It lets them know that they are dealing with actual people and not just a computer. I haven't seen this aspect of the website with any of the other firms' pages that I have looked at. I think it was a really good idea and marketing tool by Design Group. Take a look.

Innovative Spaces, Inc.

This is also a very successful website for an Interior Design firm. At the top of the web page there is a scroll of some of the projects the firm as worked on and the finished product. I think it is important to show potential clients some of the work you have done in the past because if they are impressed they are more likely to look further into hiring you. Who knows? One project that your firm completes posted on your website may attract a large number of clients. That would be great for you business. Everyone wants more clients, right? This website is also very easily navigated. There are may links that a user could click on and it would take them to any information that they would like to know about Innovative Spaces, Inc. That is also a good aspect because it makes users feel catered to. Take a look.

D.A. Interior Design, LLC

I thought that this design firm did a very good job with their website. The first thing you see when you log onto is bright inviting colors. I think that it would make someone looking for a potential designer for a space really consider them because their website really catches people's eye. It is important to advertise and display your product well because, in a way, it give potential clients a little insight into your work ethic and style. I think this is the most successful website I have looked at thus far. Take a look.