Inspirational Images

I love this image, as I have been having to bear in mind that we may not have that much money to spend on things like coloured lights and glass. This is a really good way to make use of natural light and ways it casts shadows, and one of my ideas was to have the brit logo cut into a wall to project a shadow and light onto a wall. I love the way the images really make use of the ways light can dance and move, and especially in this picture it transforms the original place into a majestic dome.

BRIT logo

Re-design of the Brit School logo.
I spent some time thinking about what the logo communicates to me as an individual, and I found that in general I disliked it because:
It is ubiquitous enough to be non-descript rather than familiar. I think that it doesn’t really say much about our school as a whole, apart from the fact that it is a humane place(?).
I also think that it represents dance rather than any other strand because of the movement, without including any of the academic, creative or community features of the school.
I also think that the colour scheme could be more inclusive of all the tones etc.
I think that what the logo does do well is create an exciting feel, and I wanted to keep this.
Some ideas of things I came up with for the new logo was:
A different type of image: for example more than one figure engaged in some activity
Something that represents what BRIT does outside of teach, for example enable to go onto different futures
An image that communicates a different side of BRIT, for example someone literally reaching for the stars.

I did, however, think that this was a bit too similar to the original one, so I tried changing the abstract nature of the shapes to a different one which had more semblance to a trendy image. I used the picture below, by Kao Katrelli, a graphic designer, to inspire my final logo design:

I really liked this logo because I feel it encompasses a sense of what the BRIT school really does: help people achieve their dreams. I think that this logo does it in a non-cheesy way, responding to the information from my questionnaies, which helps me develop the ways i resepond to clients and students.

Questionnaire about the school buildings

Questionnaire about buildings
Which is your favourite of the four buildings:
Reception area, Dance and drama block(orange roof), Selhurst or the Art Block
Reception area -7 votes
Dance and drama block – 3 votes
Selhurst- 5 votes
Art block – 1 vote
From conducting this part of the survey, I deduced that the reception area(apart from beinf the generally most popular area) appealed to people most, and when pressed the most frequent answer was because of its clean, spacious, clear feel. I asked people why they disliked the Dance and Drama block and they said that it was because
1)strands were misrepresented
2)it was unattractive
3)it made us feel childish
This Gave me ideas for my own final piece: I must be aware that people don’t like strand oriented branding or wayfinding, they want something that is attractive to them(see previous questionnaire) and they want a grown up feel.

Brit school buildings

Other buildings around the school: I had a look at some of the architecture around BRIT to get a general feeling about how they might relate to the new building and what it will look like. At the moment, due to changes in funding and time, BRIT is made up of a few buildings which all contrast with each other.

The newest building we met with controversial views: although the design was interesting, many students felt that it misrepresented us as students. As you can see, they decided that they best way to represent the school was to use orange, probably because this is included in our logo. The designers of the building tried to incorporate a more modernistic feel when creating this space: the curve and general shape are mixed with modern materials like iron and plastic, and the blue is incorporated in the gravel. Although it certainly follows the trend of modern architecture, I don’t think the designers really thought about ways in which it would relate to the rest of the school, as the three other buildings are more subtle.

The reception building is the second most modern structure, and combines a mixture of traditional building with a more modern theme. The building incorporates a lot of glass and this allows for light, and for it to look attractive at night. There is a lot of metal going on here, and this gives a kind of working professional atmosphere while making the students feel that they are in a controlled, grown up place. Criticisms of the building have been that it is quite austere, and that the metal appendages on the front make it look like a bit of a crashed space ship.

The third building is the oldest, and is there place were academic lessons take place. It was previously Selhurst Boy’s school, and was built before the war. It Is a traditional red brick structure, with large windows and a tiled roof. I think that this building communicates much more of a school sense, as it is a kind of ‘schoolhouse’ vibe to it, but it looks a bit out of place when looked at next to the more modern fixtures of the reception and drama block.

Aedas

Aedas are the development team that we are working with on this project, so I thought that it would be useful to get some background information on them. I researched them and I found that they have 40 different offices around the world, and provide international expertise. It was really exciting to find this out because it means they don’t have a resignation to be European in their design. They provide services in architecture, interior design, landscape, urban design and building consultancy. It is also nice to know that they specialise not only in the educational sector but in health and transport organizations.
Aedas’ European sites work not only with London, but in central and eastern Europe. They are active in Manchester, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool and many other places. Aedas have also created the Holland Park School in West London, Sheffield Springs academy and Stockley academy in west London. I had a look at some of their other architecture to see what we might expect our building to look like:

Questionnaire

Would you prefer to have bold/soft colours in the new building?
Bold-because BRIT is bold,
Bold-it says something about us
Soft-It is easier to relax in a space that is soft
Bold-I want it to say something about us as a school
Soft-I feel panicked in a space with bright colour


Do you like curved spaces, or angular lines?
Curved-gives a more modern feel
Linear-this is a professional place
Linear-I think curved spaces are quite childish
Curved-more friendly
Curved-our reception in the main building is curved and I like it


Would kind of mood do you think the building needs?
I think it needs to be snappy and awake
I think it needs to communicate a sense of modernity
I think the most important thing that the new building can do is not be like the most recent one
I would really like it if we have a more strand-oriented(communal) feel, instead of the odd bit of artwork placed around the walls.
I think that we need a clean working environment


When following signs which direct you, would you find it easier if they were embellished or plain?
Needs to tell us where to go
Needs to help but also would be nice if it looked special
Would be cool to have something new and interesting!
They just need to tell us the best ways to go
Need to be interesting because this is an interesting school


Do you prefer patterns or clean wall?
I like a mixture of both
Clean walls
I prefer both
Patterns-but not too complex
Clean walls make it easier to work
I like pattern

Development and research for branding

Initial Ideals: Appeals to both sexes and all strands-
Basic shapes which are indiscriminate
Colours which do not designate a particular strand, or if so that involves them all

Basic things to consider: Texture, tone, light, depth, glass, stone, carpet, colour, line,
What will these communicate: soft textures are more intimate but hard textures communicate a more working space, and structural, angular things make it more likely that people will not relax as much in this place.

Making use of the height of the space, for example themes that transverse all of the available space, coloured glass may communicate a young feeling but at the same time this may have an affect upon the light and mood.

Signs: Things that respect the age of the students but will make a good space for teachers at the same time, presenting a professional image to members of the public who want to come

Ways my design will encompass possible features of the design as a whole: there will undoubtedly be a desk in the place that we are working with, so I want to make sure that the designs in the area won’t detract from the important functions of this space, for example I wouldn’t want to make an arty cramped space which would drown out the reason for the place.