Design: For the College Mind

Design: For the College Design: For the College Design: For the College MindMindMind

Featuring an Featuring an Featuring an

exclusive exclusive exclusive

letter from letter from letter from

the editor!!the editor!!the editor!!

Understanding the Elements and Understanding the Elements and

principles of Designprinciples of Design Learn all about the principles

and elements in a way that is

easy to understand

Highlighting locations on the campus of Highlighting locations on the campus of Highlighting locations on the campus of

East Carolina UniversityEast Carolina UniversityEast Carolina University

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Design Thesis page 3

About the Author page 4

Elements of Design

Lines page 7-10

Texture page 12-15

Color page 17-20

Light page 22-25

Space page27-30

Shape page 32-35

Form page 37-40

Principles of Design

Balance page 43-46

Harmony page 48-51

Emphasis page 53-54

Massing page 56-57

Rhythm page 59-62

Proportion page64-65

Scale page 67-68

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Design: For the College Mind, is based on one

simple theory, that all college students and peo-

ple of college age should understand and look at

design in a positive light. Often times college

students fall under the idea that college all spac-

es should look like the tiny holes in the walls col-

leges and universities call dorm rooms. Or they

think that all homes should look like the frat

house down the street with torn drapes and emp-

ty beer cans all over the place. The college eye

is forever expanding and maturing and as stu-

dents grow their ideas and thoughts about de-

sign should grow as well. This magazine is for

those students, it’s nothing fancy or anything

filled with big words, it is simply “design, for the

college mind”

About the EditorAbout the EditorAbout the Editor

As a young college student myself who is aspiring

to an interior designer, I didn't grow up around a

lot of fancy design. My mother is a single parent so

my home was never filled with lavish furnishings

and fancy décor, my

life was always

about simplicity and

making the little

things work for me.

And now as I look

back on my simple

life in little Winston-

Salem, North Caroli-

na I realize that de-

sign isn't about how many different terms and ele-

ments you can fit into a space or whether you know

who Elsie de Wolfe is. For me design is about being

in a space that makes you feel good, a space where

you can feel at home. That is the concept I want

other students to grasp, that interior design doesn't

have to be like what you see in a fancy book or on

TV. Any space can be beautiful, even the tiniest of

dorm rooms, it’s just what you make it.

Elements of Elements of

DesignDesign

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Horizontal Lines

As college stu-

dents we used

lined paper on the

daily bases. But

most students

wouldn't look at

this basic paper

as many horizon-

tal lines. Horizon-

tal lines, lines that

run in a horizontal

motion,

are seen all around but we just have to take a no-

tice to them. So next time you are in class taking

notes give some attention to the basic design ele-

ment that you otherwise wouldn't have taken no-

tice to.

Vertical Lines

When walking past your dorm and you see this fence

you most likely wouldn't think of it as a lot of vertical

lines. Although in reality that is exactly what it is. What

makes it vertical is the fact that its poles are made in a

vertical motion.

Flowing Curved Lines

If you are walking

through the main

hallways of Joyner

Library on the

campus of East

Carolina and take

some time to look

up you’ll notice

these lights. While

these lights are

very cool they are

also a great exam-

ple of flowing

curved lines.

These lines are

simply defined as

lines that curve

but are just a little more free in their curve. Who

knew that something most people do not think about

can be found around a college campus.

Tightly Curved Lines

When walk-

ing around

East Caroli-

na’s cam-

pus and de-

cide to take

a seat on

one of

many

benches

chances

are you

wouldn't look at them as a form of tightly curved

lines. But, through the designers perspective

this is a good example of a term that means

lines that curve but are much more bound ra-

ther than having a lot of movement.

TextureTexture

Surface Quality Real

Surface quality real

texture is just a fan-

cy way of saying that

the texture that is

being portrayed is

something that actu-

ally feels that way it

looks. Like in this

example, if you were

to actually touch

this wall it would not

only look bumpy and

rough but it would

also feel that way.

Implied Texture

This image of a simple floor in a classroom building

looks as though it would be rough and coarse feel-

ing but it actually

is very smooth.

This is that exact

meaning of implied

texture. Something

that looks like

it should feel one

way but in reality it

is a very smooth

surface.

Non-Reflective Texture

Non-reflective texture is exactly what it sounds

like, an object that portrays/has texture but

does not give

off a reflec-

tion. A prime

example are

these ceiling

tiles in this

class that

clearly have

texture but do

not have a re-

flection.

Reflective Texture

Just like non-

reflective texture ,

reflective texture is

just like it sounds.

A item that was a

texture that por-

trays a reflection.

Much like the tex-

ture that can be

seen in this simple

water fountain,

there is clearly a

smooth texture that

is also a reflective

surface.

ColorColor

Monochromatic Colors

Simply put, a monochromatic color scheme is one

that has several var-

iations of one color.

For example, this

space on East Caro-

lina’s campus has a

green monochro-

matic color scheme

because the land-

scape is full of all

different shades of

green. Yes, some-

thing that is such a

big word is actually

very simple and can

be found all around

you.

Neutral Colors

When looking for a neutral color scheme think of

the most basic places that you come in contact with.

A prime example

would be this

bathroom in a

common college

dorm. It possess

all primarily all

the neutral col-

ors , white, black,

and grey, which is

the bases of a

neutral color

scheme. Although

often these color

schemes have

some added

splashes of color.

Analogous Colors

The best way to understand an analogous color

scheme is to see it. This sunset has analogous colors

because it contains colors that are right next to each

other on

the color

wheel.

Orange,

yellow,

and red

are all

in a row

on the

color

wheel

and are all seen in this sunset.

Direct Complementary

Colors

When thinking of

colors that are

directly comple-

mentary think of

colors that are

directly across

from each other

on the color

wheel. Many

sports teams fol-

low a direct com-

plementary color

scheme, a prime

example is East

Carolina University. Purple and yellow direct-

ly across from each other on the color wheel.

LightLight

Art Lighting

Art lighting is

a way to show

off and draw

attention to a

piece of art

work. While it

often goes un-

noticed, main-

ly because

people are

more focused

on the art be-

ing highlight-

ed. For exam-

ple, in this

photograph

the light’s

purpose is make the art work look better but it is

still the lights that play a very important role.

Task Lighting

Task lighting is something most students en-

counter on the daily bases. Because college

is full of late nights filled with homework stu-

dents often

take ad-

vantage of a

desk lamp.

This is a

form of task

lighting be-

cause it al-

lows light

for a specif-

ic task,

which is this

case is

homework.

Track Lighting

A simplistic way to think about track lighting

is movable light. These lights can be posi-

tioned in any direction in order to please the

user. A simple example is seen here. These

lights are posi-

tioned in all

the same direc-

tions to light

the bulletin

board in the

background.

Floor Lamps

A floor lamp is ex-

actly what is

sounds like, a

lamp that sits on

the floor and is

tall so it can cast

light higher I a

space. In relation

to college stu-

dents these can

be useful as an

extra source of

light or as an al-

ternative to the

light built into a

dorm room. This

can be seen in the

image provided. These students decided to include a

floor lamp in their dorm room décor. These can also

be used to add some extra decoration, so they can be

for fashion and function.

SpaceSpace

Positive Space

The basic definition of positive space is any

space that is filled by an object of any kind.

The best example for a college student is a

dorm

room.

While

students

are given

limited

space

this

space is

filled

with two

dressers, desks, and beds. All these objects

that take up the space in the dorm create pos-

itive space.

Negative Space

While positive space is space that is occu-

pied by an object negative is the opposite,

meaning it is any space that is not occu-

pied by an object . A good example is Col-

lege Hill Suites on the campus of ECU.

The

build-

ing us-

es its

nega-

tive

space

in a

very

unique

and creative way, rather than creating a

dorm this strictly goes straight up. All so

it allows for the building to house more

students who prefer suite style living.

Crowding Space

Crowding space is space that is just too tight.

Where people do not have any personal space.

Every college student has definitely experienced

this as they enter the classroom setting. The

desks and seats are placed so close together, in

order to fit the maximum amount of students in

the space, that it can be uncomfortable to many.

Territoriality Space

When you consider territoriality space just

think of the word territory. It is the amount

of space that makes you feel like you have

your own territory rather than having your

space

invad-

ed. As

seen

in this

photo

there

is

plenty

of

space

in this dorm lobby so that every person in it

is comfortable.

ShapeShape

Abstract Shape

A lot of the times you can find abstract shapes in

place that

you would

have never

thought

about. For

example,

next time you

are bored in

class and

making doo-

dles on your

notes, take time to look down. Those little doodles

that do not stick to a particular pattern and are in 2

-D form are considered to be abstract.

Geometric Shape

When you thing of geometric shape think back to

those days in Ge-

ometry. Back

then you just

looked at the

shapes and their

forms as nothing

more than things

your teacher said

you had to know.

But now, you

should look at

those same

shapes as an ele-

ment of design.

They stick to a

certain shape and

do not derail from that pattern.

Natural Shape

An object with natural shape is anything who’s

shape was

formed naturally.

A perfect exam-

ple would be

leaves that peo-

ple see on the

daily bases but

never really pay

much attention

to. They have a

shape but sine

make did not cre-

ate the shape

therefore it is

natural.

Dynamic Shape

Simply put, dynamic shape is a 2-D object this

is very sub-

stantial. A

good exam-

ple of this

would be this

dorm room

floor plan.

The furniture

placed here are not 3-D but they take up a

great deal of space and define the space.

FormForm

Geometric Form

When designers refer to anything as a form that

means they are talking a 3-D object, one with sub-

stance. So, geo-

metric form is

when a 3-D object

has geometric as-

pects. A good ex-

ample would be

these stairs on

ECU’s campus.

They continue this

same form from

step to step.

Natural Form

An object with natural form is practically any 3-D

form

found in

nature.

This beau-

tiful tree

is was not

molded by

human

hands but

rather it

grew this

way on its

own and

there will be another like it. It is natural and pure

giving it natural form.

Abstract Form

If you

are ev-

er on

the

cam-

pus of

East

Caroli-

na Uni-

versity

and you happen to walk by the Jenkins arts building

take time to look down. By doing this you will see

many sculpture like the ones in the picture. These

do not follow a specific pattern but at the same time

are still man made giving that abstract feel.

Non-Object Form

Any object that is categorized to have non-

object form is one that can not be held but yet

still is a 3-D

object. A

good exam-

ple of this is

a keyboard

on a laptop.

You can not

physically

hold this ob-

ject but at

the same

time it is a 3-D component of the computer.

Principles Principles

of Designof Design

BalanceBalance

Structural Symmetry

An object or building with structural symmetry is

one that if divided down the middle would look the

exact same on either side. The word “structural”

in this term is a fancy way that the object has a

sturdy or strong form and that it is stable. This

often plays a larger part in interior design be-

cause it can be very pleasing to the eye. This is

an aspect that many designers take into great

consideration.

Structural Radial

Symmetry

Structural Radial Symmetry is pretty much the

same concept as Structural Symmetry except for

the fact it encompasses the idea of a circle. It

is when the object is in a circular form and when

divided in half it looks that same on either side.

Visual Asymmetry

Visual asymmetry is when you can look at an ob-

ject that you can not hold and you see that is

not sym-

metrical.

A prime

example

can be

seen out

side of

Joyner li-

brary at

ECU in a

common

sitting area. In the photo you can see that if

you divide the are in half it is not the same on

both sides. This can be either visually stimulat-

ing of overwhelming depending on how the

space is used.

Visual Radial

Symmetry

Visual Radial Symmetry can be defined simply

as when you look at a object, that can not be

held, and if you divide it in half it is the same

on both sides. In or-

der to see something

like this all you have

to do is open a geom-

etry text book . Any-

time you flip a page

or work a problem

that has a circle on it

then you have just wit-

nessed visual radial

symmetry. It may seem complicated but in ac-

tuality this is a very easy concept to grasp.

Ha

rm

on

yH

ar

mo

ny

Unity Through Line

Anything that creates harmony through unity via

lines means that all it’s lines have a common corre-

lation and flow together. A prime example is some-

thing that most col-

lege students live by,

a calendar or plan-

ner. These lines are

all related and yet are

all the same. With

out these lines your

planner would just be

a list of dates and

you wouldn't be able

to write down your

important dates and

times. It is the com-

mon lines that create

unity.

Variety Through Color

Variety through color can be found anywhere but one that

every student can relate to when you look at a map much

like the one below. This map of Europe has many colors

but it not just for no reason. The different colors make it

easy for the user

to differentiate

the countries,

especially the

very small ones.

You will notice

that none of the

countries that

border each oth-

er are labeled

with the same

color, this also

shows harmony. If any countries that bordered each oth-

er were the same color it would make the map harder to

read.

Variety Through

Materials

Most students normally don't notice a variety through mate-

rials even though they no-

tice it on the daily basis. A

great example of this

would be the common desk

in a classroom, students

sit in these all the time but

probably don't notice how

many materials are being

used. When you look at

the desk in the photo you

can see the plastic used to

create the chair itself, the

metal used for the under

desk storage space, and

the wood like material for

the writing surface. Also, even though there are many dif-

ferent materials here they all come together for a common

purpose, creating harmony.

Variety Through

Furniture

This pho-

to, taken

in the

lobby of

Cotten

Hall, is a

great ex-

ample of

a variety

of furni-

ture. All

of these

pieces have a different shape and size. Not only

that but they are all made with a different fabric or

no fabric at all. Although, at the same time there

is harmony here. Harmony is created with the rep-

etition of wood in the space.

EmphasisEmphasis

Focal Point-Visual

Any time you can simply look at an object and it

immediately grabs your attention that is a visual

focal point. You can witness this when you look at

a computer monitor. When you sit down at a desk

it automatically grabs your attention. These are

typically things that are surrounded by other ob-

jects and are apart of a group, much like a com-

puter monitor.

Focal Point-Structural

When you see a structural

focal point it usually is

standing alone so that on-

ly it will grab a person’s

attention. Much like this

sculpture in Joyner library

that you would see after

walking up the steps of

the library. Once you get

to the second floor this is

the first thing you see , it

grabs your attention and

is intriguing. This sculp-

ture is doing it’s job be-

cause even though it

stands alone it is still a

focal point.

MassingMassing

Actual Density

Density when applied to interior design refers to

how heavy an object

is or looks. When

you narrow down the

principle of massing

and focus on actual

density you are con-

sidering how heavy a

piece of furniture is

in actuality . We can

consider this piano

found in a lobby on

ECU’s campus. Not

only does this instru-

ment look heavy, it is

extremely heavy giv-

ing it actual density.

Optical Density

Optical density is similar to an optical allusion. An

object seems to be very dense but in reality it is

not. This can be

seen in this

sculpture. This

piece of art work

found in the li-

brary at East Car-

olina University

looks to be very

heavy because it

has the look of a

heavy metal. Alt-

hough it actually

very light weight.

RhythmRhythm

Repetitive

Most people only thing of rhythm as it pertains to

music, although it plays a very strong in interior

design and decorating. Without rhythm spaces

would look disconnected

rather than flowing. Re-

petitive rhythm is seen

when any element in a

space is repeated. Stu-

dents see this any time

you enter the library. As

you look down the selves

and see rows and rows

of books there is defi-

nitely repetition.

Climactic

As a student, when you

think of the climax you

probably think of the

part of the novel that

is the highlight of the

story. Having a climax

in a space is very simi-

lar. It’s basically when

you look at something

and I leads your eye to

a very specific spot

and at the same time it

all flows. For example,

when you look at this

photo your eye leads

up to the beautiful clouds in the sky.

Contrast

When thinking

of contrast as

it pertains to

rhythm simp-

ly think of

seeing the

same thing

continually

but there is a

difference in

every item you

look at. A

very good example are these magazine covers. Each one

is a cover for the magazine Read although at the same

time they are very different. Every cover has a different

person and theme to them. Also, they still flow because

they have the same concept.

Transitional

Transitional rhythm is one with a true purpose. When you

use this principle it is a way to transition into another

space while

still having a

good flow

and rhythm.

When you

look at the

lighting fea-

turing in this

photo you

see that not

only does it

continue to

go straight

but it transitions to the next space in order to keep the

rhythm going and transition into the next room in a way

that they will relate.

ProportionProportion

Objects in Proportion

In the simplest way possible proportion is how the size

of one item relates to the size of another. This is a

very important part of design when purchasing and

placing furniture. When you look at this furniture you

can see that these

chairs and coffee ta-

ble are in proportion

with each other. The

chairs are not too

big for the table and

the table is not ab-

normally large com-

pared to the chairs.

Taking all of this in-

to consideration,

this furniture is all

in proportion with

one another.

Objects not in

Proportion

In comparison to objects that are in proportion objects

that are not proportion are those that are too large or

too small compared to each other. In the case of this

computer it is too large compared to the desk. Not to

mention the keyboarder and mouse that seem tiny

when comparing them to the screen. And even though

this monitor does serve a good purpose when doing

group projects it is still out of proportion.

ScaleScale

Human Scale

Scale refers to relative to size and when you take

that and apply it to humans it how the size fits with

the human body. The best way to see this is with

children’s

furniture.

At the

children’s

care cen-

ter at

East Car-

olina Uni-

versity

you can

see all

the children’s toys are specific to the size of the

children. If the toys were very large they would be

out of scale.

Symbolic Scale

Symbolic scale is

exactly what it

sounds like,

when an object is

in or out of scale

for a reason.

The perfect ex-

ample would be

this clock tower

on ECU’s cam-

pus. It is abnor-

mally larger but

it is that way so

that the entire

campus can see

it and hear when

the hour changes. It would have been easy to take

the tower much smaller but by the school taking

its true purpose into consideration it makes since

that it is so large.

Reference PageReference Page Photos from pages: 9, 14, 15, 53, 54, 57, 59, 60, 61, 62, 64, 63, Photos from pages: 9, 14, 15, 53, 54, 57, 59, 60, 61, 62, 64, 63,

and 68and 68

Joyner Library, East Carolina UniversityJoyner Library, East Carolina University

Photos from pages: 1, 7, 8, 18, 23, 25, 32, 33, 40, 46, 48, 51, and Photos from pages: 1, 7, 8, 18, 23, 25, 32, 33, 40, 46, 48, 51, and

5656

Cotten Hall, East Carolina UniversityCotten Hall, East Carolina University

Photos from pages: 12, 22, 24, and 37Photos from pages: 12, 22, 24, and 37

Mendanhall, East Carolina UniversityMendanhall, East Carolina University

Photos from pages: 13, 34, 38, 44, 49, and 50Photos from pages: 13, 34, 38, 44, 49, and 50

Bate Building, East Carolina UniversityBate Building, East Carolina University

Photos from pages: 10 and 17Photos from pages: 10 and 17

“Mall”, East Carolina University“Mall”, East Carolina University

Photos on pages 27 and 30Photos on pages 27 and 30

Jones Hall, East Carolina UniversityJones Hall, East Carolina University

Photo on page 20Photo on page 20

DowdyDowdy--Ficklen Stadium, East Carolina UniversityFicklen Stadium, East Carolina University


Jenkins Building, East Carolina UniversityJenkins Building, East Carolina University


Children’s Care Center, East Carolina UniversityChildren’s Care Center, East Carolina University


Website: Great Big CanvasWebsite: Great Big Canvas


Website: WikipediaWebsite: Wikipedia


Website: Diane GottsmanWebsite: Diane Gottsman


Website: East Carolina UniversityWebsite: East Carolina University

Documents

Design: For the College Mind