Design diary

  When developing a planting plan initially I took the 2L pot size and made a very geometric grid of where each pot may be placed. Then I took the AutoCAD file into procreate and started playing with the colours and shapes created. The issue we found was that there was a lot of white space created when doing this. This then caused us to think more abstractly about the planting and in each section rather than it being representative of 1 or 2 plants it being representative of more in order to fill the white spaces.

 As part of making a portfolio this week I have been updating my CV. This was a continuation of my 2nd year CV just with additional information since starting in practice.

 When looking at creating my portfolio one of the elements to consider is the font used and how it can reflect different things to do with you. There are two main kinds of font: Serif and Sans Serif. For my portfolio I am unsure about which specific font I will use yet but I think it will be a Sans Serif font as it looks more modern. It's been really interesting looking into how the smallest thing can really make a difference to the way in which someone perceives your work or your portfolio. Having to consider every element can be quite daunting especially as this isn't something I've ever really considered in the past.

 As a group we wrote a description of what our border wanted to achieve, this was the basis of our design work: Inspired by the work of Frida Kahlo, this thought-provoking long border explores the effects that the pressures of social media has on mental health. The primary theme of the gardens is self-reflection, this is explored within the long border and makes links to the trials and tribulations by Kahlo and so the garden is split into two sections: expression and repression. When you first look at the border the first feeling that is evoked will be of contrast however as you start walking around the garden and notice the frames and mirrors it will become evident that there is an element of reflection within the space, similar to the way Kahlo did within her paintings. The repression of emotions is expressed using dark plants to represent the unknown and the darkness that comes when mental health is not nurtured. The expression side of the garden is filled with bright plants whi...

 Following the doomsday idea we felt like it was quite a bleak idea and that it gave quite a negative message. So we took the elements we liked from the concept and transformed it into a garden themed around self-reflection. We took the initial ideas of a thread of colour running through the design and also the idea of framing the garden in some way. We were inspired by Frida Kahlo and chose to use her painting which themed around her reflecting on her own life and the things shed been through and therefore created a concept around that. This was the photoshopped original concept.

  One of the first concepts we came up with is the idea of the doomsday clock and how climate change and danger is right on our doorsteps. This would be shown through using windows to show how close it is and the right hand side being covered in a film to show that the future is bleak and difficult. The area which will focus on danger would have many blue and red plants to represent the redness of fire and increasing temperatures and the blue represents the flooding and damages to the seas.