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| I'm forever blowing bubbbbbbles.... |
 | This is a bubble diagram (or rather, part of one) that I'm doing for design class. It's part of the final project, wherein we analyze, discuss, tear apart, put back together, arrange and rearrange elements in a real, live site (for a real, live client who's been willing to let the whole class romp through her yard and ask her questions). So far in the project, we've had a meeting with the client, measured and photographed her yard (somehow I'm not sure she'd want it posted on the net, though), created rough site analysis drawings and a "program"--nothing to do with computer programming, it's essentially a text version of the site analysis. This Wednesday we're presenting all of that along with the bubble diagram, which is the first point where we're actually showing new ideas for the space rather than listing what's currently there. |
| This particular client likes to read outside in filtered sun, so I'm including a couple of reading nooks, indicated with a book icon. Bubble diagrams and site analyses use a special iconic language of symbols, arrows, lines, and hatched areas to indicate relative importance of an object, approximate size of a particular area, circulation paths (those are the blue dots in mine), screens and views (the big black arrow points to a particularly nice view over a creek). There's a definite heirarchy to the language--arrows are more important than lines which are more important than areas, for instance, and symbols trump them all. There's heirarchy within each type of drawing element--big lines are more important than small, for instance. I've used three sizes of dots for my circulation paths to indicate which are most important (I figure the client isn't going to want hordes of people walking around the side of her house into her back yard, so I've made that path the smallest). |  |
 | It's hard not to leap ahead and start figuring out materials to use for the items in the diagram (though this particular item I can pretty much ignore, since she already has a barbeque). I'm trying to keep ideas about flagstone, unit pavers, wooden decks, etc. to the back of my mind while I concentrate on figuring out where things should go and why. And I'm really trying not to think about plants, since this class isn't even about plant design (that's coming this fall). Have you ever tried not to think about something? I think the best I can do is write down the ideas and try to move on beyond them. |
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Wayne (aka Teacher #2) has had a hard time with the way Dan (Teacher #1) is teaching us bubble diagrams. Dan's having us do refined bubble diagrams, all freehand but using templates to make everything neat (I did a version of most of the site last night on Illustrator for my template). Wayne doesn't think refined bubble diagrams exist, and in his world, they don't--bubble diagrams are a quick tool for the designer to use to refine his thinking; they're not shown to the client like these are going to be. I have to keep reminding him that he's not grading me. Cheryl | |
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