This Weeks Story

When illustrating an architectural space, whether it is a large space or a small one, scale is one of the best things to show because it allows the viewer see how they would fit into a particular space. In many societies the scale of your residency exemplifies your social status. “Egyptian society was highly stratified. At the top of the hierarchical scale was the pharaoh, or king, whose powers were divine and who represented God on earth,” (Blakemore 3). Linking the past to the present, we as Americans see the white house as a symbolic reference to the power that the president holds within society.

Unity is involves being in a state of oneness as a part of a whole. Hatshepsut’s temple complex at Deir el-Bahri is a good example of unity because, this mortuary is embedded into the side of a mountain therefore making it a part of its surroundings. The fact that this structure that was built to house a woman and ended up being noticeably shorter than the pyramids built for men unified both building types with society by setting a prime example of how males and females fit into society.

Section is a distinct part or portion of an object that is sometimes used for better understanding when it comes to displaying the inner details of object. In Blakemore on pages four and five he has set an example of a section view. “Since a pitched roof was unnecessary to repel rain and, therefore not essential for the arid climate of Egypt, flats roofs were appropriately used for cooking, storage, and relaxation; the country villa incorporates the loggia, a roofed gallery, which functioned as another space for relaxation,” (Blakemore 5). The section view shown on page four, sheds light upon this explanation of the inner works of this structure; thus making it easier to understand.

When creating a concept, boundaries are set by the designer to ensure the design shows order and remains cohesive (having proper divisions in which the design is evenly distributed). An example of showing order would be the spatial relationship shown in Greek columns. “Gabled buildings had a ranking cornice, which followed the pitch of the triangular gable or pediment; the tympanum was the center space formed by the triangular gable or space formed by the boundaries of the horizontal cornice with two ranking cornices,” (Blakemore 29). An example of cohesiveness is found in the Hellenistic designs of windows and doors with the integration of pilasters. “Pilasters occasionally marked the boundary of windows and, alternatively, were used to separate windows,” (Blakemore 37).

This black spaces between the vignettes shown provide boundaries between
them making the completed graphic cohesive.

A vignette is an illustration that gradually fades off leaving no definite finish points on the page. Also, they usually have a light source which paves the way for the vanishing lines and color that has been added. Vignettes are also used to capture a moment of expression whether it be a reality or an ideal. Using history as a vignette of the past, the Egyptians tried to achieve the ideal through their highly symoblic design methods. “The scarab, sun disk, serpent, human figures, and gods and goddesses were also significant,” (Blakemore 25).
In summary, I think this week words help us as designers link the past to the present. Gaining knowledge of the past is key in design because it is hard to please a client if you don't have proper knowledge of their background, religion, origin, etc. All of these words are used to express that in story form.