4D Design

  EPISODE 25 - ORNAMENT Ornament has always had an important meta function within the human psyche. It has been "outlawed" for the past 100 years.   RESOURCE LINKS https://www.gadarchitecture.com/en/ornament-in-architecture https://www.artforum.com/features/louis-sullivans-ornament-209337/ https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1354067x13515937?journalCode=capa https://medium.com/the-thinking-of-design/ornament-as-an-abstraction-of-society-853bb29cdf08 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PmydPmwrKA https://dreamswork.co.uk/portfolio/how-ornament-is-functional/ https://designmanifestos.org/adolf-loos-ornament-and-crime/   AK links: Four D Design - Organic Architecture, Geometry of Nature www.fourddesign.com Star Tile - Multidimensional Ceramics www.star-tile.com Star Tile Studio - Joshua Tree, CA https://g.co/kgs/DUMmCLh   Contact: ak@fourddesign.com     WHY DO WE USE ORNAMENT? - SIGNIFIER Social signaling - and this changes over time!  Example tattoos - British nobility 1900-1920 Historically it was the demarcation of class and status - governments had rules about what colors and types of clothing could be worn, so that people could never be socially mobile- Ornament on clothing has always been important for the military and in battle, people wore family crests / telling others who they were The same went for houses - all ornament had meaning that could be learned (this is western) Heraldry   WHY DO WE USE ORNAMENT? - SOCIAL & PSYCHOLOGICAL Belonging is so important that people will go into debt to buy clothing that lets them fit into a social group, or a car, or jewelry etc - people are wildly craving belonging, and ornament is a way to show your tribe.   OTHER REASONS: Repetition causes peace - relaxation of the nervous system By creating the ornament, the maker can embody the energy of the thing that might be feared  Establish historic continuity - memory, legacy. Spiritual Side of Ornament - Adornment, Defense, Totems, Enhancing Consciousness. META FUNCTION, embodied practice Adorning parts of us that are vulnerable - defensive and actively stating who we are / calling in our guides.   HISTORY OF ORNAMENT Industrial Revolution - 1851 - now possible to make cheap ornament / mass production Attempt at standardizing the language - Owen Jones “Grammar of Ornament” - huge interest in revival of styles / what we would now call Cultural Appropriation.. started with Archaeology around 1750, people discovering ruins, Marie Antoinette wearing toile / chinoiserie In victorian era, people started ascribing a moral judgment to the ornament - Augustis Pugin:  ornament should be flat if the floor is flat, not 3d etc.. can't be inappropriate.  He was a CATHOLIC in England - super religious, championed gothic revival because it was faith-based John Ruskin  - wrote on architecture but also on geology, botany, ornithology etc - polymath Said that the moral condition of a society could be determined by the ornament - ornament was being incorrectly applied- Shows what is leading up to the birth of modernism, nothing happens in a vacuum.   What Happened - Loos, Modernism and the 1920s As both Sullivan and Lévi-Strauss indicate, ornament (as well as other factors) becomes a language of social structures, social experience and even social contradictions. It signifies the status and position of the building, which is itself a representation of the importance of its “owners” and users. Here the manipulation of the image, or in architecture the adding of ornamental beauty to a structure, may increase its relative desirability and value. For buildings are models of ourselves and our society, communicating through form and organizational system the character of that society.   BUILDINGS REFLECT THE VALUES AND VALUE OF THE OWNER.   MODERNISM - WHAT HAPPENED? Adolf Loos Ornament and Crime The evolution of culture marches with the elimination of ornament from useful objects", Loos proclaimed, thus linking the optimistic sense of the linear and upward progress of cultures with the contemporary vogue for applying evolution to cultural contexts.[2]  "The child is amoral. To us the Papuan is also amoral. The Papuan slaughters his enemies and devours them. He is no criminal. If, however, the modern man slaughters and devours somebody, he is a criminal or a degenerate. The Papuan tattoos his skin, his boat, his oar, in short, everything that is within his reach. He is no criminal. The modern man who tattoos himself is a criminal or a degenerate. There are prisons where eighty percent of the inmates bear tattoos. Those who are tattooed but are not imprisoned are latent criminals or degenerate aristocrats. if a tattooed person dies at liberty, it is only that he died a few years before he committed a murder."   Where do we go from here - how do we start?   (HUMANS ALWAYS START OVER WITH FORMS FROM NATURE) Architectural adornment or ornament, like cooking—that most basic transformation of nature—is a way of being in and representing the world simultaneously, a world that in Sullivan's words “procreates man's own personality, that fits him, that he might feel at home with himself,” a world of natural objects transformed by the hand of man. This is why Sullivan defined the architect's task in a manner that reveals his belief in man's transforming power: the architect as the agent who brings nature into community.   James Trilling - The Language of Ornament Harvard-trained art historian, former Textile Museum associate curator, and independent scholar James Trilling expands here on many of the highly original themes that appeared in his The Language of Ornament (2001). He offers intriguing new views of the modernist movement in art and architecture, its puritanical hostility to ornament, and its manifold relationships to the history of technology, science, and industry in the phenomenon known as modernization. Trilling is a passionate advocate of ornament, and he makes a fervent plea for its revival, largely on the grounds that it gives pleasure and "makes people happy" (p. 227). Ranging widely across cultures, time periods, disciplines, and topics, Ornament: A Modern Perspective is a densely layered book of formidable learning, imagination, and complexity. The argument is deceptively simple and difficult to summarize; as Trilling writes of Comte (p. 177), "it is rarely possible to give the bare bones of a utopian vision without making it sound naive." Ornament for Trilling is a specific, intricate concept. He spends part 1 of his two-part book explicating this concept, by which he means the use of motifs and patterns by skilled artists/craftsmen, "the art we add to art" (p. xiii), in the creation of one-of-a-kind objects laden with cultural meaning and symbol, esteemed as art by collectors, connoisseurs, and knowledgeable art historians. In part 2 Trilling traces the links between modernism and the rejection of ornament. Though the focus is on the period since the pivotal Crystal Palace exhibition of 1851, his book includes an impressive intellectual history [End Page 418] of the many ways in which ornament was repudiated as idolatry and artifice in numerous societies long before modernism. But after the triumph of mechanization and the ascendancy of efficiency, materialism, and positivism, the leading theorists of modernism thoroughly devalued and assaulted ornament. The most famous instance was Viennese architect and critic Adolf Loos's 1908 essay that seemingly equated ornament with crime. Modernism's visionaries instead exalted functionalism and simplicity in architecture and design. They saw ornament as wasteful, inefficient, and, after the Industrial Revolution, as the product of dehumanized, debased workers far removed from the ideal of the skilled artisan/craftsman of the prefactory era. Modernism's subsequent long reign among intellectual and cultural elites (despite the thin, pale revolt of the postmodern movement), Trilling argues, has now all but blinded us to ornament, erased it from our collective memory and from art. Early modernist theorists sought to jettison the wealth of inherited patterns and motifs rather than welcoming their incorporation and reworking, as traditional crafts had done. (Ironically, one of Trilling's most original arguments is that modernism in fact had its own ornamental style, employing materials that had pattern and texture and creating art rooted in indeterminacy, "labile, ambiguous, unpredictable" [p. 217].) Trilling's mission is to restore understanding and appreciation of the rich, lost world of artisanal ornament. His book addresses artists, architects, designers, their clients and collectors, art historians—tastemakers and all who care about taste.                

EPISODE 24 - HOW TO BUY PAINT   Take ALL the Paint Chips!  Do not be shy - take them all and I mean all of them Paint Decks - Good option if you're serious about color   Paint Brands - what is available in your area?   https://www.lifestoryresearch.com/2024-best-paint-ranking-review   Sheen - This is a huge decision.  When in doubt choose Matte https://www.houselogic.com/remodel/painting-lighting/paint-sheen-guide/   SAMPLES - Actual Paint and Stickers / Visualization https://samplize.com https://store.benjaminmoore.com/storefront/us/en/color-samples/samplize/peel-and-stick-paint-sample Refinement -   YOU HAVE TO DO THIS / DON'T GO FAST Stomach vs mind - immediate decisions vs emotional / somatic decisions     AK links: Four D Design - Holistic Design www.fourddesign.com Star Tile - Multidimensional Ceramics www.star-tile.com Star Tile Studio - Joshua Tree, CA https://g.co/kgs/DUMmCLh        

An assortment of resources / stories about Paint.   https://www.earthdate.org/episodes/the-colorful-history-of-paint History of Pigments - they all have a specific time period Can look at the history of art through pigments   Basically people always paint if they can!   https://www.webexhibits.org/pigments/intro/history.html#google_vignette   Things not always good for you! (or even will kill you or destroy your internal organs: Lead White https://zotapro.com/blog/lead-paint-history/ https://www.paint.org/about/industry/history/   Pigments are Organic or Inorganic - and now we have Synthetics.  https://burnaway.org/magazine/a-history-of-paint-part-one/   https://www.greenbuildermedia.com/blog/a-deep-dive-into-non-toxic-paints-and-vocs   https://www.roepaint.com/everything-need-know-alkyd-paint/ https://www.greenmatch.co.uk/blog/is-paint-bad-for-the-environment   https://www.earthpigments.com/natural-earth-ocher-pigments/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw_ZC2BhAQEiwAXSgClnbwPlFU_PivAwZXUEDpoKvJxwIMjW9w6zgntUXe2LKt-iLlpmfBNxoCgsQQAvD_BwE   AK links: Four D Design - Holistic Design www.fourddesign.com Star Tile - Multidimensional Ceramics www.star-tile.com Star Tile Studio - Joshua Tree, CA https://g.co/kgs/DUMmCLh   Email Me: ak@fourddesign.com  

Choosing color shouldn't cause a panic - it can be a fun adventure, and it just requires meticulous attention to bring any beautiful color range into your design.  Today's episode gives you professional advice for choosing colors and constructing palettes.  The next 2 episodes will be all about paint and how to work with paint chips! Pro Tips (Summary) 1. Broad Categories - Color is not just one tone - have one part of the palette that is Broad / 3 tones - even better, multiple parts of the palette are 3 tones.   2. Everything has color - even Wood and Metal / have to be carefully considered. https://artbeadscene.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-color-of-metal.html https://novacolorpaint.com/blogs/nova-color/metallic-colors-and-their-shades https://www.minwax.com/en/wood-stain-color-guide/browse-color-stains   3. Choose Colors from photographs - use Technology https://color.adobe.com/create/image https://coolors.co/image-picker   4. How to Structure a Color Palette and Give Proper Weight https://www.homesandgardens.com/interior-design/color-rules https://www.thespruce.com/timeless-color-rule-797859   5. How to Distribute Color in the room / 3x Rule https://wideplankflooring.com/blog/home-decor-in-3s https://www.homesandgardens.com/news/rule-of-three   6. Know your Whites - have a Go To shade - note people have a lot of opinions on this one! https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/color-overview/color-palettes/color-families/white-paint-colors https://www.jennasuedesign.com/the-10-best-white-paint-colors-as-chosen-by-designers/ https://lovegrowswild.com/2023/08/favorite-white-paint-color/   7. Create a Palette and take the colors with You!   AK links: Four D Design - Holistic Design www.fourddesign.com Star Tile - Multidimensional Ceramics www.star-tile.com Star Tile Studio - Joshua Tree, CA https://g.co/kgs/DUMmCLh   Email Me: ak@fourddesign.com

Do you ever treat rooms in your house differently because you know that guests will be coming over?  What do you change about the rooms and why? Today's talk is an exploration of the psychology (and physical reality check!) behind designing spaces in our own home for Guests, either real / specific or imagined.      AK links: Four D Design - Holistic Design www.fourddesign.com Star Tile - Multidimensional Ceramics www.star-tile.com Star Tile Studio - Joshua Tree, CA https://g.co/kgs/DUMmCLh   Email Me: ak@fourddesign.com

People often ask about Feng Shui - and though I know a little about it I did a slightly deeper dive this week and am giving my report! It's an ancient system of design which is both practical and mystical, concerned with the flow of energy and balancing elements in all of our spaces for optimum health and success.  Some people think it makes no sense but others see it as a non-negotiable way of life.  Where do you fall?   A few general guidelines, tips and tricks: Note this is a long and complex tradition that takes years or decades to master, this is just an intro for the uninitiated, getting into a bit of the WHY behind various theories of design and building. https://www.forbes.com/home-improvement/design/feng-shui-rules-for-calm-space/ https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-feng-shui-your-bedroom-1274334 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10558748/ https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/does-feng-shui-really-work-i-tried-it-to-find-out-240682 https://www.yourchineseastrology.com/feng-shui/direction/ https://www.yourchineseastrology.com/feng-shui/bedroom/bed-placement.htm       AK links: Four D Design - Holistic Design www.fourddesign.com Star Tile - Multidimensional Ceramics www.star-tile.com Star Tile Studio - Joshua Tree, CA https://g.co/kgs/DUMmCLh   Email Me! ak@star-tile.com    

Today's episode is an introduction to minimalism and the concept of styles being influenced by everything that came before it - that design can be a reaction to the previous generation, and minimalism can be seen as a response to excess consumption or decoration. We'll look at the origins of Minimalism, its current place in popular culture, and see it through different lenses.  Below are a few links / additional resources.    Influences from Japanese tradition[edit] See also: Japanese architecture The idea of simplicity appears in many cultures, especially the Japanese traditional culture of Zen Buddhist philosophy. Japanese manipulate the Zen culture into aesthetic and design elements for their buildings.[30] This idea of architecture has influenced Western society, especially in America since the mid 18th century.[31] Moreover, it inspired the minimalist architecture in the 19th century.[24] Zen concepts of simplicity transmit the ideas of freedom and essence of living.[24] Simplicity is not only aesthetic value, it has a moral perception that looks into the nature of truth and reveals the inner qualities and essence of materials and objects.[32] For example, the sand garden in Ryōan-ji temple demonstrates the concepts of simplicity and the essentiality from the considered setting of a few stones and a huge empty space.[33] Proposed as a tool for Freedom: https://www.theminimalists.com/minimalism/ https://www.breakthetwitch.com/minimalism/ New Yorker article - link below https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/02/03/the-pitfalls-and-the-potential-of-the-new-minimalism IS IT A PHASE THAT WE ALL SHOULD PASS THROUGH? True minimalism, Chayka insists, is “not about consuming the right things or throwing out the wrong; it's about challenging your deepest beliefs in an attempt to engage with things as they are, to not shy away from reality or its lack of answers.” I suspect that some recent converts to minimalism have already come to this conclusion. Underneath the vision of “less” as an optimized life style lies the path to something stranger and more profound: a mode of living that strips away protective barriers and heightens the miracle of human presence, and the urgency, today, of what that miracle entails.

Here are a few links about the number 8 and its significance / meaning.    https://www.britannica.com/topic/number-symbolism/7 https://eyeofra.blog/2018/12/02/sacred-geometry-numbers-101/   GENERAL THEMES Eternity - perfection / balance Wealth Reaching towards the Divine   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rub_el_Hizb https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_of_Ishtar   Lucky Number 8: The Symbol of Prosperity In Chinese culture, the number 8 is regarded as one of the luckiest numbers. This belief is deeply rooted in linguistic and cultural factors: Pronunciation: The number 8 is pronounced as “ba” in Mandarin, which sounds similar to the word for wealth or prosperity, “发” (fa). This phonetic similarity has led to the strong association of 8 with financial success and good fortune. Cultural Symbolism: The belief in the luckiness of 8 is also tied to historical and cultural significance. In ancient China, the number 8 was associated with the Emperor and the ruling class, making it a symbol of power and authority. Balance and Harmony: In terms of its shape, the number 8 is balanced and symmetrical, representing harmony and balance. This association extends to the idea of a balanced and prosperous life. https://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/lucky-number8.htm https://christbythesea.net/news/the-eighth-day  

Both the hexagon and the Merkaba symbolize the number 6. It is the first perfect number, meaning that 6 is both the sum and product of its factors: 1 + 2 + 3 = 6          1 X 2 X 3 = 6 https://www.britannica.com/science/perfect-number The number 6 is the symbol of the Law of Correspondence, i.e. as above so below. In other words, it is the equilibrium between the microcosm and the macrocosm which mirror each other. It also represents the concept of fractals which are repetitive patterns that can be scaled to any size. In the Merkaba, the descending tetrahedron represents Spirit or the divine feminine principle, while the ascending tetrahedron represents matter and the divine masculine principle. It symbolizes the embodiment of the Divine (your light body, your soul) into the organic form. In this state, creation naturally occurs and it becomes easier to connect with higher frequency beings and Source.     https://www.flowerofsound.com/the-hidden-meaning-behind-the-hexagon https://www.aurahealth.io/blog/spiritual-meaning-of-a-hexagon https://www.soul-flower.com/blog/hexagrams-meaning-sacred-geometry   HUICHOL art - the truth of space time https://www.museumofbeadwork.org/blogs/news/teaching-tuesday-huichol-beadwork

Some further basic reading on the properties of the number 4 and the square.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ https://geo-numerology.com/the-number-4-numerology-geometry-and-psychology https://www.ganeshaspeaks.com/numerology/life-path-numbers/life-path-number-4/ https://geo-numerology.com/square-symbolism In Buddhism, the square reflects the 4 sacred truths. The square is often associated and depicted with the 4 noble and sacred truths: Dukkha, Samudāya, Nirodha, and Magga. To summarize, these truths are the truth of suffering, the truth of suffering's origin, the truth of the end of suffering, and the path to the end of suffering.[4] The traditional Buddhist mandala also contains 4 squares, representing the gates to the 4 stages of life. In Islam, the square is a symbol of strength and establishment. Geometry is deeply important to the design and symbolism of Muslim art and architecture. The square, alongside with the circle and triangle, is one of the 3 foundational shapes in Islamic art. It emphasizes the power of the mosque, the foundation of the faith, and the strength of the religion's building blocks. https://www.wikihow.com/Symbolism-of-the-Square https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Significance_of_numbers_in_Judaism https://www.gods-abcs.com/numbers-1-to-40-defined Daleth is a door in Hebrew. In biblical numerology, four is the number of the earth, or the material creation of God. On the fourth day of creation the material world was finished (Gen. 1:14-19), thereby allowing God to furnish it with living creatures.

Today's episode looks at the history of the "Architect" in the modern sense and the decisions made along the way that created a divide between the people who use buildings and the people who design them. Architects are notorious for having their own language, with some words that are necessary and some that are not.  This episode takes the entire issue apart piece by piece, and ultimately proposes a way forward. Some further reading (very entertaining!) https://slate.com/culture/2011/02/architecture-speak-an-essay-on-the-ridiculous-way-architects-talk.html   Great interview / rant against Archispeak: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSbYH8AC-Yo   https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/seven-words-architects-should-never-use-william-schmalz-faia-csi-   About Architects being terrible https://archinect.com/forum/thread/150052085/why-are-there-so-many-rude-architects   https://blog.miragestudio7.com/dear-architects-i-am-sick-of-your-shit/1307/      

Design is intimately linked to the workings of your sympathetic and parasympathic nervous system.  I hope for a world in which we all understand how buildings can serve as a powerful tool to help us be the most powerful and healthy versions of ourselves. Even simple steps can have a huge and lasting effect.    Some resources mentioned in the podcast: Color Temperature: https://www.westinghouselighting.com/color-temperature.aspx https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8979406/#:~:text=Our%20main%20results%20were%20as,color%20temperature%20of%203000%20K. https://www.benq.com/en-us/knowledge-center/knowledge/what-is-the-best-led-color-for-reading.html#:~:text=According%20to%20a%20review%20of,3000K%20can%20improve%20sleep%20quality. Color Viewer https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/color-overview/personal-color-viewer  

EVERYONE can learn design thinking.   I know this as a fact, being a professor of design - the steps are simple and it just takes an interest in the field and a willingness to learn.   Classes start soon at 4D Design: In-person workshops in the Joshua Tree area and virtual classes coming soon! www.fourddesign.com/classes  

What is design thinking?   Simply put, “design thinking is a methodology that we use to solve complex problems, and it's a way of using systemic reasoning and intuition to explore ideal future states,”  https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-explainers/what-is-design-thinking   What's important is that IT IS A SYSTEM - meaning simple principles can be learned, and then it's just putting that system to work.  You don't need to understand every outcome. Design thinking is a human-centered approach to creative problem solving that combines what's desirable with what's technologically feasible and in the long term, viable. Stage 1: Empathize—Research Your Users' Needs. Stage 2: Define—State Your Users' Needs and Problems. Stage 3: Ideate—Challenge Assumptions and Create Ideas. Stage 4: Prototype—Start to Create Solutions. Stage 5: Test—Try Your Solutions Out. https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/5-stages-in-the-design-thinking-process https://www.viima.com/blog/how-might-we https://www.ideou.com/blogs/inspiration/what-is-design-thinking https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/what-is-design-thinking    

General Info: (Everyone has Cognitive Biases!) https://www.scribbr.com/research-bias/cognitive-bias/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cognitive_biases   LISTS OF COGNITIVE BIASES + LOGICAL FALLACIES: Cognitive Bias Codex https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Cognitive_Bias_Codex_-_180%2B_biases%2C_designed_by_John_Manoogian_III_%28jm3%29.jpg https://www.designhacks.co/ Critical Thinking Cards https://thethinkingshop.org/products/critical-thinking-cards-deck  

I'm inviting you to take a look at your home design through the lens of your core values - to see if you are supported in being exactly who you were born to be. Even small shifts in furniture arrangements, art, space for specific activities can give you the feeling that your home is supporting you AS IT IS MEANT TO DO.  Done properly, our home can be a battery pack that constantly encourages and recharges us.  Time to listen to those inner feelings.   DETERMINING YOUR CORE VALUES If you don't have a list of your core values, there are tons of resources online to look at including lists and quizzes.  Here is a (non-endorsed) list of some sites.   https://medium.com/@scoutcoaching/core-values-what-they-are-why-they-matter-and-how-to-define-yours-93164383eada   https://jamesclear.com/core-values   https://www.mindtools.com/a5eygum/what-are-your-values

The big secret:  you don't need to know how to draw to enter the design world!  Today I'm telling personal stories of not knowing how to draw at all, having no art background, and how I finally found my footing and skills in the world of Architecture.  I also explain what is important in design drawings, and what different types of drawings exist in the world.   Drawing is a truly a skill that can be learned, and there are countless online resources. Here are a few of the many platforms for creating your own floor plans, from free services to paid subscriptions.   https://www.edrawsoft.com/ad/floor-plan-maker-edrawmax.html   These have 3d imaging (for those of you who think better in 3d) https://floorplanner.com/ https://www.livehome3d.com/   Note:  I have not used these platforms so this is not an endorsement, just a reporting of things I found online.   What I use for floor plans: Autodesk Revit 2024 (BIM Modeling) and Chaos Enscape for 3d Rendering. Complex Geometries:  Rhinoceros    

Repetition is one of the most basic design principles, but it's also one of the most versatile.  Repeating elements can make you feel safe, they can firmly establish brand identity, they can be ridiculous and humorous - or they can make you want to join the party! Come see how repetition affects our human minds, which crave a certain degree of conformity but reject it when it's too much.    Some links that explain how this works: https://www.thirdwunder.com/blog/the-importance-of-repetition-in-design/ https://venngage.com/blog/design-principle-repetition/    

Symmetry is one of the most common, primal and powerful ordering systems available to us in the world of Design. My intention is to take you through the basic concepts that you would be taught in architecture school, minus the late nights, fluorescent lighting and bad coffee!   It all has its origins in Biology: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symmetry_in_biology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilateria   Bilateral Symmetry in Nature https://biologydictionary.net/bilateral-symmetry/   BUT WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH DESIGN?   We recognize symmetry more quickly than any other type of ordering system. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6458647/ which gets into Unconscious Inference https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_perception   TYPES OF SYMMETRY IN ARCHITECTURE https://www.mi.sanu.ac.rs/vismath/kim/index.html https://insights.jonite.com/the-art-of-symmetry-in-architecture   Symmetry and Well-Being (this is a very good article! https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/10/12/249     Symmetry is satisfying - do you look for symmetry in design?   https://slate.com/culture/2008/05/why-is-architectural-symmetry-so-satisfying.html   We need to be aware of symmetry because it's literally controlling our movements sometimes - have you ever aligned yourself with an axis?  Look at camera angles in photos and see the power symmetry has over us.   Symmetry IS us.

Why are some people afraid of the number 13 and what does it really represent?  This episode is a quick look at superstitions, traditions and various interpretations of this prime + fibonacci number.  It's supposed to be unlucky but is also baked into the graphics for the United States government?  It also corresponds to the moon and the octave in music, Death in the tarot. Let's explore - next week we go back to basic design school :)   

  Here are a bunch of links about the Fibonacci Series - the amount of information online is close to endless. Some of these are quite basic and some are more advanced.     Enjoy! What are Fibonacci Numbers? https://www.mathsisfun.com/numbers/fibonacci-sequence.html How to Visualize This https://math.temple.edu/~reich/Fib/fibo.html How the Phi Ratio works in Nature https://www.mathsisfun.com/numbers/nature-golden-ratio-fibonacci.html Golden Ratio in Architecture https://westburyjoinery.com/blog/golden-ratio-architecture/ https://illustrarch.com/articles/13472-golden-ratio-in-architecture.html AMAZING INFO ON THE FIBONACCI SERIES https://r-knott.surrey.ac.uk/Fibonacci/fibmaths.html   Mathematical Proof - Drawing a Pentagon using the Golden Rectangle https://www.anirdesh.com/math/geometry/pentagon-construction.php https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lL9VN8ELH1M   WE HARDLY KNOW ANYTHING - References The entire rainbow of radiation observable to the human eye only makes up a tiny portion of the electromagnetic spectrum – about 0.0035 percent. This range of wavelengths is known as visible light. https://www.energy.gov/nnsa/articles/visible-light-eye-opening-research-nnsa And we are 99.99% empty space - basically swirling energy balls that stick together. https://www.sciencealert.com/99-9999999-of-your-body-is-empty-space And 95% of the matter in the universe is currently unobservable. https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/big-questions/what-universe-made

What is a style?  How are they made and how do they evolve? We'll take a look at the concept of style through the lens of architecture, food and fashion, and end with a discussion of sustainability and whether architectural style should be International at all.   Links: https://www.archdaily.com/906063/modernism-the-international-style-that-wasnt https://www.design59furniture.com/blogs/interiordesigntrends/mid-century-modern-design-101-everything-you-need-to-know   List of architectural styles - there are a lot!  Every regional flavor etc.. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_architectural_styles A couple of styles commonly seen https://www.thespruce.com/top-architectural-styles-4802083  

Architecture and Music - two of the most powerful art forms on the planet (and my two favorite!) are linked through their use of elemental proportion systems.   According to Goethe, “Music is liquid architecture and Architecture is frozen music."  We'll explore how both art forms are constructed and touch on the theory and scientific discoveries behind this relationship.   The incredible Brains behind these Theories: Pythagoras https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythagoras Leon Battista Alberti https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Battista_Alberti Goethe https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Wolfgang_von_Goethe Palladio's proportions for rooms: https://www.aboutscotland.com/harmony/prop3.html   Simple article about the relationship between Math and Music: https://www.unyp.cz/news/music-and-mathematics-pythagorean-perspective/#:~:text=Pythagoras%20observed%20several%20ratios%20of,fifth%2C%20seven%20semitones%20apart).   Proportions in Architecture: https://www.house-design-coffee.com/proportions.html https://ftanda.co.uk/thoughts/proportions-in-architecture-and-music/  

Design as a Manifestation Tool   This episode was inspired by the hundreds of people who have said to me that one day they will build their dream home.  One day?  Why not start now with even a tiny little piece of it?  If we can start with creating even one wall of that home now, we can accelerate our journey by embodying that future in our physical environment - which will greatly change how we feel and act.  Design literally IS a physical manifestation of an idea.  Why not use a physical manifestation of our beliefs to move us closer towards our future self? I encourage people to start their design journey as early as possible, because when they are finally ready to build their dream home, the process won't be new - they will already be experts in design.   Design is a wildly powerful tool that is used ON us every day.  What if we use design FOR ourselves?   5 TIPS FOR STARTING YOUR DESIGN JOURNEY: Start Very Small - the tinest of projects are the perfect place to start. Make it Personal - office, bedroom, the most personal space you have - NOT THE LIVING ROOM!   Borrow and Steal!  Pablo Picasso is widely quoted as having said that “good artists borrow, great artists steal.”   Expect the design to change over time - this will be a process and allow it to flow as you gain confidence in your aesthetic!  Move things, change the color, embrace the process - PERFECTION IS NOT A THING. When you want to test this on a public-facing design, create your Zoom background.  Log on to a session, tape out the frame that is caused and create a background design only in this area.  What do you want to embody?  Beauty, traditional decor, strength, spirituality?  Search for this decor and borrow it.  You can play with the scale on your computer, tape the correct size on the wall, then make sure the items you are ordering are the correct scale. Want to send in questions?  DM me at @four_d_design on IG or email ak@fourddesign.com  

Did you know that your physical environment actually affects your genes and genetic response?  We have scientific proof that it does, and this has huge implications for the role of design in your home and work environments.  Architecture and Design can and should be seen as healing modalities - a potentially powerful tool in your arsenal. We start with a short story about Charles Darwin (who had no idea what he was discovering / also he was 22 y.o.!) But the information he collected has unlocked more than a century of discovery regarding the environment and how it has the power to physically change us. Let's take this knowledge and put it to work for us.  Following episodes will explain how to create aligned design at your home and work using color, light, geometry and 3 dimensional form.   Links: Darwin's Finches:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darwin%27s_finches Encyclopedia of the Environment / Scientific Studies:  https://www.encyclopedie-environnement.org/en/health/epigenetics-how-the-environment-influences-our-genes/ Epigenetics Definition / Explanation from CDC:  https://www.cdc.gov/genomics/disease/epigenetics.htm Effect of External Factors on the Genome / NIH: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4887632/ Dr. Bruce Lipton:  https://www.brucelipton.com/