Click on any of the pictures to see an enlarged image.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Proposed Photo Murals
The Baha'i Center Committee has proposed the following as the final designs for the two photo murals for the Center. The first image shows North wall with a photo of the Master walking up HaParsim Street in Haifa. The second shows the West wall with a panoramic view of the India temple in it's grounds. The third shows the measurements of the walls and their photo-murals. The committee plans to surround the photos with decorative moulding that will act something like a picture frame to accentuate the photo-murals. This is not yet shown on these computer visuals.
Click on any of the pictures to see an enlarged image.
Click on any of the pictures to see an enlarged image.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Proposed Photo-Murals
GATHERING AREA - In order add visual interest and create a more inviting space of the gathering area at the Center; it is proposed that a full size photographic mural be applied to the wall. This would be pasted to the wall; much like wallpaper. The intention in selecting the photo shown below is to create the illusion that we are sitting on the slopes of Mount Carmel, looking down over a panoramic view of the terraces and the magnificent gold dome of the Shrine of The Báb and the city of Haifa beyond. It is hoped that this would form a beautiful backdrop to the space. (Click photo to see enlarged version)
SHINJI & HIFUMI YAMAMOTO AREA - As one enters the Center the visitor is faced with the wall ahead. This photo of the Ridvan Garden near Acre has been selected to make the most of that vital first impression. Simple, yet beautiful and welcoming; it captures some of the atmosphere of that peaceful spot. Again, with a full-wall mural; this time with the fountain near actual size; the impression is almost like being there. (Click photo to see enlarged version)
This version includes "Blessed is the spot..."
SHINJI & HIFUMI YAMAMOTO AREA - As one enters the Center the visitor is faced with the wall ahead. This photo of the Ridvan Garden near Acre has been selected to make the most of that vital first impression. Simple, yet beautiful and welcoming; it captures some of the atmosphere of that peaceful spot. Again, with a full-wall mural; this time with the fountain near actual size; the impression is almost like being there. (Click photo to see enlarged version)
This version includes "Blessed is the spot..."
Friday, January 4, 2008
Proposed Window Banners
CONCEPT - These banners would be hung from the ceiling set back about 1 or 2 feet, centered in the windows, at the front of the Baha'i Center. They would be made of a canvas-like material and professionally printed. They can be taken down easily and used for other purposes such as temporary exhibitions. Additional banners could be made at a later date and so they could be moved around and changed from time to time. They would each measure 3 feet wide by 6 feet high. The banners... 1. Use the window space to help proclaim the Baha'i Faith. 2. Boost the identity of the Center. 3. Provide some semi-privacy to the space inside without blocking out too much light or views and still allow persons outdoors to see in.
VIEWING - The banners will be viewed in two ways... 1. People passing in their cars. Because all-but-one of the windows is parallel to the street; the banners will generally be seen very briefly, all-at-once and from several yards away. Therefore, these people would not have time to read anything but one or two words printed very large if anything at all. In order to attract the attention of these people the banners should be bold and colorful. 2. People passing on foot. These people will be passing the windows slowly and occasionally stopping. They will be viewing the banners one-at-a-time from only a few feet away. These people will have time to see the photos in detail and read text.
THEME - This initial group of banners are general in theme. I suggest that in future we could also do individual banners with themes such as the central figures of the faith, unity, equality, peace, history, persecutions, etc... In order to do any justice to these topics it would probably be necessary to include a significant amount of text and multiple photographs. Therefore their appearance and layout might resemble that of a magazine style. From a distance, this won't have the visual impact that this initial set of general banners will. This type of banner would generally require a viewer to stop and spend some time reading
PHOTOS - The selected photos must be of an adequate resolution (dots per square inch) to allow them to be printed at a large scale without becoming very blurry or pixelated (the stairstep appearance of what should be smooth lines). I have heard a criticism that some of the selected photos, "won't mean anything to non-Baha'is." In my opinion that is may be true, but is not necessarily a bad thing. Why not challenge the viewer a bit and let them think, "That's beautiful, I wonder what that place is." For example, I'm sure that many people's first exposure to anything Baha'i was the wonderful temple in Wilmette. It inspires people to investigate the Faith. Having served at the World Center, I can say that the Arc and holy places also have this effect on visitors.
QUOTATIONS - For the most part; quotations from Baha'u'llah have been used. His words have special power and influence. The selections have been chosen to convey some of the spirit of His cause and teachings.
TYPOGRAPHY - I've used a font called Gill Sans Light. It has been used at a large enough size that it can be read from 6 feet away. The font is light, elegant, timeless and very easy to read. Some display fonts can look dated or become difficult to read when used in a paragraph. I think the font has a fresh, modern appearance which contrasts with the script-style fonts often seen on church or religious materials. I think this helps give us a distinctive look. At the bottom of each banner I've added a colored band which includes the words "Madison Baha'i Center" and a 9-pointed star motif. This gives the group of banners a consistancy and identity. These are done to the same design but in different colors to complement the photographs they've been used with. On the left side of the colored band, in smaller text; is a brief description of the photograph. The web address of the center could also be added to this element.
Note: Click on the images to see larger versions.
VIEWING - The banners will be viewed in two ways... 1. People passing in their cars. Because all-but-one of the windows is parallel to the street; the banners will generally be seen very briefly, all-at-once and from several yards away. Therefore, these people would not have time to read anything but one or two words printed very large if anything at all. In order to attract the attention of these people the banners should be bold and colorful. 2. People passing on foot. These people will be passing the windows slowly and occasionally stopping. They will be viewing the banners one-at-a-time from only a few feet away. These people will have time to see the photos in detail and read text.
THEME - This initial group of banners are general in theme. I suggest that in future we could also do individual banners with themes such as the central figures of the faith, unity, equality, peace, history, persecutions, etc... In order to do any justice to these topics it would probably be necessary to include a significant amount of text and multiple photographs. Therefore their appearance and layout might resemble that of a magazine style. From a distance, this won't have the visual impact that this initial set of general banners will. This type of banner would generally require a viewer to stop and spend some time reading
PHOTOS - The selected photos must be of an adequate resolution (dots per square inch) to allow them to be printed at a large scale without becoming very blurry or pixelated (the stairstep appearance of what should be smooth lines). I have heard a criticism that some of the selected photos, "won't mean anything to non-Baha'is." In my opinion that is may be true, but is not necessarily a bad thing. Why not challenge the viewer a bit and let them think, "That's beautiful, I wonder what that place is." For example, I'm sure that many people's first exposure to anything Baha'i was the wonderful temple in Wilmette. It inspires people to investigate the Faith. Having served at the World Center, I can say that the Arc and holy places also have this effect on visitors.
QUOTATIONS - For the most part; quotations from Baha'u'llah have been used. His words have special power and influence. The selections have been chosen to convey some of the spirit of His cause and teachings.
TYPOGRAPHY - I've used a font called Gill Sans Light. It has been used at a large enough size that it can be read from 6 feet away. The font is light, elegant, timeless and very easy to read. Some display fonts can look dated or become difficult to read when used in a paragraph. I think the font has a fresh, modern appearance which contrasts with the script-style fonts often seen on church or religious materials. I think this helps give us a distinctive look. At the bottom of each banner I've added a colored band which includes the words "Madison Baha'i Center" and a 9-pointed star motif. This gives the group of banners a consistancy and identity. These are done to the same design but in different colors to complement the photographs they've been used with. On the left side of the colored band, in smaller text; is a brief description of the photograph. The web address of the center could also be added to this element.
Note: Click on the images to see larger versions.
Adding the Center's website address to the banners.
This illustrates how the website address might be added to the banners.
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