Design of Trinity College

While on a weekend trip to Dublin, Ireland I visited the beautiful Trinity College. This building was modeled after the design of Oxford and Cambridge. This design has many buildings located around each other in a quadrangle with two playing fields. The stone building design fits in beautifully with the area. 

Type Safari in London Town

While roaming around the streets of London I found various kinds of typeface and photographed them.  I chose my favorite letters out of the many I have seen since arriving here. I chose these letters in combination with each other because I liked the contrasting bright colors and solids. 

Wayfinding

While on my weekend trip to Ireland which has now become my favorite place I noticed this example of wayfinding. I was walking to the beach in Howth and this sign caught my eye. All of the bright colors used and the sea creatures add to the overall theme of this being a map for a cute little beach town! The choice of the blues and greens also contribute to the design of the map as a whole. 

Type Safari

While on our group field trip I noticed this example of hand painting. This restaurant originally caught my eye as I love tapas and the sign was well done. I didn't realize at first that this was an example of hand painting until our tour guide pointed it out to us. She described how this was also a common type of design and I have noticed it in various areas throughout London.  

Queen's Arms London Signs

London is full of beautiful signs even if what is being represented isn't particularly glamorous the sign outside will be. I visited Queen's Arms pub just a short five minutes walk from my flat and was very impressed with the design of the sign hanging out front. This decorative font of the "Q" in the picture made for an eye capturing image. It also complemented what was written on the wall of the side of the pub seen below.

Hand Lettering Signs

Sine I have arrived I have been very impressed with all of the various kinds of hand lettering signs. I have noticed at restaurants, pubs, and clothing stores. Some of the hand lettering I was particularly drawn to was outside of Oxford at a pub professor John Makey suggested checking out called Turf Tavern. The lettering seen below invites in the audience with its variety of coloring and different lettering and contrast between words. Also, the display of the chalk boards in combination with the hanging flags, flowers and colorful bike make for the cutest display! 

London Business Design Center

On todays class trip as I was wondering around and looking at all of the various designs when I stopped for one students design called the "The Calming Bear." I immediately became interested with her creation and was drawn in by the vibrant colored miniature teddy bears. She designed these cloth multi colored bears as a tool to help children with breathing exercises. She was then nice enough to let me try her design out and I noticed a calming feeling after participating. As a Child Development major I was amazed at her creation and the simplicity she choose for the design of the bear.

Covent Garden

Yesterday I spent exploring the various war exhibits via a walking tour of London. After a few hours of racing around in 90 degree heat I began to grow stir crazy with all of the various exhibits we were running off to. Just as the heat was getting the best of me we turned onto this beautiful street called "Convent Garden" and I got the breath of fresh air I needed from this spectacular view. The combination of beautiful red brick flats on each side of the street mixed with the blue and white flags made for a site straight off of a pinterest travel page.The beautiful tall brick buildings with white window frames reminded me of old brick victorian homes in Vienna Virginia. 

Archway Architecture

Since my arrival to London I have noticed multiple archways in various shapes, styles and locations. My first day in this new city I was taken on a tour of the area surrounding our new home and found this beautiful "mews" which my RA Seb pointed out. These mews are typically small narrow streets usually with flats on both sides. This particular mews stood out to me because of the stone archway that leads into it. After being in London for a little over a week now I can confidently say I have fallen in love with all archways and the beauty that they protect.  Since seeing this beautiful view I have noticed that archways are a common choice of design. I have so far captured pictures (see below) of stone archways leading into quaint mews, archways covered by vines in Kensington  gardens and archways on my elegant pastry dish at The Orangery tea room. It is now safe to say that I will be continuing to keep my eyes open for all archways in my charming new city. 

The Orangery 

Kensington Gardens 

Mews

London Architecture

My second day in beautiful London I spent traveling via the tube to a quaint little town called Notting Hill. After being in a new city and conquering thanks to the help of my friends a new means of transportation we appeared above ground to this beautiful view. I then began to find the unfamiliarity of being in a new place to be intoxicating. The array of neapolitan colors and tall narrow buildings were a vast difference from my home in the country side. I immediately fell in love with the structure of each flat most of them being four floors high with a terrace on the second floor. These flats are on a small narrow road with a row of other flats just across the road.  

Notting Hill