Just in case you haven’t checked this out already. Great site!
—
And as a side note, I just got a new place and will be moving this week. So things are pretty “all over the place” right now. Once I get settled in I will be able to post more! WHOOOOOOO!! Hope everyone is having a great summer!
Cheers,
Mark, tipsforarchitectureschool
Hi there! I recently did a post on my blog about staying motivated in architecture school. I also mentioned your tumblr and one of your motivational posts as a reference, so I wanted to share my tips with you as well!
Thanks for your time and all of the great content! It helps me out on at least a weekly basis!
-Paige, punkrockparti.com
———
Hey!! Thanks so much for the shout out! It means so much to me! Thank you for such great information! Everyone should check out this post for staying motivated! And look at her blog too, pretty awesome stuff going on at punkrockparti.com!!
Thanks Paige :)
- Mark, tipsforarchitectureschool
#71 Put your name on everything you do.
Your name is the most important thing you own. When you are working on a project in school, you are thinking about the design so much and move onto other things that when it comes time to pin up, you forget (or don’t bother) to put your name on your work. Then when people come in to see all of the work, they have no idea who you are and you could possibly be missing some important recognition. There have been many times where I have seen job offers come from the right person seeing a pin up. Luck is when preparation meets opportunity, so make sure you are doing everything you can to stay prepared for whatever comes your way. You never know who will be looking at your work when you are away, and something as simple as your name can make the difference between getting a job offer or just another question in the air.
So this is happening in the world now…
MATAERIAL is the result of the collaborative research between Petr Novikov, Saša Jokić from the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) and Joris Laarman Studio. IAAC tutors representing Open Thesis Fabrication Program provided their advice and professional expertise. During the course of the research we developed a brand new digital fabrication method and a working prototype that can open a door to a number of practical applications. The method that we call Anti·gravity Object Modeling has a Patent-Pending status.
Soundtrack: Mémoire - La Mer
#70 Train people with your actions.
Life is a training course and you are the instructor. You may not think about it, but you teach people how to act towards you based on how you act towards them. How many times have you heard: “No, last time I did that it was terrible so I never did it again.” When you interact with people you are teaching them how to react to you. Often times all it takes is one miscommunication and people would rather avoid you than deal with the possibility of another tense interaction. Really, life is one big play between acting and reacting. Studio culture is a large part of your education and an even bigger part of life when you graduate. Make sure you are interacting with people in a way that promotes trust, care, and understanding.
Who knows you might need to borrow a pencil one day. ;)
#69 Make time for social interactions.
You might not think this one is important, but you have to make time to mingle with friends and even strangers. For example, I just went to a bar and chatted with a local in my downtown area. It was really cool to hear different ideas and disciplines from someone outside of studio. I actually used the ideas we talked about in my current project and it went over very well. Architecture is about people, so make sure you continue to sharpen your craft by surrounding yourself with a variety of them.
So…
I GRADUATE FROM ARCHITECTURE SCHOOL TODAY!!
I will probably take this post down after this weekend, but for those of you who are interested, here is the video I made for my graduating class at the University of South Florida School of Architecture + Community Design.
This not only goes out to graduates of my school, but to all graduates from architecture schools from around the world:
We did it!!!! And despite our inconsistencies, we loved every minute of it. What a wild ride this has been!! :) Congratulations to everyone graduating this semester!! Cheers!
—
Side Notes:
Architecture Fitness Tee!
T-shirt people! I sent out an update, but still just letting you know i’m looking at the boxes of shirts right next to me. They will be shipped soon, I just have to get this whole graduating from school thing out of the way today. I received numerous emails about changing addresses for leaving campus housing. I’m on it! Everyone will receive their shirt at the correct address. :)
USF School of Architecture + Community Design:
Anyone interested in seeing more from my school here are some links:
Tumblr: usfsacd.tumblr.com
Facebook: facebook.com/USFArchitecture
Website: arch.usf.edu
#68 Master the power to Switch Gears
To “Switch Gears” is to go from one task to another. If you are working on a drawing, then stop to study for a test, you have to “Switch Gears” and change your mindset to accommodate the next task.
Multi-tasking is something that will help you tremendously while being productive, but you have to know how to multi-task correctly. Working on many different projects at one time is great, and can save some time if properly scheduled, but you have to itemize your mindset for each activity.
For example, today I am working on a Logo/Branding design for a client. I sent the initial sketches to the client and am waiting for a reply. Now I am working on my Thesis Document in the meantime. If I continue to think about the logo design while working on the document, I will not be able to put my full attention into the document. I must “Switch Gears” and put my focus for the logo design on hold until I work on it again.
DO NOT GET IN YOUR OWN WAY.
You have to be able to focus 100% on the task at hand, and when it is time to move on, shift that 100% to the next task. It takes some time to get used to, but if you can focus all of your energy into shorts bursts for each project, you will be more productive.
Disclaimer: As a by-product of designing, each project you work on can and will influence others. So I am not saying that you can’t relate projects to each other, because I actually get a lot of inspiration from mixing ideas from different projects, but you cannot dwell on previos tasks. This is a tool to keep your mind focused and will help you from getting sidetracked.
#67 Know when to use Save, Save As, and Save for Web & Devices
Save:
When you are working on a project in Photoshop (or any program for that matter) it is important to “Save” the file IMMEDIATELY and frequently “Save” as you work over time. I know a lot of people who just work on their project with the file un-saved and named as “Untitled” and eventually lose their file after hours of work. One of the worst feelings in the world is to build a Masterpiece and lose it all with one quick “unexpected error.”
Get into the habit of saving your work with this method no matter how insignificant the file may be. It is much easier to delete a file than it is to recreate one from scratch.
Save As:
“Save As” is a great tool to rename a file on the spot or keep a record of your work. Simply put, it allows you to save your current document under a different name. I use this as a tool when designing or rendering.
When you reach a point in your work where you are satisfied, but would like to continue working on it to experiment or further develop it, use the “Save As” feature to keep the file “As is”.
Here is an example of file names:
Thesis Render - 1 - No Background
Thesis Render - 2 - Full Entourage
Thesis Render - 3 - FINAL (Layers)
Thesis Render - 4 - FINAL (Merged with Overlay)
Then at any point you can reference the file at a specific point in the design timeline. You can also delete any of these at any time to save space.
Another great thing about “Save As” is that you can open a file with properties similar to a new drawing you wish to do, delete out layers you do not want, and save the document as new. This will save a lot of time in setting up Fonts, Color Pallets, Canvas Size, Etc.
Save for Web & Devices
This feature is especially important when saving images for ONLINE use. Any time you save an image it will use the current canvas size when it exports. Luckily, sites like Tumblr and Facebook will automatically resize an image for you to be compatible for viewing, but the quality of the photo might get lost in transition.
When you “Save for Web & Devices” you decide what size the file is by the pixel instead of by the inch. This is especially important in web design because the files will show up as it was exported without compression. Anything you save in this manner will automatically look better online.
I have gotten into the habit of only saving with this method if my work is only going to be used on the internet. If I am physically printing my work, I will select the proper size in inches with the “save” or “save as” option so it doesn’t come out too small.
Here is a quick guide for saving:
Pixels for Internet - Inches for Printing
—
Also reference RGB vs CMYK as this will determine the quality of your output based on use as well.
Hey Archi Peeps!!
Sorry for not being the best blogger lately. It is crunch time for my Master’s Thesis project! It is crazy to think that this Friday will be the last time I present in architecture school EVER.
Insanity!
But this summer will provide a great opportunity to get caught up with your questions and update the blog will all the new material I have been saving up!
Hope you are all doing well! Good luck on your projects both current and future and I’ll see you on Tips For Architecture School!
Cheers,
-Mark
p.s. If you want to buy a shirt, we have less than 35 spots left. Get on it!! lol
I decided to take my “design inspiration” folder off of my desktop and into a blog. I wanted to create a library of design inspiration to reference over time as I work on projects. I figured other people might enjoy it too.
Check it out and let me know what you think. I want the “TAGS” page to be a helpful tool when searching for precedents.
Thank you!
-Mark, tipsforarchitectureschool
Found this today and thought I would share!!
THE BUILT SOUNDTRACK // percussion + architecture
PROCESSING // MUSIC // PERCUSSION // ARCHITECTURE
Sorry for the lack of posts recently!! For those interested here is a list of things that have been taking up all my time:
The Built Soundtrack // Master’s Thesis Project
The Grid Book // Percussion Literature
Architecture Terms // Architecture Literature
Architecture Fitness Tee // Clothing
The ARCHive // USF School of Architecture
Not to mention I am working on staff at the USF School of Architecture as the “Minister of Information” working all social media platforms, website, marketing, and overall student awareness.
Regardless, this blog means so much to me and I feel this summer I am going to drop some serious knowledge on you guys! I have been keeping all my thoughts in a file on my computer and it is thick! So I know I am a little absent now, but I am just a little busy. I will post as much as I can, but after I graduate I will have time to write back to my inbox and post way more “personal” tips!
Thank you all for being so awesome! And if you can, buy a shirt!! lol I still have some available —> HERE! Architecture Fitness Tee
Architecture VS Interior Design Submission:
I know that it really depends on the school, but at the University of Manitoba, the two departments are very different.
In interior design, the students are trained in a much more profesional way. Their presentation uniform is profesional, and they are set up to enter their profesional lives after graduating.
In the department of architecture, the curriculum is much more theoretical. We have people designing buildings for greek heroes and sites that are bicycles. Not everything is learned and practiced in studio, a round education is dependant on the furthering of knowledge in supplementary classes, in future work experience, and masters programs.
—
Awesome! Thanks for the feedback! :)
Top
