Best of Bath

The Great Bath

Statues at the Roman Baths

 Bath was a town of immense historic proportions with gorgeous ruins, picturesque Georgian architecture and wonderful views overlooking rivers, gardens and gazebos. The design of the buildings was a mix of the ancient, Classical style of the Romans who once dwelt there in Aque Sulis and the Neoclassical style of the Georgian houses which famous figures such as Jane Austen lived in. There was a comfortable blend of the ancient, old and more modern in Bath which made it a town that was incredibly appealing to the eye and an absolute joy to explore. It possessed a design and atmosphere which used the stone of its older parts, colorful facades of shops and vibrant greenery and flowers to really tie together a place which relishes the past while still moving forward, attracting plenty of visitors and admirers to its worthy landmarks.

** A beautiful board of hand drawn chalk lettering at "Cafe Retro" in Bath. It was an eccentric assortment of types, but it worked well as a decorative & artistic statement with plenty of interesting elements!

A Very Rainy Afternoon Tea

Apple & Cinnamon Black Tea

Teatime Menu

A very rainy day with a tromp through many puddles turned out to be the perfect time to get afternoon tea the English way! We were able to observe some beautiful and consistent branding by "Bea's of Bloomsbury" in their full afternoon tea menu (the tea time had to be reserved as well) and a great selection of teas. Bright colors and traditional cutlery seemed to be the way to go along with cute embellishments and a cozy atmosphere. There was actually very limited seating, but we got lucky and were seated in a little corner nook with pillows and cushions.

The lamps in the main area and over the counter utilized great design choices by being in the shape of teapots! There were a subtle ode to the nature of the shop amid the mixed patterns and colors of the furniture and actual teapots. As for the tea and food... both were delicious. Tried cream and sugar in my tea for the first time (I usually take it black) and it was pretty good! The arrangement of the sandwiches, scones, cupcakes, brownies and more was artful in a little tower with the smallest treats on top and the biggest on the bottom. It definitely drew the eye effectively! We decided to eat the treats from bottom to top and every last bit was worth it.

Worthy Wayfinding

An example of wayfinding outside of Kensington Palace. All of the historic palaces around London have a consistent design scheme which establish their relationship to one another. There are small variations in color of the side bar on the left as well as the pictures and information displayed. The maps are clear and clean cut to avoid confusion, establishing the signs purpose to direct the viewer to the right location.

Wayfinfding through Haunted London

The wayfinding for Chiswick was very helpful, highlighting spots of interest and preserving a sense of direction and alignment in the presentation of the information. It was also arranged to be appealing and easy on the eyes, dispensing with unnecessary adornment and keeping the focus on the map and key points. It definitely helped that the Chiswick House and Gardens had distinct boundaries, making finding our way much easier.

Street Art A La Brixton

David Bowie Mural

Street art is particularly interesting partly because of the controversy that often surrounds it--is it really art or merely vandalism? What truly qualifies as fine art? Famous street artists such as Banksy seek to prove the craft's versatile and admirable qualities and Brixton's people seem to do the same, supporting street art more than many places I've seen. The street art here was savvy in its design, varied and stunning. Whether they were tributes to the area's musical heritage like in the David Bowie mural, combinations of beautiful typography and colors like at Pop Brixton and beyond or eye-catching illustrations of different subjects--all of the street art on display possessed a certain brand of life that lent even more spirit to the spirited town of Brixton.

At Pop Brixton

A notable detail about the street art sprouting up around Brixton is how many  individual styles are available to observe and admire. There are works which focus on design, some with influence in illustration or fine art and others were are a stylistic hybrid of various messages and images. I'd imagine that one would be hard-pressed not to find at least one piece of art along these streets which speaks to them or fits their idea of what qualifies as beautiful or interesting. The ones I have collected here are some which caught my eye for reasons such as vibrant colors, attention to intricate details or skilled use of contrast or of space itself.

Which types of art appreciated are up to the individual person--but don't discount the street art of Brixton! It is certainly worth seeing!

Sevens at Brixton in Brixton Village

Sinfully Good Signage

The designers behind Ascot didn't necessarily focus on flashy or highly decorative signage to snag viewers' attention. Instead, their signs focus on simple principles of design such as the contrast of blue on grey and white on blue and clear, consistent types and the crown logo. This sign among others for the horse racing event were purposefully understated to be well-suited for the semi-formal and classy affair that Ascot turned out to be. Interestingly enough, the signage allowed for the people attending Ascot to be as much of a statement for the event as the signs and advertisements themselves!

"The Ten Bells" sign utilizes more Oldstyle lettering to fit a pub that has been around since the late 1800s at least and which is situated near the sites of Jack the Ripper's killings. The black, white and gold motif pairs with the black facade of the building and garners enough attention with gold lettering that a flamboyant sign is not needed. "Jack the Clipper" on the other hand, uses a more decorative type face with a more ominous, dramatic flair to draw people in. The writing underneath the headline "for the shave of your life" further emphasizes the impact the name and signage is meant to have on passer by.

Ah, "The Sherlock Holmes," an example of decorative pub signage with the accompanying illustration and intricate swirls at the edges.  This one was well done and uses lower case in "the" as well as a slightly different font to keep the emphasis on "Sherlock Holmes,"a good call so that it doesn't overwhelm the focus point of the sign. The sign on the pub is also great because it reflects the theme of the interior, which, yes, contained a lot of interesting Sherlock Holmes memorabilia.

Packaging & Branding

                                                                                                                                                            

This Ice Cream Truck could be seen in the Spitalfields Market near Brick Lane, and displayed cohesive and eye catching branding. The graphic at the front captures the spirit of the pastel blues, the whites and the pinks utilized in the decoration of this small vehicle, also creating a somewhat vintage look which works well with a longstanding tradition such as ice cream!

I am very fond of the packaging of this box of biscuits, partly because it combines both historical images and traditional drawings with creative design in the cut out showing the chocolate "blisscuits" within. The pun is also greatly appreciated! It was a great choice to make the fonts Oldstyle and slab serif and to stay away from decorative typefaces. The orange of the center inscription brings out the orange in the woman's hair which contrasts against the inked hat. The designer also decided to cut off the woman's profile half way which keeps the focus on her hairdo and, most importantly, the advertised biscuits.

The above are pictures of various branding and packaging techniques used in products within Whole Foods Market. They each have adapted their labels and designs to fit the shapes of the packaging and the type of product they're advertising. The coffee bean bags, you may notice, do not differ much in design and choose to outline a difference in variety through the decorative label underneath the brand "Bird & Wild." Meanwhile, I liked how the sauce bottles changed their color schemes and gradients while keeping the progression of typography consistent across their brand. The "Teapigs" brand uses simple packaging and clean lines which are easily legible and create an easily recognizable brand which is also quite cute!

Art as Architecture

**This layout is filled with simplified objects in a manner that breaks down different elements of the whole of a project. It utilizes progression of materials and similarity of topics to organize the different objects. In the end, it was put together well enough I think to function as a print by itself.

**Two of the other pictures are from the same showcase of work--my personal favorite from the architecture and sculpture pieces we observed at the Batterseas student exhibit. They utilize contrast, content and color to unite the concept of "de-extinction" which the creator sought to express through models, designs and illustrations. Together, these elements came together to form a very interesting display of nature, humanity and structures.