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The Virtual Client |
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| The digital revolution
in Landscape Architecture is still in its infancy. Even though digital
media are increasingly being used in the professional setting and
teaching environment, there exists significant opportunities to improve
the knowledge base concerning successful computing methods. This quarter
you will have the opportunity to contribute your own talents to this
endeavor. You will be asked, by a "virtual client", to create
a web based design proposal meant to communicate, represent, rearrange,
and re-imagine your first quarter 301 studio project. Your goal will
be to (1) create "image resources" from your analog work
last quarter, (2) to manipulate and accentuate these resources using
the software programs you will be learning, and (3) to combine all
of these resources into a compelling web presentation. Traditional wall mounted presentations remain the most common form of design communication, and a landscape architect is normally afforded the luxury of giving a verbal explanation of the design intent. This quarter, your design exploration will not allow for the luxury of physical space, or verbal explanation. Creating a convincing presentation within the confines of a 17" viewing area is a challenging task. Scale, and the amount of detail that can be discerned in any one image are drastically reduced within the web environment. Large mounted compositions, and detailed site plans, for instance, will probably have to be broken down into a series of "pieces". |
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| Presentation as Narrative | ||||||||||||
| A powerful presentation, whether analog or digital, is guided by a predetermined sequence of explanation. Designers often create a kind of narrative that serves to highlight specific design intent. Websites are ideal storytelling machines because they force client attention. Images can be "linked" to follow a storyline that sequentially reveals the concepts and ideals embedded in a design. | ||||||||||||
| What's the story? | ||||||||||||
| What you choose to "tell"
about your design is up to you. You may work at any scale you wish.
Your web site can exhibit the whole of your design, or it may instead
focus on a particular area, such as a small courtyard. Ultimately,
you should focus on what interests you the most about your work, keeping
in mind that, choosing to focus on the strongest parts of your design
may make it easier to create a successful narrative.
We have chosen to use your 301 projects as the context for this
course for two reasons. Firstly, it will allow you to avoid having
to do a lot of formal "design". You will get the most
out of this course if you use the software packages you will be
learning to accentuate the presentation of your composed designs,
rather than trying to do a lot of "re-design" with them.
Your time will be better served exploring the various tools in each
software package, rather that focusing a lot of attention on design
issues. The second reason we have chosen to focus on the 301 projects
is that it is our hope that you still have an emotional, and intellectual
connection to your work that will keep you inspired throughout the
quarter. |
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