life and lines

Emory Crawford Long

2010-04-02T06:07:00.000-07:00

What is it about hospitals that make you feel just the smallest bit uncomfortable? Even if it IS Emory Crawford Long, one of the aesthetically 'nicest' hospitals that I've ever been to (the nicest being the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, and keeping in mind that in my lifetime, I've probably only been to four or five hospitals max - 2-3 in new orleans, 1 in alabama, and 2 here in atlanta),...

Could it be the wheezing and sniffing of others in the waiting room? Or knowing that at least 40% of the people here are here for a purpose (to cure, aid, remove, fix some sickness)?

I'm one of those people that can't use another person's mouse or keyboard at work without wanting to immediately sanitize my hands before i touch my own computer station. I don't eat items that have fallen off the floor, I'm wary of finger foods at parties or happy hours, and I don't like to lean my head back at the movie theater high-back seats.

Our Honda Accord 2010

2010-03-27T15:21:00.001-07:00

we recently purchased a new Honda Accord (2010 LXP), ... i love its zip, the style of its body (so sleek! so clean! so stylish!), its wonderful stability and driveability (i will take this car on any interstate.. any day), its affordability, and its name and history... oh and have i mentioned its excellent gas mileage? (one tank for a trip from atlanta to new orleans?! are you insane?! if it weren't for those damn doggie potty breaks!)

but.. as with any good thing... here are some thoughts ash and i have had,.. thoughts one would know only after purchasing, taking three road trips, and commuting daily,..

1. it's extremely low to the ground. so low that we have put scratches on the underside of the front bumper already because it continues to hit and/or scratch curbs, parking partitions, and anything that sits slightly higher than the ground. exaggerating, i know, but i'm not too far from the truth. aesthetically, i appreciate how this looks

2. it's extremely wide. while i appreciate how it looks, it's very difficult to park. and i'm an excellent parker.

3. the steering wheel blocks the view of the speedometer. both when set for my height (5'0") and my partner's height (5'8")

4. the headrests angle slightly forward, so it constantly feels like you're wearing a ponytail (because the back of your head doesn't align properly)

5. you MUST have lumbar support. so you have to upgrade to the EX model. (which we didn't)

6. the rearview mirrors should be slightly larger. i feel like i'm looking in a cropped version of what i need. while i don't have too much difficultly with it, ashley also says they're hard to adjust.

7. only the driver's side seat is electronically adjustable. i feel as if the passenger's manual levers are cop-outs.

more to come on this list as we come across them.

Not quite Rebuilding, but Revamping?

2009-08-20T05:40:00.000-07:00

Rebuilding New Orleans is an ongoing effort and pitching into the concept-zone is the New Orleans Arcology Habitat or NOAH. Since the details on this structure are in-depth and plenty, lets plunge into them right away. NOAH proposes to be a habitat for 40,000 residents who can benefit from the planned residential units, school system, commercial, retail, hotels, casinos, parking, and public works facilities.

NOAH is based upon the following preliminary program outline.

1. Residential Units / Rental and Condominium; 20,000 units @ average 1100 Sq ft
2. Three Hotels; Average 200 rooms plus associated services
3. Time Share Units; 1500 units @ average 1100 sq ft
4. Three Casino Facilities
5. Commercial Space / Rental and Condominiums; 500,000 sq ft
6. Commercial Space / Retail; 500,000 sq ft
7. Parking Garage / within foundation; 8,000 cars
8. Cultural Facilities; 100,000 sq ft
9. Public Works; 50,000 sq ft / includes storage
10. District School System; 100,000 sq ft
11. District Administrative Office; 50,000 sq ft
12. District Health Care Facility; 20,000 sq ft

Estimated Total Square Footage : 30 million

Location/ Site Specific:

In reviewing all the options and possible sites for NOAH, the most logical location is on the Mississippi riverfront and adjacent to the Central Business District.

Design Challenge:

1. The first challenge is to overcome both the physical and psychological damages of recurring severe weather patterns. Though re-population has begun, the need to provide a stabilized and safe environment is paramount to a long term recovery and economic well being of New Orleans.
2. The second challenge is that New Orleans has too much water. The city has been built at and below sea levels which creates consistently high water table and makes it prone to flooding and storm surges.
3. The third challenge is that New Orleans is built on soil condition which consists of thousands of feet of soft soil, silt and clay. These conditions make building large scale concentrated structures difficult.
Believing that NOAH is a viable plan, our solution to overcome these challenges is to take advantage of these seemingly conflicting issues with the introduction of a floating urban platform.

Foundation Design / Basin

The NOAH foundation system is twofold. The first part of the system is to create a water filled “basin” within which the urban platform (NOAH) will float.

The second part of the system is to create a multi-cavity “hull” which will be the actual foundation for the superstructure.

Basin/Foundation:

The water basin will be a combination of carving into the existing land and extending out into the Mississippi River.
This man made basin is estimated to be 1,200 feet in diameter with a depth of 250 feet.
The walls and floor of the basin would be constructed of high strength concrete with applied lateral bracing and exterior attached tension rings.
Backup intact valves will allow basin and river water levels to remain constant.

The Foundation:

Noah, at its current height of 1,200 feet will rest up its triangulated foundation constituted
to be a buoyant multi-cavity “hull.” This “hull” will consist of high strength concrete cells, forming approximately a 40×40 matrix. This matrix not only gives buoyancy to the structure, it also becomes the framing matrix for the steel framed superstructure. It is estimated that the combined weight of NOAH will draft 180 feet within the water-filled basin, allowing a minimum 50 foot space between the floor of the basin and the floor of the buoyant foundation.

The hull will accept all land connectors as flexible conveyors to take into account any movement.
A triangulate shape has been chosen as the basis for NOAH. For two reasons:

First, the triangle is inherently the most rigid of all structural framing systems. The system is designed to dissipate gravity and severe wind loads through an all-steel applied (eko skeleton) exterior frame and conventional internal framing methodology.

Second, the triangle is an “open” frame configuration, dividing NOAH into three separate “towers” converging at the top. The intent of this open system is to allow all severe weather /winds to in effect “blow through” the structure in any direction with the minimum of massing interference.

Some Other Features:

1. Sky Gardens will be inserted into the three main towers every 30 floors. These sky gardens provide landscaped glass enclosed atria.
2. Vertical commuting within NOAH will be supported by a series of local and express custom canted elevators.
3. NOAH is geared to an all pedestrian environment. Accordingly, only select horizontally based areas will be fitted with moving walkways and/or electric train carriers.
NOAH is a three phase master plan with a proposed 10 year build out. This time frame can be reduced to an estimated 6 years should demand accelerate.

Eco-Highlights:
The structure is designed to expand the horizon of sustainability and will seek LEED certification.
It will eliminate the need for cars within the urban structure, and thus becomes a carbon neutral entity. Internal electric transport links, vertical and horizontal, create a pedestrian-friendly community,
Some of these elements are secured wind turbines, fresh water recovery and storage systems, passive glazing system, sky garden heating/cooling vents, grey water treatment, solar array banding panels, and river based water turbines.

Inspiration

2009-08-06T05:52:00.001-07:00

http://ffffound.com/

Good background for work

2009-07-29T06:20:00.000-07:00

God is an Astronaut (5 * rating for me right now)
El Ten Eleven
Tristeza
The Octopus Project
Electrelane

a website i can appreciate

2009-06-15T06:13:00.000-07:00

new work from pentagram: the Guggenheim site

(from pentagram.com) New York’s Guggenheim Museum, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. In the 1970s the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice was united with the New York museum under the aegis of the Guggenheim Foundation, establishing a precedent for an institution with an increasingly global footprint that now includes destinations in Venice, Berlin, Bilbao, and will eventually include the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.

Over the course of many years Abbott Miller has worked with the Guggenheim on various identity and publication projects. Recently he was asked to design a new identity and website for the Guggenheim Foundation that features the typeface that he originally commissioned for the Guggenheim’s magazine in 1996. Based on Frank Lloyd Wright’s lettering on the facade of the Guggenheim, Jonathan Hoefler’s font Verlag is now the lingua franca of the global Guggenheim. Miller and his team developed the design for the Foundation’s website as a “front door” to the collection of museums. ID Society produced the site based on Pentagram’s design.

The new Guggenheim site has been named the best cultural institution website in this year’s Webby Awards.

Miller first started working for the Guggenheim in 1996, when he designed the museum’s magazine. For the magazine’s masthead, Miller looked at the original art deco lettering on the façade of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Guggenheim building. Miller worked with type designer Jonathan Hoefler to create the custom-designed typeface that was based on these letterforms, developing various weights and italic and bold versions. Initially proprietary, this typeface is now available as the font Verlag. Over the years the typeface has become the de facto brand for the museum, especially when utilized as a signature logotype for the Guggenheim Museum in New York.

In developing an identity for the Foundation, Miller has once again used Verlag, but this time in uppercase, to suggest a kind of über-Guggenheim or parent organization. This creates a subtle hierarchy between the Foundation and its constituent museums.

The Foundation website that Miller has designed similarly acts as front door or gateway to the five museums. A simple menu bar at the top of the site allows for navigation between locations and the Foundation itself. Within the individual museum sites the navigation is more complex, reflecting the unusually deep content of the sites, which allow visitors to browse the online collections of each museum. A blog-like editorial format is used for news of current exhibitions, events and activities.

Project Team: Abbott Miller, partner-in-charge and designer; John Kudos, designer. Website development: ID Society.

More TinCaps Success

2009-05-17T10:52:00.000-07:00

The true mark of a successful Minor League Baseball team and logo is proven by the success of its sales. TinCaps' success thus far has proven to be exceedingly fantastic.

Inspiration: Lorenc + Yoo: UPS Beijing

2009-04-01T15:04:00.001-07:00

Designer: Lorenc + Yoo
Client: UPS
Location: Beijing, China
Type: Hospitality
Website

Auburn University Federal Credit Union

2009-03-18T07:48:00.000-07:00

The new website for the Auburn University Federal Credit Union has been launched. we (sky) partnered with a great Auburn company, Evenpar Solutions, to carry AUFCU's new Rebranding that we developed into the site..

View the Auburn University Federal Credit Union website.

Signage that works

2009-03-11T08:51:00.000-07:00

I've made a new resolution to find something inspiring at least every other day... as well as to be less verbose. i'm not sure i can promise a daily update, if only because of the lack of time..

today, i ran across eventscape's and charles schwab's internally lit wall.. 275' x 20' high, with dimensional logos.. as the site says, and at least the picture shows... even light distribution and no shadows... a beautiful piece.

More TinCaps Firsts...

2009-03-02T07:43:00.000-08:00

Although I haven't posted anything about this project yet... In short, The Fort Wayne TinCaps is a rebrand of the Fort Wayne Wizards Single A Minor League Baseball Team that my boss and I designed (at sky design), along with the team, and team owners... We worked on the complete rebrand of this team, as well as the graphics and signage package for the new Parkview Field Stadium in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

One of my favorite responses to the recently unveiled logo I designed (along with my boss, and of course, the team and team owner):

that's one bad apple, and I mean "bad" in the context of tough, attitude-filled and hip. Most of the apples I've known in my life have tended to hang around rather complacently.

This apple looks irritated. Maybe it's because the marketing department shoved that tin cap on his head so hard his stem poked through it.

... for a more detailed explanation on the origin and creation of the new logo and team name, you can see the article here or here, the official website... or you can simply google Fort Wayne TinCaps and see what's up.. or you can ask me for more details.. But it stems from the legend of Johnny Appleseed and his place of burial in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

.. but without further ado.. the reason for the post! (see below)

http://aroundfortwayne.info/blog/?p=3114#more-3114

TinCaps Ticket Sales Success
Team sells out chairback seats for Opening Day in 27 minutes.

The season of firsts continued for the Fort Wayne TinCaps on Tuesday, February 24th as the team put individual game tickets on-sale for the first time and received an unprecedented response — all fixed seats in the ballpark were sold out in less than a half-hour. “The public interest and support was tremendous,” said TinCaps President, Mike Nutter. “We have sold every fixed seat in Parkview Field, and are pretty close to selling out our lawn area as well. That’s a pretty good day in my book.” The team attributes the success of the first day of ticket sales to the excitement surrounding Parkview Field and the affordability of the ticket options.

Reasons for Optimism

2009-02-26T20:37:00.000-08:00

The most beautiful munny...

2009-02-17T09:05:00.000-08:00

20" Custom Munny by ilovedust(.com)

One of my favorite tshirt shops...

2009-02-17T08:31:00.001-08:00

A New Orleans tshirt company that is atypical and sells well-designed and clever shirts. Simple. Evoking. and definitely New Orleans.
DirtyCoast.com

Some of my favorites:

My Mistake

2009-02-09T20:01:00.000-08:00

One word.
"Generic"
Used to describe my shim-sham of a temporary website until "completed" by the person who knows me almost better (almost) than I know myself. It was a nicely-designed version of those gif files of a construction barrier with the blinking caution lights. Classy.

Two words, as said so eloquently by Kenan Thompson of SNL playing a character on Weekend Update.
"FIX IT" (Fix It Video)

Mea Culpa: Obama's Mistake

2009-02-04T07:18:00.000-08:00

I think it's fantastic that Obama admitted he made a mistake with some of his nominations (Daschle and Killefer). What a nice change from Bush... It’s definitely refreshing.

Mardi Gras Begins 2009

2009-02-03T09:27:00.000-08:00

Treme Sidewalk Steppers Social Aid and Pleasure Club 2009

TREME SIDEWALK STEPPERS SECOND LINE 2009 - Under the Claiborne Bridge

and a good link for details

take THAT, seattle and carolina!!

2008-12-30T08:57:00.000-08:00

When approached by our clients, our goal was this: create a helmet wall displaying the helmets of nearly all of Georgia's high schools, similar in awe-inspiring and "coolness" of seattle's and carolina's display, but not necessarily in design.

in doing so, sky (in this case, todd and i) created not only a helmet display, but also a helmet "exhibit".. that might i say, turned out pretty darn cool. this is one of my most favorite projects so far. simple, engaging, and memory-inspiring.. and also - a feature i find very important - approachable. the seattle wall, though amazing, is located high above the heads of visitors at the end of a giant atrium, while the carolina display not only sits outside (and is ever so slowly visually being affected by fighting the weather conditions), is high above the heads of visitors, above a concession stand. Our's sits at just 7.5', and in plan, the triangular space created by our half walls (not previously existing before the exhibit), innately and intimately welcomes the visitors, while also providing a literal surrounding of graphics, color, light, and motion (we installed a flat screen at the back wall of the exhibit's interior that plays GHSA replays from championship games)..

and as much as i am a saints fan,... way to go falcons and the georgia dome (and the GHSA, raydeo, darden & company and all else who made this happen) for giving a permanent "prop" to the community. It's Friday Night Lights, in 3d!

also..
- you'll have to excuse the black drapes and large channel running in front of the letters... the image was from the ribbon cutting ceremony (the drape being used to reveal the exhibit)...

- make note that because the installation was occurring mid-season, not all the high schools were able to submit by the deadline. as shown, approximately half of the total spaces available for helmets are displayed.

- if you happen to be at the Georgia Dome for a Falcons game, motocross, or any other event, you can find this exhibit at Gate C, Lower Concourse.