"Alright Comreds" Look up (London Blog)
London calling, we finally made it to the big city. The city was just as thrilling, wacky and as beautiful as I imagined. Anywhere you looked it had something new to offer whether it was a skyscraper, a graffiti wall, outdoor escalators, everyone's alternative style. I found it funny how the very first day we got there, everyone was in absolute awe by the buildings, architecture, physical design and infrastructures, I couldn't help but be just as fascinated by the people living there. It was a swarm of high vis jackets, silky suits, stylish coats as well as paint stained clothes and funky hair do's. Everyone was on a mission and all I wanted to know was their story or where they were off to, how they were feeling and what do they love about the city.
Almost everything appealed to me. Design was surrounding us everywhere we looked. Whether this was graphic, products, fashion or architecture, it was all alive. It really is hard to narrow this down to three pieces of good design which appealed to me.
1. The Gherkin
The first piece of design which I must say I found really fascinating was the Gherkin. I know this is perhaps an obvious choice, however I don’t only appreciate it as a “cool building” which is iconic in London. It is actually the thought of this building even being built that fascinates me. I mean even just picturing a team of builders, architects and others creating this beautiful curved feature. That would be hard enough to map out on paper never-mind physically building this work of art. The contrasting colours of black and white really draws in the eye. I found this design appealing as it can simultaneously blend in with the beautiful architecture of London and stand out as this extraordinary shape. I almost imagine this shape resembling a rocket about to shoot off the ground and into the sky. It is pointing towards to sky in comparison to the other flat roof buildings. This makes it that bit more interesting. The diamond shaped grid hugs this shape which adds a lovely texture. The light hits off the building helping in such a way which helps it to glow even in the daylight. You can really see the careful design which went into it.
2. The Embroider bags at Spitalfield Market
The second piece of design which I absolutely adored was the embroider products at the Spitalfields Market. This market is where the unique market traders in market exhibit their work and put it for sale. The different stalls are so different to one another which is amazing to see individuality of design. The design which appealed to me was definitely the bags, I fell in love with the design of these immediately. Once again, the idea of someone personally hand stitching every little detail on these extraordinary products is fascinating and which expresses their obvious love in making them. These products lighten up all around them. It is hard not fall in love with them. Each bag follows its own pattern and each pattern tells its own story. As well as the bags following an embroider style pattern, each of these bags had something unique to them which is so important in design. To be able to distinguish these designs from one another is very exciting. The lively colours really evoked the passion behind these designs. The way in which these products were displayed was as if they were interacting with one another creating this vibrant atmosphere. I absolutely love products which have a certain energy with them. It makes them come alive and I always strive to seek this in design. These bags had a beautiful story to them.
3. The Graphic design display at the Design museum
The third design which was very thought provoking was the display of graphics exhibited in the design museum. There is definitely a focal point to each of these posters. When they are exhibited side by side, I didn’t really know where to look. It was very clear that black had a dominance on these posters. This colour really draws the eye to it. In contrast with this, the white backgrounds on some of these posters created a perfect white space balance and brought all focus to the colour on the page. The simplicity of the white background posters was very easy on the eye. Saying this, I really appreciated the bolder designs. I love to see a designer’s personal stamp. I thought the exhibition displayed a bit of everything. These were the more abstract ones with splashes of colour. I think the bolder more colourful designs were my favourite ones, this seems to be the way with the majority of designs which appeal to me.
