JL-Horton Plaza

I can’t help but feel that exploring Horton Plaza was good example of what not to do when approaching design.  In my opinion the space is not comfortable, terribly hard to navigate, and a mess of styles.  When approaching our design for the information display, the language should be clear and speak to a character that we decide, as well as aid in navigating.  I found it difficult to find qualities worth taking away amidst all the advertisements and the dizzying maze of pathways.

            What really stuck out to me was the juxtaposition of style.  Much of the buildings were painted and treated like post modern structures, yet the main clock and lamps have an art-deco style, and I’m not even sure how to classify the obelisk.  Then when you get to the food court it becomes a free for all with each store attempting create their own environment. 

            As for information displays I did find of few interesting moments.  I thought some of the display/store units riddled throughout the mall provided some insight.  In one small box, information about the product, and at the same time contained the product, and mitigated the sales of the items as well.  Some other things I noticed were information put on the ground.  Just outside the mall a manhole cover have the Gaslamp Quarter logo on it, signifying the neighborhood you were in.  There were strips of tape along walkways in the mall to signify changes in the floor height, and there were advertisements on the ground as well. 

            I also found it interesting that people tended to gather in the space that we met as a class, by the chessboards.  I believe that when interactive elements are provided then people naturally gravitate towards the opportunities provided.   That one space seemed to be the only spot in the entire mall people decided to stop and gather other than in the stores they were visiting.

A few of the displays I mentioned before, but another place I visited recently is worth mentioning.  The memorial on top of Mt. Soledad is a beautiful place for people to gather, along with displaying the information of soldiers.

North Park Photo Journal

During our visit, North Park's art community was much more apparent to me than anything else.  Ton's of beautiful graffiti decorated otherwise boring alleys, back doors, and even front doors.   This was actually the opposite from our Horton Plaza visit.  North Park's signage and modes of communication are much more subdued and almost part of the neighborhoods character, while the signage at Horton Plaza was blatantly tacked on.  Neither is better or worse, because each serves it's purpose in it's given context.  These two places merely communicate a message through a different medium.

North Park

The Northpark trip was interesting because we were able to observe how the neighborhood evolved over time. It has a lot of character and more culture as compared to other neighborhoods in San Diego. I'm assuming since it's more of an "artistic" region. Even with it's artsy style and local shops, there's a bit of history behind the region that I noticed on the sidewalks. Each plaque has historic info on the architect and building that it sits in front of. The West Coast Tavern building was the first theater, with the neighboring coffee shop building also being historic. I always enjoy seeing Starbucks placed in the historic buildings as opposed to them building a new one specifically for the corporation. These small details add more character.  I also really like the utility boxes that are painted, it's something that has to be there regardless, so why not make it a work of art. As far as information displays, I liked the "architecture" signage that was made out of recycled metal. I think that anything we are able to recycle should be put to use first, as opposed to buying all new products and using up the budget. I think that there's something about color and the style of things in Northpark that make people feel comfortable and want to get out and walk around.. I think with our exhibit we should definitely bring some color to the space.