Design In The City

Amy Carter
Mar 8, 2019
16 min read

Design in the city will be looking at aspects of design whether that be fine art, graffiti, architecture, interior design and so on around the city of Manchester, which is where I am from and where my University is based. Manchester, in my opinion, is a fantastic city for arts and design as it has such a vast and varied range of design aspects to gaze upon and to indulge in, ranging from art galleries/exhibitions/shows to well thought out and interesting pieces of Interior Design. The pictures that will feature below will showcase any aspects and/or pieces of design that has intrigued me, inspired me and my designs, and also just pieces of design that I think have been well thought out and that are aesthetically pleasing. It will also include photographs from presentations/talks I will attend that have taught me about a new aspect of design and taught me new things about the industry I am choosing to go into.

Oct 14, 2016

Today, as part of my course, me and the rest of my course and one of my lecturers went to PBH Shopfitters in Eccles, Manchester. PBH Shopfitters work closely with architects and designers nationwide to create quality interiors for retail, commercial and leisure businesses. PBH Shopfitters provide full service interior refurbishment to companies nationwide. Whilst here we had a tour around the workshop where some of the products are made and had a look into how the company makes their products and had a further look into the type and style of work they do. We also had a look at some of the projects the company had worked on and how they do their work by looking at before and after pictures of live jobs they had work on in the past and looking at the plans, elevations, visuals and materials/fittings list they create for each job.

From this trip I am able to take away the fact that working on jobs that focus around designing the interiors for shops, restaurants and other commercial and leisure businesses is something that I could see myself enjoying as I feel their is a lot of room to really be creative when designing is these sectors. This trip was also useful to learn and understand more about the industry and how work is done for a client to a high and very in depth standard so that the client is able to understand the full extent of the job and what would be being done but I also taught me more about what is expect from a client so that the designers are able to do the best job.

Oct 2nd, 2017

Today, as part of my course, me and the rest of my course and two of my lecturers went over to MediaCityUK to visit the ITV Studios to go and watch Countdown and to also view the set the show is filmed on. The reason for this is because in the next month or so I will be starting my next University project which is based around set design, therefore, this gave me a chance to view a live set and see how they work and what goes in to putting a set together and designing a set for a TV show or film.

Whilst I trip I was really hoping to learn more about set design as I thought that was the main point of the trip but I don't really feel like I learnt anything about set design at all which was a shame as not only would learning more about how set design works help with a future module of mine this could of been an opportunity to open up the idea of a new career path for me.

Oct 9, 2017

Today, as part of my course, me and the rest of my course and one of my lecturers went and visited the Penketh Group which is an Interior Design business located within the centre of Manchester. During the visit to the Penketh Group we was taken around the office spaces and was shown the creative and innovative ways they design and utilise their office space. The Penketh Group wanted to get out of their workplace and to the this they fully refurbished their space to create a home for a contemporary work culture. The Penketh Group has purposeful design thinking at it's core, as it creates space for collaboration, helping businesses to grow as part of a vibrant community of creators. While taking a look around the workspace this idea of a contemporary work culture and creating a community was very clear to see throughout every area of their workspace to even the smallest details. In my opinion, having a work area with this innovative design that creates a relaxed, community feel it to, creates a better environment and a more productive environment to work in. Once, we was shown the workspace and was told about the company and what they do, we was then set a challenge by a few of the people who worked their. We was spilt into three groups and we was given a theme, my groups theme was 'Autumnal'. Once we was given our theme we was sent off to create a visual design board based on this theme by selecting different materials, patterns and finishes that fit within the theme.

I really enjoyed my time while visiting the Penketh Group as learning about what this company does, how they work, the type and style of work they produce and just generally learning about this company. Seeing the office which this company works was also really useful and interesting because not only did it look like a nice and productive environment to be, it also effectively demonstrated the style of work the Penketh Group produce for their clients. Today was really useful to learn more about furniture and office layout design which based off of todays trip might be something I would consider doing once I have finished University and if possible I think I would like to do my work placement here so that I can have a more in-depth look into the work they do and actually experience it for myself to see if it would be something I would really want to do after graduating.

Nov 13, 2017

Today I went back to the Whitworth Art Gallery to explore the new pieces of artwork and exhibitions that the Gallery had to offer. For each piece of artwork I viewed I found them intriguing and inspiring which made me really think about the art I was viewing and the messages each piece was conveying. In my opinion, that is when art is at its most fascinating, when the piece you are looking at makes you think about what it means, what the artist wants to convey through their piece of work, and when you want to learn more about what it is that your looking at. This exhibition also had so many pieces of work that were inspired by so many different cultural backgrounds that it really helped inspire me for my current Responding To Creative Contexts module which is based around global visual culture.

Nov 17, 2017

Whilst on a trip to Ordsall Hall in Salford for my current module I thought I would take advantage of the art gallery that is within the Hall. The current exhibition was quite an interesting range of artwork, all of which related to either the Hall, the people who lived their throughout history, or the different times of the Hall in some way or another. Again this was another great opportunity to view a broad range of art pieces and get inspired by what others are designing and what their take on different aspects were and how they showed this through their art.

Nov 23, 2017

Today my lectures held a one day brief session for Interior Design students from all three years. For this one day brief I was put into a group that included people from all years which allowed me to work with people I was not familiar with which pushed me more out of my comfort zone which during this task I found enjoyable. The brief I was given was to pick any industry, apart from Interior Design, and to create a company name, logo and brand. Me and my group decided to focus of the retail fashion industry. We specifically decided to focus our brand on clothing store tailored to females aged 16-25. For this we came up with the name 'Fallen' for the brand with angel wings as the logo, therefore to represent the idea of fallen angels. The final outcome for this one day brief was to create a poster using no words expect for those of the brand name and to create a 3D model of the logo. I found this task to be useful and helpful as I believe doing these one day briefs helps me better understand how fast paced work will sometimes be once I am in the industry and how in order for tasks to get done efficiently and on time a team has to work and flow together, and also has to communicate well so that everyone understand the task in hand, what the end goal is, and what their personal role is in order to achieve that end goal.

Jan 15, 2018

Today I attended an event ran by my University for the design students. The event was focused around how to get a job in the creative industries. The first half of the event consisted of a panel of six individuals that work within different practices in the creative industry. Each professional told us a bit about their career path from the beginning to the present day and how they got to where they are and their different experiences along the way. Once they had introduced themselves and told us about their individual career paths, us students were then given the opportunity to ask the panel questions about the creative industry and how to get into it. Each person had very different answers and advice to give us students about the creative industry and how to get into it based on their own experiences. All the advice given was extremely useful to have in mind and to help me personally improve aspects of my work, CV and website that will hopefully help me to get into the creative industry. The best piece of advice I feel was given throughout this talk was, 'Always be yourself and show your individuality in both how you are and your work as this is what will set you apart from the rest, and to never compromise your design.'.

Jan 26, 2018

Today I attended a Tile Talk that was arranged by one of my lecturers. This talk taught me about how both ceramic and porcelain tiles are made starting from quarrying the stone all the way to the finished product, and about the differences between the two tiles. I was also shown a range of different tiles and how to get different patterns, colours and shapes when making tiles.

I didn't really enjoy attending this talk as I personally didn't really understand the point of this talk as for my personally this isn't relevant to any work that I am doing right now and other then the fact I have learnt about one specific material I don't see this being something useful or that I'll need to know in the future.

Feb 5, 2018

Today I attended a talk/presentation at the Connection studio/office space located in the Old Law Library in Manchester. To begin with I was given a presentation of a member of the team about the company, the way the work, and what and how they design. Connection design and create innovative commercial furniture that focuses on emerging work and learning styles and through this creating space that works and fits every need of the user. From watching the presentation and being talked through what this company does I learnt that they create and design furniture that helps create multiple environments in one space by incorporating different styles of furniture. They do this by having some furniture that is closed off and made private and is made for singular use for when someone wants to work alone and focus and be in a quite area, whereas other pieces of furniture are still made closed off and private but are more inclusive and are made for multiple people making them ideal for people to collaborate and work together, and then their are pieces of furniture that are made to be open and inclusive so that people are able to relax and work away from their desk but also socialise. After the presentation I was then free to explore the showroom/office space to view the different types and furniture they produce and how they incorporate together and how they work within an office space to create multiple environments within one space.

Attending this trip and learning about different types of furniture and the innovative ways the design industry in terms of office layout are changing has been a really eye opening experience as it has made me think differently design and the purpose of design as this trip has shown me how incorporating different styles of furniture or how the furniture layout can effect the feel and flow of a room, as well as it purpose and the environment as to whether it is creating a more private setting or a more open and social setting.

Feb 19th, 2018

Today while in Manchester I started noticing different spaces around the city and how the environment of the space and lighting can affect a space from how it looks to how it feels, specifically looking at whether it gives you a positive or negative feeling and how viewing these objects or spaces from different angles can also affect the feeling of the space. I believe its very important to explore spaces and understand how they work and the flow of a space and how all these different aspects of a space factor into the experience a user has while in this space and also how this affects how they use space. The pictures below show a variety of outside spaces that I came across and explored. In my opinion each space has a different feel to it based off of the light in the space, the size and shape of the size and the way a user looks at it e.g. what angle they view it from.

Feb 20, 2018

Today I went to support some friends and fellow students by going to visit their photography exhibitions around Manchester. As well as being able to support my friends, today was a great opportunity for me to see a range of work that focused on a variety of different aspects/issues and to see how certain issues or aspects of life are viewed through the eyes of someone else.

March 1, 2018

Today I attended the current 3rd years final degree at The University of Salford in the New Adelphi building. In my opinion I find attending the degree shows a very helpful experience as it allows me to not only see the work produced from the current 3rd years but its also a good opportunity to see and understand the level of work I will be required to produce within my final year. Whilst there I was particularly interested in exploring the Interior Design, Architecture and Photography sections as I find these the most interesting pieces of work as well as having a personal interest in all three.

June 7, 2018

Today me and the rest of my course, and one of my lecturers went on visit to Hilson Moran in Manchester. This trip was an opportunity for us to go and see the new products and furniture that the company was bringing out, as well a chance to see how Hilson Moran were starting to incorporate more biophilia within their office designs and ways in which biophilia can be achieved within office spaces even if only in small doses. This was a good opportunity to explore the current and future design trends for office design from a big company who specialises in this area of interior design. When visiting Hilson Moran and seeing the range of furniture, fittings and fixtures it was clear that the style of furniture in demand is still very similar to what was in demand last year but that biophilia within office spaces and having relaxing breakout areas is becoming a big trend that is in high demand. This is due to the fact that as well as being aesthetically appealing, it increases productivity from employees, as well as promoting a healthier environment to work in as having comfy, either private or social areas to work in combined with biophilia promotes mental, physical and emotional wellbeing.

November 19, 2018

Today me and my course went on a trip to Milliken Industrials Ltd based in Wigan. The Milliken company deigns and produces a wide range of carpet tiles, entrance flooring solutions and luxury vinyl tiles for both commercial or residential use. The Milliken brand prides themselves on producing flooring that is both visually stunning and practical for both commercial and residential environments. Milliken also prides themselves on their ability to produce limitless designs on their flooring and when looking through their showroom this ability was made very clear and was very impressive in showing that how something as simple and as looked over as flooring can still be a crucial and stunning part of any space. The ability to produce limitless designs is thanks to their modular design system. Using a modular system allows to company to be able to add coloured lines, create patterned combinations or use the carpet tiles to create a navigation system with building where needed such as within schools or hospitals. Whilst visiting Milliken as well as learning about the company and what they do and having an opportunity to explore the types of designs they can produce, I was also able to go around the factory to be taken through the processes that are needed to take yarn and make it into one of the fantastically designed Milliken Carpets. I also learnt about the newest step forward that Milliken has began to take over the last couple of years towards sustainability which in my personal opinion is a big and important issue and is one that design can have a big impact on. Milliken has started finding ways to produce their products in a more environmentally friendly way so that the products do better for the environment and are more sustainable. One of the main aspects Milliken is working towards is achieving their Environmental Policy which is to not reduce but eliminate all solid waste, hazardous wastes and emissions. The way they are working towards this goal is by constantly reviewing their manufacturing practices, product life cycle and supply chain to asses the impacts they having on the environment and they can be made more efficient.

December 3, 2018

Today I went to support my friends who study at The University of Salford and attend their interim photography exhibition show to view the development so far of the work they have been producing over the first half of the uni year. Through the work produced there was a wide range of issues explored from identity and morphing ones identity, to fashion photography and the realisation that expensive, designer brands have become more of a mainstream item. It was interesting to be able to view the different work each and every photographer had produced and listening to them explain the concept behind their work and their opinions on the matter they were focusing on.

January 10, 2019

Sunlight House is a grade II listed building in the art deco style established in 1932, located in Manchester town centre. Today me and the rest of my course went to visit this well known and iconic building as it is currently going through a refurbishment. The point of this trip was to speak to the team to learn and understand how to refurb an old building and make it fit for the 21st century whilst still keeping some of its history and character intact. Some of the remodelling of the interior space that we saw which was carried out by Ardmac includes a double-height reception space and a cafe. Other areas of the refurb that we were able to see were completed by ADT which included the 14,000 sq ft eighth floor and the 13th floor. Being able to explore this building and hear about some of the process the teams working on the project went through to balance between modern and traditional was a particularly helpful experience. This is because it relates that my Negotiated Major Project which is to repurpose and redesign Merchants Warehouse which is also a grade II listed building that was established in the late 1820s.

January 4, 2019

Through my own interest as a designer I attend the Manchester Art Gallery today to go see the Leonardo Da Vinci: A Life In Drawing exhibition. As Da Vinci is one of the most known, world renowned artists I wanted to take what could be a once in a lifetime opportunity to go and see some of his works being exhibited to the public. To say the least the artwork was fascinating and unbelievably detailed and well crafted but the stories behind the few works I was able to see was equally as interesting and important. The 12 drawings I viewed were ones of his that focused on the body and demonstrated Leonardo's use of drawing to gain an unrivalled understanding of the human form. Throughout his works into the human form he dissected 30 human corpses, and aimed to write an anatomical treatise on the bones, muscles, tendons and internal organs. Alongside the anatomical studies, this exhibition also included caricatures, idealised male and female bodies, drapery studies, figures in action and drawings of an infant and foetus. During this exhibition many of Da Vinci's techniques were demonstrated, from pen and ink and metalpoint to red and black chalks and watercolours. Going seeing Da Vinci's work has got to be one most brilliant and breathtaking experience I have ever had as his work has never been out on display before and probably never will be again within my lifetime, therefore having to opportunity to view such amazing pieces of work was a chance I simply couldn't pass up.

After visiting the Da Vinci exhibition I took it upon myself to explore the rest of the art gallery as their were a few new exhibitions displayed throughout. A large amount of the exhibitions were focused on photography, with one exhibition specifically looking at Manchester throughout time which being from Manchester myself I found personally interesting and almost in a way reminiscent as although I was not around when some of these photos were taken I still recognise the places as I have walk through them many times. Other exhibitions were based around clay and marble pottery and visual, experimental art.

January 6, 2019

Today I attended a seminar given by three alumni students who all studied Interior Design at Salford University at one point. Each of them have had very different experiences since leaving University within their careers, all of which were interesting to hear and learn about as it gave me different insights to the different paths and opportunities that are out there. However, their was one that stood out to me the most not just because of the different paths she had taken and the different types of companies she had worked for over the years but mainly because of the niche that she has now found herself which has led to her setting up her own company: MissHandled. MissHandled is an independent Manchester-based homeware brand which uses jesmonite to create beautiful and unique geometric pieces. The products created were mesmerising and throughly enjoyed hearing about her business and what it is that she does and how she came to discover that this was her niche.

February 22, 2019

Today I attended a seminar given by Melanie Thomas from the company Formica to learn about their high pressure laminate products. Formica laminate is a laminated composite material that was originally used to replace mica in electrical applications but is now manufactured for a variety of applications. Formica is a decorative product produced by several layers of kraft paper, resin and a decorative layer on top that is compressed and cured to create a hard, durable surface. With Formica it is possible to put any colour, pattern or image onto the product allowing customers to create beautiful and unique designs that can really elevate the aesthetic of the space in which it would be placed. Formica was a really interesting product to learn about as it can be used in such a wide variety of spaces and the design options are pretty much limitless. Before this seminar I had never heard of Formica and therefore this is product I had considered using before but now that I know about this product and what can be done with this I now have another option for my material palettes. Knowing about this will now nicely lend itself to possibly my Negotiated Major Project and my future jobs and designs once I enter the industry.