LA Graphics 280

The Highline is a project as redevelopment in New York City. The idea is to make the old elevated train tracks into an elevated greenway. So far the James Corner Field Operations firm has completed phases one and two of three. When finished it will be 1.45 miles and be a valuable asset to the community.

These diagrams show the different types of experiences you might encounter on the Highline.

This image shows the Highline being used as a way to get exercise as well as take in a beautiful scene.

This is a section of the Highline showing the different scales an individual might encounter throughout their experience.

This is a plan with diagrams of the Highline of how they came to their idea of how it would end up being configured. 

The web of software that can be used throughout the design process.

Learning the Photoshop basics.
The tutorial videos also help a lot to clear up any question you might have on what Photoshop can or cannot do. I found that the different masks you can apply to help ease the transition of one image put onto another was really interesting and useful.

For this exercise I learned different tools in photoshop to take an old image that might not look  very good and make it look better. I first cropped the image down to the individual image that I wanted. After I did that, I straightened the image, sharpened it, and then adjusted the exposure, brightness, and contrast. After these adjustments were made the image became much easier to view with it being much clearer. 

The composite plan was the most enjoyable image to play with.  It was fun to see your ideas come to life in a way. There were quite a few things going on in the actual process. I duplicated the background and desaturated them. Then I selected the area between the business building and Noyer and then created a new white layer to put between them. I then brought a green, textured layer in and cut  paths in by selecting them with the polygon lasso tool and deleting the selected regions. I used a fattened line tool to create the benches and an ellipse to create the people. To create the trees I created many layers with an individual green circle, then merged all those layers, and then added a sponge texture. Finally I added a drop shadow to the layers that needed one and in the end I was happy with the result.

The photo montage was the most challenging for me. But once I got on a roll it became much easier. Basically I used many different layers of different elements of the image. Each tree has a different layer and then a subsequent layer for its shadow. For that layer I blacked out the layer by adjusting the exposure, then transformed it and made it look how I wanted. The free transform tool was very helpful throughout this whole project. The other effect used was motion blur on the people which helped make them look active. In general I was pleased with the final product.

For this exercise we learned many different attributes of GIS (Geographic Information System). This map shows many different features of the Muncie area. It includes fire stations, police stations, school, and recreational facilities as well as roads, highways, and railways. Along with these attributes the floodplains and wetlands. These features allow for analysis and to see how the city is laid out.

This map shows a closer view of the fair grounds. From the site there is a series of buffered rings showing different ranges of distances: 500 feet, 1500 feet, 2500 feet, 3000 feet. The map also includes soils, contours, trees, floodplain, and more. Throughout the learning process of figuring out how GIS works, I found it is an extremely powerful program with many useful features. The big key to making it all work is file management. If you remember where you saved something, and make sure that place is secure, then put in enough time and effort, the end result should be more than acceptable.

In this exercise we learned how to use Illustrator and GIS to create an exploded diagram. I found this to be a fairly easy process as well as extremely useful. I can definitely see how this will be used on projects in the future to make them professional and clear. They show a lot of information in an easy to read format. I'm excited to learn more of what Illustrator can do and how that will help us in diagramming, drawing, and completing projects in general.

This board shows different sections along Minnetrista Way . The sections on the left show what is there now and the ones on the right show proposed ideas. The top section proposes to keep the bordering vegetation while making the berm more defined and creating a water feature out of it. The middle section proposes a berm to be made along with creating a median with street trees. The bottom section proposes a lawn area and a bioswale next to the road. 

This board shows the two different photo-montages we had to create. These were fun to mess around with and create new images. Creating the night rendering was new but it also was helpful. I poses a completely different challenge, but makes you think of what a space might be like after the sun sets.

This exercise was to help us learn AutoCAD. I feel like it definitely did just that. Don't take that the wrong way though, because there is still a lot more to learn. I'm excited to see where this can go from here and work more with the program.  I also am looking forward to learning plants next year and being able to label everything that is going into the design. For the most part I felt this was a very beneficial exercise and project, but wish we had a little more guidance than the tutorials online for what to do. I know class time is limited, but there were some things that were kind of tricky to figure out even after watching the tutorials. But as I said, overall I really enjoy the program and can't wait to see how much it will help me in the future.

Throughout the SKETCHUP unit we have learned how to model our project through a 3 dimensional program. It's a great way to get a 3D view of how a project will end up. You can capture different perspectives and key views like oblique plans, sections, and money-shot perspectives. I have not completely figured the program out yet, but look forward to understanding it more and creating other projects using it. I know it will become a very useful tool in later projects an believe it can truly elevate the type of work myself and classmates are doing.

In this part of the AutoCAD we learned how to create a section. This was a fairly easy process and it also allows you to put in different features that are unable to be noticed in plan. I know I need more practice, but I also know it will be beneficial.

We learned how to add labels and dimensions in this section of AutoCAD. This is definitely something we need to know to make our drawings more professional as well as legible. I have enjoyed using AutoCAD and look forward to refining and learning skills to better my overall understanding of the program because I know it will become a very useful tool in later projects and life.

Again AutoCAD drawings were refined and added to, to create this set. Even though I am not 100% comfortable with the program, I am looking forward to learning more about it and how to become more efficient and accurate. When we get to plant design I know it will help with the plant lists and leaders. As I said I look forward to getting better and more comfortable with the program and learn its inner workings. 

Using InDesign we created a template for a portfolio. I chose our most recent studio project  to  show how I would set up a portfolio spread. In this spread I developed the portfolio essentially in the order the project itself developed. I need to approach my larger portfolio that I did last year more like I approached this individual project, which is simple and corporate. Revisions of that portfolio will be to simplify text blocks, reduce superfluous noise like color blocks, and make the portfolio more navigable. I found this unit to be useful in demonstrating how to create a successful portfolio spread and template for future projects.