Term Four Final Project (& Tips for Creating your own Design Boards)

I did it! I survived my fourth project week.
This one was a big one - Each term more is expected of us as our knowledge base grows. I can't believe I'm officially 1/3 done my degree already. How time flies!
Today I thought I would share my final project and some tips for creating professional looking design boards (for all those fellow design students following my blog! xo)

 1. Be consistent. All of your boards should look exactly the same if you were to take all of your images off of them. I like to prepare my boards with a grey background (complimentary to almost anything & allows your work to shine) and a second pop of colour that goes with the scheme of my design. In this case a fresh, minty green.

2.Don't overcrowd your boards. It will overwhelm the viewer and look messy! Also, everything you put on your board should be mounted on a piece of foam core to create dimension and layers. Shout out to the lovely Steph Sterjovski- I used her picture as the perfect 'mint shopper' inspiration!

3. Your first board should always outline your design concept. Use a small group of images & the concept statement. I also like to highlight the three key words that illustrate the feeling I am trying to create with my design.

4. Use a title block at the bottom of each board with your name & class title, board title, and board number.

 5. Your renderings should be the stars of the show. They will pop more if they are surrounded by a black boarder.

 6. Try not to put all of your boards together in one day or by your eighth board things might start getting a little crooked and sloppy (see above ^).

 7. Always dress to match your boards. Just do it.

Warnings: Doing these boards is costly, time consuming, and will result in major 'designer bags'...and not the good kind of designer bags. I'm talking the ones under your eyes here people. Proof is in the pudding:

I'm very proud of how far I've come in one short year!! I can't imagine where I will be when I graduate. This week I am visiting my parents in Waterloo before term 5 starts on October 7th!
xoxo

Currently Learning: Sketch-Up

This term we are finally learning to use Google Sketch-Up! I am so in love, even though I'm just a newbie. I would describe it as Sims for adults. Let's be real - even as a child all I ever did on Sims was build and decorate the houses. Anyone else? Basically this has been consuming all of my time this week so I thought I would share my progress with you guys. This term my studio project is retail design, and I'm designing a clothing retail shop including designing all of the branding. I called my line 'Mint' and am bringing it together in 3D! Here are some 'work in progress' shots:

My favourite touch has got to be the mint candy wallpaper that I custom designed for the store.
The 'i' on my logo is dotted with the same candy. So presh!
Do any of you use Google Sketch-Up?
Speaking of mint...don't forget to enter the $50 Minted Giveaway that I have going on right now!
xo

Client Reveal: Dixieland Monogram Retail Shop

 Happy Monday loves. Today is an exciting day here on the blog! I'm revealing a client project I was lucky enough to help out with.
Let's face it - we interior design junkies love a good monogram. There is something so classic, preppy and stylish about them - so when Erinn of Dixieland Monogram contacted me for design suggestions for their new retail space, I could not have been more excited. The store had it's big grand opening last week in Tampa, FL -  and the shop looks like the perfect little boutique we had both envisioned!

This e-design project taught me so much about the evolution of the designing process. When Erinn first contacted me, she was thinking about using the space as a show room / office rather than an actual retail space.
These were the original design boards that I came up with:

Quickly, however, the plan changed to a full blown store and I could not be more thrilled for this exciting new opportunity! Welcome to Dixieland Monogram!:

 Isn't it just so fun!? I love the final result and the light bright atmosphere.
And the products are pretty amazing too. If you see anything you like and aren't in the Tampa Bay area, don't fear because you can order online ;).

Thank you so much to Erinn and the Dixieland Monogram team for enlisting me to help on this fab project. And if any of you need help with designing a space to love, don't hesitate to contact me!!
xox

Tiffany & Co. Reception - Completed Project

A couple of weeks ago I shared some sneak peek shots of the Tiffany & Co. reception area that I designed for a school project, but it was all crinkled and the pictures were horrible quality.Today I wanted to show you the completed project, including my presentation boards, floor plan, elevations and perspective drawing! It looks so much smoother now that it is glued down.

I wanted to create a sense of classic luxury and refined style that reflected the company's long history in the jewelry business. It was a fun to render in all the architectural detailing. The design was inspired by the exterior of the Tiffany's in Soho:

via Architectural Digest

And my best friend Laura gifted me this sweet little print, which I think ties in just so perfectly with today's post:

I love it!
Lastly, don't forget to hop on over and check out this weeks nursery at the Baby Blog Party! Have a great weekend xo.