In this putting it together post, I will be talking about principles and elements, light + color, technology, experience, and scale. The principles and elements of design can be used to describe just about anything around us. They could be found in man-made objects or from nature. Principles and elements are the basis of design and art. When you analyze design, you look at the key points of the design. Therefore, understanding the principles and elements in design is crucial in order to analyze art and design. All designers use elements and principles. Good designers utilize different elements together to form a product. In most designs, such as interior design, you will find line, form, color, light, and harmony. In my projects in studio, we almost always drew an abstract piece that would utilize principles and elements. The drawing would then be integrated into our design for other aspects of the project. Even some of the earliest buildings made showcase principles and elements, such as The Great Pyramids of Giza in Egypt. You can see that line and form are most prominent there. As well as emphasis on the face with texture and shape. The shape of the triangular pyramids are symmetrical. In the pyramid, you will see proportion between the statue and the pyramids.

Scale is very important to design. The objects designed must be usable for humans. For example, a couch is scaled to be used for people to sit on comfortably. If the couch is too big, then people would have trouble getting on the couch. Scale for exteriors is also something that can be important to the design. A large building can be large for many reasons. One reason would be to represent something or someone. For example, the Salisbury cathedral, and other cathedrals, represent faith and God’s glory. They are made massive because they represent something big and important to groups of people. They also show the creativity of their time period. In terms of urban scale, the buildings size is very important. For example, in New York City, they have lots of restrictions on how large a building can be. Not so much the height, but the width of the building is very important so that one building doesn’t take up too much space. A building can be analyzed and described by scale alone. If a building is very tall you could speculate that the building is used for many different things. You could also assume that the building is important if it’s very large. In an interior if an object or space is large, such as a buildings’ atrium, you will know that the atrium is an important gathering area for people. This idea goes back to that humans and scale are taken into high consideration in design and are one of the most important things in design and in describing design.

In ancient times, technology was basic compared to today. There were basic technology pieces such as a calendar and books. As time went on, technology kicked off. Roman architecture particularly stood out because of the arches, long lasting concrete, and aqueducts. The National time period, was a big change from The Ancient time period. New building materials such as steel were being used. Transportation such as railroads came about. Also, new energy sources such as light were introduced. Modern times has yet again brought new materials. Architecture is starting to take the environment into consideration. LEED certified buildings are being implemented. Technology today, is changing interior design and how designers can design spaces for clients. For example, virtual reality allows you to see a room like you would in real life except it is digital. The client can personally experience what their room will look like before actually remodeling or making the room. Technology has also changed the way designers and clients communicate. Instead of describing or drawing what a potential room could look like, designers can make it on their computer or tablet and show it practically in real life form. 

  Technology, light + color is connected in a few ways. Lighting is a technological advance itself. In 1878, Thomas Edison invented the lightbulb, and then it was used for many years solely for functionality. But, nowadays lighting is both functional and can be aesthetically pleasing. For example, Christmas lights are decorative as well as lamps. There have been some notable new developments for lighting throughout the years. For example, a recent invention is that there are sheets of plastic that can be put on your walls and used as lighting. There’s also lighting inventions that look at how to save electricity. Passive solar design minimizes energy use by saving energy through the use of solar technology. Technology like this poses new opportunities for saving money on bills and it helps conserve energy. Light changes the color or look of things. Natural light vs artificial light will have a different color to it and therefore objects in a room may look a different color. Color in interior design is important because it sets the feel of the room. Color needs to be strategically placed in order for it to look good. For example, you shouldn’t have many different colors in one small area, or it will overwhelm you.

What you see, feel, hear, touch, encounter, all contributes to your experience of a space. The experience of the user is a very important aspect of interior design. The topic of experience in design is a more advanced aspect of design compared to others listed above. It requires much thought by the designer. Designers have to take many things into account when designing for the user’s experience. Because, in order for a person's experience in a space to be enjoyable, the space must be designed correctly and well. For example, at a shopping mall/store, there must be enough space for people to move around without bumping into each other. In a place such as a shopping mall, the user experience is important for a variety of reasons. One reason would be that they want people to remember how nice the place was so that they come back. The goal is for users to have a pleasant shopping experience. An example of an experience oriented place is Disney World. It’s a place that the user is supposed to feel like they are in a fantasy world. Disney world is all about entertaining (of some sort) and the designers worked hard to convey this “magical” place.