MetroLink Process Book

Page 1

Metrolink exhibition DesignStadium Station

De andrea Nicholsandrea NobleJordan Pick

Page 2 exhibitioN DeSigN SPriNg 2009 Page 3 NicholS, Noble, Pick

Project obJectiVeS

this project focuses on the exploration of informational and expressive approaches to typography in a large-scale environmental context. the task that has been bestowed upon us entails designing a set of graphic 3- dimensional forms that could be installed into St. louis Metrolink stops. With selected St. louis authors as our subjects for design, we have been challenged to explore and express our authors’ relationships to the neighborhood and community surrounding our Metrolink station.

below are some of the considerations that have been given to us for thedevelopment of our project. From these, we have developed our own design criteria by which to analyze our work.

Consider the role of site and context in a large-scale work.

Consider issues such as the grid, hierarchy, legibility, and orientation.

Consider what constitutes a “system.”

learn about color and palette development as it affects expression and the role it plays in a system.

Develop collaborative skills.

through our explorations of Stadium station, we have observed many dynamics that we have strived to visually articulate in our forms. First, the passengers of the train at this stop are very diverse. therefore, we wanted to develop forms that conveyed the idea of diverse people coming together. Second, the Stadium Metrolink station is complex, particularly because it sits below street level and can be seen from numerous vantage points. to accommodate for this, we developed forms with high tops to invite passersby from above. the authors we chose relate closely to the downtown area, and like our audience, are very diverse individuals. our designs of the surfaces of the forms aim to convey this sentiment.

based upon the objectives that we have defined for this project, our group has established four main criteria by which to judge our work.

1. cohesiveness

2. color effectiveness

3. hierarchy

4. type treatment

in order to assure that our forms fit effectively into the Metrolink Stadium Station, we have created and arrange our forms in a manner that is cohesive and relative to the atmosphere around it and our selected authors. as well, with focus on our other three criteria- color effectiveness, hierarchy, and type treatment- we also have strived to solidify the cohesiveness of our forms to each other.

our Goals aND DeSigN criteria


researcHobserVing stADiUM stAtion

seleCting oUr AUthors


researcH| obSerViNg StaDiuM StatioN

the Stadium Metrolink Station is located next to the cardinals Stadium and the Westin hotel and near the arch in Downtown St. louis. it bustles during baseball season with people from all of parts of the country and slims to a primary population of St.louis natives during off-season. as well, because of its location and arrangement in the space, this stop presented a unique and interesting array of opportunities and challenges for our group. it visually lends itself to more than just those who utilize the train, for it is located in an open area beneath street level.

because of these and other features- like its narrow, yet elongated dimensions- we have aimed to design objects that can be seen from above as well as far away.

to the right are photographs that capture the various angles and dimensions of the station.


STADIUM METRO STOPF L O O R P L A N

stone wall

wall between tracks

ramp

busch stadium

ramp

17’

79’

our station can also be represented via a floor plan, as shown to the right. Within it, one can see how our given space is divided. With two platforms on which passengers can stand and wait, it provides many van-tage points for viewers on opposite sides. however, there is not much to see on the sides on which passengers stand. this characteristic of the stop grants numerous opportunities for our forms, for not only can they interact more with the space, but they also give viewers an artifact that can entice their interests.

researcH| obSerViNg StaDiuM StatioN researcH| obSerViNg StaDiuM StatioN

also unique to our station are a vast array of color palettes from which we could eventually derive the colors for our forms. in its immediate area, the station includes its title signs (with red, blue, and white hues) that define its location and its generic Metrolink signage that hosts yellow, blue, and red hues. also in the this area is a set of advertisements and signage for a local casino that includes more yellow with black.

Since busch stadium was located across the street, it also gave great ideas for our final color choices. its dominant color is red, but it also features of a lot of navy blue, yellow, and green in its signage and logo. Many buildings in the surrounding blocks also feature some of these hues, including a billboard for new area apartments as well as a white parking garage that has a red painted side.

at the beginning of our process, many of these colors were our focus, but as we progressed and gave more consideration to our selected authors, we made various decisions that led to the utilization of three of the hues- blue, yellow, and green.

this tone of yellow is eventually added as a major tone in one of our forms, and the yellow hue to its right serves as a reference for its partnered color.


researcH| obSerViNg StaDiuM StatioN

although not derived as a direct hue for our forms, the blue to the left signifies the oficialness and seriousness of tone that we strived to convey with our blue color.

the red and green are dominant colors in the area surrounding Stadium station. For this reason, we decided not to use these use these hues, particulaly the red, as much in our forms.

researcH| SelectiNg our authorS

Since the Stadium Metrolink stop is one that hosts a plethora of individuals from all of the country who enter and exit its vicinity, we chose authors who relate to this sentiment. two of our selected writers were originally from the St. louis area, but traveled nationally with their careers. he third, a native of budapest, settled in St. louis as a reformer and editor after his migration to the united States.

aNDrea “i chose Pulitzer because he was an incredibly interesting man who had an huge impact on the downtown area of St. louis. Pulitzer emigrated to St. louis from budapest and worked as mule tender, waiter, and hack driver before he became an newspaper editor. Pulitzer rose in rank and used his papers to attack corruption in the government.”

De aNDrea“i picked eugene Field as my author for various reasons. For one, i was intrigued by how much he accomplished with such a short life. Yet more than that, i love how he never let his inner-child die in his life, and because of that, he truly became ‘the children’s Poet.’”

JorDaN “i had read Mark twain’s famous books, but had little knowledge of his background. i was excited to learn that he was so big on steamboat piloting on the Mississippi, and thought it would be great to emphasize this side of twain few people knew about. reading his biography and the lesser known works, i got to now him as a fun and, certainly, funny spirit and thought it would be a great opportunity to portray him as such.”


develoPment iNitial SketcheS aND iDeaSSketchiNg iNto our SPaceDYNaMic ForMFiNDiNg Suitable colorStYPe exPloratioNeleVatioNS


develoPment| iNitial SketcheS aND iDeaS


develoPment| SketchiNg iNto our SPace

after developing the sketches to the left, our group decided that it would be to our highest benefit to actually see how our sketched ideas would best fit into our space. therefore, we developed the following sketches onto some of the photographs that we used for documentation.


develoPment| DYNaMic ForM

each of these forms represented core ideas in the progression of our forms. the first two, playfully titled “Slants” and “the equinox” represent the three main element that we sought to attain from our forms- height, dynamic angles, and slantedness. in our more complex final form, we capture each of these elements via the slanted height of the triangluar prism that creates our shape.


develoPment| FiNDiNg Suitable colorS

throughout our process, color proved to be our group’s biggest challenge in unifying our forms. as we cycled through numerous approaches, we strove to find colors that produce both unity and individuality in relation to our space and selected authors. in the end, we chose to use for hues- blue, light blue, yellow, and green- that even in their analogous harmony allowed for a discordance that creates an exciting and dynamic set.

upon the next pages, one can see our biggest stages in this process to find the most suitable colors for our set.

P Julitzer

oseph

TM

wain

ark F Eield

ugene

The

Fiel

d th

at

peop

le h

ave

over

done

as an

id

ol ca

me

into

bei

ng

chie

fly th

roug

h se

ntim

ent

and

not t

hrou

gh h

umor

. He

set t

o wo

rk d

elib

erat

ely t

o cu

lti-

vate

the

sent

imen

tal a

nd h

e di

d so

wi

th w

hat s

ucce

ss th

e wh

ole

world

know

s.

1850

1856

1869

1875

1876

1879

1883

1895

Born

in S

t. L

ouis

Mov

ed to

Am

hers

t, M

Aa�

er m

othe

r’s d

eath

Atte

nded

and

dro

pped

ou

t of W

illia

ms

Col

lege Wor

ked

as a

jour

nalis

t fo

r the

St.

Jos

eph

Gaz

ette

Mov

ed to

St.

Lou

is a

s ed

itor

for v

ario

us n

ewsp

aper

s

Star

ted

publ

ishi

ng p

oetr

y

Beca

me

fam

ous

for h

is

colu

mn

“Sha

rps

and

Flat

s”

Die

d in

Chi

cago

Would you dream all these dreams that are tiny and fleet They’ll come to you sleepingSo shut the two eyes that are weary, my sweetFor the Rock-a-By Lady from Hushaby Street

With poppies that hang from her head to her feet Comes stealing; comes creeping FROM “Rock- a-by Lady”

EUGEN

E

Euge

ne

Eugene Field was born in St. Louis on

September 2, 1850 on 634 South

Broadway. O

ne of the most celebrated

American authors of children’s poetry, he

produced many countless hum

orous

poems, short shories, and new

spaper

columns that have progressed to

comm

ercial success.

As a leading editor and columnist for m

any

of the nation’s newspapers, Field proved

himself as not only a pow

erful and

lighthearted writer, but a m

an who m

any

loved and adored. Upon his death at the

young age of 45 in 1895, the Chicago

Tribune seldom has the “death of a citizen

of Chicago...occasioned such sincere and

universal sorrow.”

Field’s St. Louis home, w

hich was turned

into a museum

in 1934, can be found a

block away from

this station at 643 South

Broadway.

Fiel

d

Eugene Field

EugeneThe Children’s

Poet

Satir

e

Col

umni

st

E

FFa

ther

of t

he P

erso

nal

New

spap

er C

olum

n

The

Fiel

d th

at

peop

le

have

ov

erdo

ne

our explorations with color led us to the following color palette. as they relate to our space, each of these hues are featured but not overshown within the immediate areas of our station. as they pertain to our selected authors, the colors represent the distinctive qualities of them as writers and men. Finally, as they relate to each other, these colors represent an analogous arrangement, which lends itself to the advent of harmony.

aboVe represented within the forms are their individual cMYk percentages.

c 88.24M 25.49Y 100k 8

c 84.71M 38.04Y 55.69k 16.89

c 4M 20Y 100k 0

c 3.14M 0Y 49.8k 0

c 67.45M 1.57Y 39.61k 0

c 53.73M 0Y 82.75k 0


Joseph Pulitzer neutraface text demi

Joseph Pulitzer baskerville regular

Joseph Pulitzer trade gothic regular

Joseph Pulitzer baskerville semibold

Joseph Pulitzer bembo bold

Joseph Pulitzer helvetica regular

develoPment| tYPe exPloratioN

We started out each exploring different typefaces for our own forms. We realized that we had to impose a format for our distinctions for our typeface selections. We decided that twain should be in a sans serif to emphasize his friendliness, Pulitzer in a serif to reference business and newspapers and Field could be in a script to emphasize poetry. however, the surfaces of the forms did not look cohesive, so we decided on one typeface, FF Meta, because of its flexibility. We used Meta in different ways: Pulitzer in tracked-out capitals, Field in italics, and twain in tracked-in Meta book roman letters.


FInal Forms| eleVatioNS

Served

two

years

as

managing editor

of the Tribune

of

Denver,

ColoradoBecame

famous

for

his

column “Sharps

and

Flats”

Died

in

Chicago

18

95

The

Eugene

Field

house

isopened

as

the

first

historic house

museum

in St.

Louis

19

36

18

83

Started

publishing

poetry

18

81

oh, had i lived in the good ole days when the icythyosauraus ramped around...

would i have spent

my precious time at weaving golden thoughts in rhyme?

18

79

15.2’

6’

5.2’

“ O U R R E P U B L I C A N D I T S P R ESS W I L L R I SE A N D F A L L T O G E T H E R . A N A B L E , DIS IN TERESTED, P UBLIC-SPIRITED P R ESS , W I T H T RA I NE D I N T ELLIGENCE T O K N O W T H E R I G H T A N D CO U R A G E T O DO I T, C A N P R ESE RV E T H AT P U B L I C V IR T U E W I T H O U T W H I C H P O P U L A R G O V E R N M E N T I S A S H A M A N D A M O C K E R Y. ”

18

47 B o r n i n B u d a p e s t

18

64 E m i g ra t e d t o t h e U n i t e d S ta t e s

a n d s e t t l e d i n S t . Lo u is

18

69 E l e c t e d t o t h e

M iss o u r i S ta t e A ss e m bl y

18

70 S h o t Ca p ta i n Ed wa r d A u g u s t i n e 1

87

2 Pu r chas e d t h e St . Lo u i s Po st

“ T H E P O S T - D I S P AT C H

WILL NOT SERVE ANY PA RT Y

B UT THE PEOPL E ; BE NO ORGA N

O F R E P U B L I C A N I S M , B U T T H E

O R G A N O F T R U T H ; W I L L F O L LO W N O

C A U S E S B I T I T S C O N C L U S I O N S ; W I L L

N O T S U P P O R T T H E A D M I N I S T R AT I O N , B U T

W I L L C R I T I C I Z E I T. ”

18

78 B o u g h t T h e Ev e n i n g D i s p a t ch

18

83

18

90 Fo r ce d t o wi t h d ra w f r o m e d i t o r s h i p

d u e t o o n co m i n g b l i n d n e ss

Pu rch a s ed T h e N e w Yo r k Wo r l d

19

09 E x p o s e d a f ra u d u l e n t p a y m e n t o f

$ 4 0 m i l l i o n by t h e U n i t e d S ta t e s

t o t h e F r e n ch Pa na ma Ca na l Co m p a n y

19

11 D i e d i n N e w Yo r k

“ O U R R E P U B L I C A N D I T S P R ESS W I L L R I SE A N D F A L L T O G E T H E R . A N A B L E , DIS IN TERESTED, P UBLIC-SPIRITED P R ESS , W I T H T RA I NE D I N T ELLIGENCE T O K N O W T H E R I G H T A N D CO U R A G E T O DO I T, C A N P R ESE RV E T H AT P U B L I C V IR T U E W I T H O U T W H I C H P O P U L A R G O V E R N M E N T I S A S H A M A N D A M O C K E R Y. ”

18

47

18

64

p u l i t z e rj o s e p h

Newspaper Editor

Government Reformist

18

69

18

70

18

72

“ T H E P O S T - D I S P AT C H

WILL NOT SERVE ANY PA RT Y

B UT THE PEOPL E ; BE NO ORGA N

O F R E P U B L I C A N I S M , B U T T H E

O R G A N O F T R U T H ; W I L L F O L LO W N O

C A U S E S B I T I T S C O N C L U S I O N S ; W I L L

N O T S U P P O R T T H E A D M I N I S T R AT I O N , B U T

W I L L C R I T I C I Z E I T. ”

18

78

18

83

18

90

19

09

19

11

Joseph Pulitzer was born in the Austro-Hungarian Empire

in 1848. He emigrated to the United States in 1864 and

settled in St. Louis. After working as a mule tender,

waiter, and hack driver, Pulitzer began studying English

at the Mercantile Library. In 1869 he surprised everyone

by getting elected to the state legislature at age 22. He

then exposed in the Westlich Post, for which he was still

writing, the corruption he found in the government--

especially in the County Court of St. Louis. He found the

situation so severe that he introduced a bill designed to

discharge the court as an administrative body. Captain

Edward Augustine, who was to be the recipient of the

court’s largess, went to Jefferson City to lobby against the

legislation. On January 27, 1870, Pulitzer shot at and

wounded Mr. Augustine, but was only fined $100.

Pulitzer went on to purchase the St. Louis Post, the St.

Louis Dispatch, and the New York World. Pulitzer used

these newspapers to expose the corruption he found in

the government.

While walking these downtown streets of St. Louis,

Pulitzer was certainly inspired to make reforms. Although

he died in 1911, Pulitzer’s passion for justice and

progress has not been forgotten in the city of St. Louis.

joseph pulitzer


15.2’

6’

5.2’



















the government.





joseph pulitzer



















the government.





joseph pulitzerLike any good writer, Mark Twain, born Samuel

Clemens, spent his life observing and reporting on his

surroundings. His writings provided images of the

rapidly changing world around him. Reading his works,

we can delve into the American mindset of the late

nineteenth century and make our own observations of

history, discover new connections, create new

inferences and gain better insights into the time period

and the people who lived in it. As Twain once wrote,

"Supposing is good, but finding out is better."

Mark Twain is also considered the greatest humorist of

nineteenth century American literature. He combined

humor with social commentary in his renowned novels

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of

Huckleberry Finn and published satirical sketches and

humorous verse, poems, and letters.

As a child, Twain developed a bond with the Mississippi

River and aspired to one day become a steamboat pilot.

In 1859, he received his license. His career as a

steamboat pilot was a great source of inspiration for his

work. When docked in St. Louis, he lived on Locust

Street, which is six blocks north of here.

mark twain

I tell you it's in

books?

‘Ransomed?

What’s that?’ But that’s what they do. I’ve seen it.

that’s what we’ve got to do

Don’t

the

‘I don’t know.

FromAdventures of Huckleberry Finn

Mississippi River Pilot

Mark Twain

Sometimes I wonder

whether the world is being run

by smart people who are putting us on

or by imbeciles

who really mean it. ”

“

19

10

19

09

18

951

87

8

18

84

18

76

American Humorist

Piloting onthe Mississippi River

was not work to me;“”

it was play – delightful play, vigorous play,adventurous play – and I loved it...

18

35

18

50

18

53

18

57

18

59

18

68

Sometimes I wonder

whether the world is being run

by smart people who are putting us on

or by imbeciles

who really mean it.

Fo un d s

C ha r l e s L . We bs t e r

Pu bl is h i n g a n d Co .

Pu bl is h e s

A d v e n tu r e s o f

H u ckl e b e r r y F i n n

Be g i ns

w o r l d

l e c tu r e t o u r ”L as t w r i t i n g“ Tu r n i n g Po i n t o f M y L i f e ”

O n A p r i l 21 s t ,

M a r k Twa i n d i e s

a t a ge 74

“Pu bl is h e s

T h e A d v e n tu r e s o f

To m S a w y e r

19

10

19

09

18

951

87

8

18

84

18

76

Piloting onthe Mississippi River

was not work to me;“”

O n N ov e m b e r 3 0 t h , S a m u e l L a n g h o r n e Cl e m e ns is b o r n i n F l o r i d a , M iss o u r i

it was play – delightful play, vigorous play,adventurous play – and I loved it...

Ta ke s f i r s t s t ea m b o a tt o S t . Lo u is

Wo r ks as i t i n e ra n t p r i n t e r i n S t . Lo u is

Be g i ns f o u r -y ea ra p p r e n t i ce s h i pas r i v e r p i l o t

E a r ns s t ea m b o a t p i l o t l i ce ns e a n d p i l o t s o n t h e M iss iss i p p i R i v e r

M a ke s a l i v i n g as a

t ra v e l l i n g l e c tu r e r

18

35

18

50

18

53

18

57

18

59

18

68

FiNal ForMS| eleVatioNS

Eugene Field was born in St. Louis on September 2,

1850 on 634 South Broadway. One of the most

celebrated American authors of children’s poetry, he

produced many countless humorous poems, short

shories, and newspaper columns that have progressed

to commercial success.

As a leading editor and columnist for many of the

nation’s newspapers, Field proved himself as not only a

powerful and lighthearted writer, but a man who many

loved and adored. Upon his death at the young age of

45 in 1895, the Chicago Tribune seldom has the “death

of a citizen of Chicago...occasioned such sincere and

universal sorrow.”

Field’s St. Louis home, which was turned into a museum

in 1934, can be found a block away from this station at

643 South Broadway.

eugene f ield

the field that people

have overdone

as an idol

came into being through sentiment

and not through humor

he set to work deliberately

to cultivate the sentimental

and he did so with what

success the whole world knows

B o r n

i n S t .

Lo u is

M ov e d

t o

A m h e r s t ,

M A

a f t e r m o t h e r ’ s d ea t h

A t t e n d e d

a n d

dr o p p e d

o u t

o f

Wi l l i a m s C o l l e ge

Wo r ke d as a jo u r na l is t f o r t h e S t . J o s e p h G a ze t t e

18

50

18

75

18

69

18

58

Moved

to

St.

Louis as editorfor various newspapers

18

76

ideas came with explosive immediacy

like an instant birth,

for human thought is like a monstrous pendulum it keeps swinging from

one extreme to the other

Served

two

years

as

managing editor

of the Tribune

of

Denver,

ColoradoBecame

famous

for

his

column “Sharps

and

Flats”

Died

in

Chicago

18

95

The

Eugene

Field

house

isopened

as

the

first

historic house

museum

in St.

Louis

19

36

18

83

Started

publishing

poetry

18

81


would i have spent


18

79

Children’sPoetChildren’sPoet

18

50

18

75

18

69

18

58

18

76

ideas came with explosive immediacy

like an instant birth,

for human thought is like a monstrous pendulum

it keeps swinging from one extreme to the other

fieldSatire Columnist

eugene

18

95

19

36

18

83

18

79

18

81


would i have spent


15.2’

6’

5.2’

FiNal ForMS| eleVatioNS


researcH| obSerViNg StaDiuM StatioNFInal Forms| PlaceD iN SPace


stone wall

wall between tracks

ramp

busch stadium

ramp

17’

79’


stone wall

ramp

busch stadium

ramp

17’

79’


analysIs reViSitiNg our DeSigN criteria


analysIs| reViSitiNg our DeSigN criteria reViSitiNg our DeSigN criteria|coHesIveness

based upon all of the elements that we have defined thus forth in our project, our group has aimed to maintain our four established criteria by which to judge our work. in order to assure that our forms fit effectively into the Metrolink Stadium Station, we have created and arrange our forms in a manner that is cohesive and relative to the atmosphere around it and our selected authors. as well, with focus on our other three criteria- color effectiveness, hierarchy, and type treatment- we also have strove to solidify the cohesiveness of our forms to each other.

as this component was the biggest challenge throughout our process, we have tried to portray our authors as distinct individuals while maintaining a sense of unity and correlation between them. We are definitely satisfied with out final forms, for although the set is cohesive, we can still see the distinctive characteristics of our authors shine through the form.


our colors are significant because Pulitzer is a serious and elegant blue, twain is a fun yellow, and Field is green, a color falling in between and that is both elegant playful. Field shares qualities of the other two authors, and finding a color palette to address the characters of all three authors simultaneously was challenging.

reViSitiNg our DeSigN criteria| color eFFectIveness


Working with a very symmetrical form, we decided to organize the surfaces of our forms very systematically. all surfaces were to be treated equally on all forms. it was important for the names of the authors to appear on the front diamond shaped panels for passengers to stand inside the forms and view the differences in the treatment of the authors names as well as read the keywords that describe them to understand the differences between the authors.

the type treatment fulfills our goals, because it allows for use of one cohesive type family, but still incorporates the distinct characteristics of out authors. Meta can be serious, friendly and subtle.

reViSitiNg our DeSigN criteria| HIerarcHy reViSitiNg our DeSigN criteria| tyPe treatment

Page 38 exhibitioN DeSigN SPriNg 2009

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MetroLink Process Book