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What do hotel categories, file formats, RAL colour tables, Spaghetti Bolognese, indoor plants, oval construction manuals, loos, concrete and Cuban cigars have in common? They are all objects from the perceptual hemisphere of the designer — a category that includes designers, interior designers, architects and a wide range of artists. This species of human being creates on the basis of the acute observation of its surroundings. It is a seismograph for subtle or groundbreaking caesuras, and from these it distils questions about questions. At the same time, it collects the answers formulated by kindred spirits — often without knowing the questions lying behind them, let alone the context from which they have emerged. A paradox that it also not one, for all this brooding sooner or later leads back to the discourse of the fundamental, the existential, of rules and their manifold interpretations. Designers absorb their world not only with their eyes and ears; they prefer to observe with a pencil in their hand with which to sketch, note and pictorially interpret. They turn things within their minds, observing them from all sides, even if these things have still found no expression in reality. Designers archive ideas and the fleeting kisses of the Muses, and they produce adrenaline when thinking of the moment in which these take on form ..

GOLDEN RECTANGLE is the description of an aesthetically pleasing format exhibiting this proportionality

An isosceles triangle can have varying angles depending upon the length of the sides. On the other hand, an eqilateral triangle with its 60° angle has been valued highly throughout the times

1. That the best intentions sometimes have catastrophic consequences — which is the meaning of “friendly fire” — has been known through the ages; the sentence can even be quoted in Latin. However, this would certainly be understood as an unfriendly act towards the majority of contemporary readers, who do not understand Latin. “Friendly fire”, on the other hand, is understood by everyone — and that in itself has a friendly effect. “Well intended” is not always “well done”. This is particularly well demonstrated by well-intended design. For the user, all too friendly design is not just beneficial — nevertheless design has become a discipline that is predominantly friendly: user-friendly, reader-friendly, child-friendly, senior-citizen-friendly, and of course disabled-friendly. Ergonomics is also part of this general friendliness

Between 1942 and 1955 Le Corbusier (1887–1965) developed a system of measures to provide a set of guidelines for the design of industrially produced building components. The starting point for his research comprised the proportions of the human body and the ratio of the Golden Section. Le Corbusier combined the two in the Modulor, and in the process even managed to combine the Anglo-Saxon system of measures based on feet and inches with the metric decimal system

The measurements of Modulor are 1.13 m navel height and 2.26 m overall height with arms stretched up. From gradual division of the Modulor, the blue series (série bleue) results: 226, 140, 86, 53 cm ... From the navel height, the red series (série rouge) can be derived: 113, 70, 43, 27 cm ..

Leonardo Fibonacci (1170–1240) is considered the first important mathematician of the western world. Liber Abaci, his principal work, was written in 1202, and it contains, amongst many questions, the answer to the so-called rabbit problem:

At first glance strategy and chance seem to be opposing concepts. Anyone who works out a strategy usually does so in order to evade the danger of the random and the coincidental. And if this possibility of an arbitrary occurrence cannot be completely excluded, then it should be at least minimized to the greatest possible extent. However, this approach raises questions

“Sunday, luncheon with Bronzino, felt stuffed full, so nothing for dinner. 4th of March, did the torso under the head and rose one hour before daybreak. On Sunday it was the 10th of March: luncheon with Bronzino and around the 23rd hour we ate the large fish and a number of small ones baked in oil, and in the evening the weather took a turn for the worse, although for many days before it had been wonderful ...”

RGB (red, green, blue) additive colour system for the depiction of colour on a monitor

DISPERSION PAINTS ... are the paints most commonly used for interiors. Although providing good surface coverage, they are neither brilliant nor particularly luminous. The bonding agents are resins dissolved in water (dispersion), usually synthetic resins but in some cases natural resins. After drying they are waterinsoluble and vapour-permeable, although their watervapour permeability decreases with the increasing layer thickness

INGRAIN WALLPAPERS ... consist of a woody lower layer and wood-free upper layer of paper with wood fibre in between. They are available in fine, medium and coarse textures

One of the subjects of my studies in interior architecture was “colour theory”. For endless semesters, colour wheels were presented to us: Rung, Goethe, Ostwald, Itten — not to forget Küppers with his three-dimensional organisation of colours in a colour cube. But when selecting colours, who actually refers to colour theories? We can theorize wonderfully about colours but we cannot talk about them. Colours can only be seen

Hochmut (arrogance), Grossmut (magnanimity), Freimut (candour), Demut (humility), Anmut (charm), Armut (poverty) ... Only a few letters (prefixes) attached to the front of the German root word Mut (courage — from OHG muot, meaning intellectual force) suffice to give it a particular connotation, to colour it negatively or positively, to make it heroic or ridiculous

MATERIALS: the majority of all fitted carpets (92%) are made of synthetic fibres. Of these, polyamide (approximately 67% of all textile fibrous raw material) has the best characteristics, such as the highest resistance to abrasion, a very good recovery capacity and a low affinity to dirt. Other fibrous raw materials used include polypropylene (17%), polyester (7%), and polyacrylics (1%). Natural materials used in carpets include new wool (7%), cow and goat hair, sisal, cotton, hemp, jute, rayon, flax, coconut fibre and silk. Of all fibres used as floor coverings, new wool has the best recovery capacity and the lowest affinity to dirt

Spilled liquids should be immediately removed with absorbent paper. Blot only — no rubbing! Solids such as tar or fat should be scratched off with a knife or razor blade

After the tobacco harvest from January to March, the tobacco leaves are dried for just under eight weeks and then fermented for three months, which involves stacking the leaves and warming them. The best wrapper leaves are then stored in wooden barrels for further fermentation. A genuine Havana cigar essentially consists of a wrapper, an inner wrapper and the filling, which as a rule is made up of a blend of between two and five different leaves

Each country devises its own criteria for categorizing its hotels in terms of stars. These criteria refer exclusively to objective criteria such as room facilities and the range of services offered. Subjective impressions such as charm, originality or spatial arrangement are not taken into consideration. The following criteria are extracts from the description of the minimum standards set for Germany by the German Hotel and Restaurant Association (DEHOGA):

What can be simple, how simplicity can emerge, whether something simple can be maintained — and whether it can be in the context of the tendency to increasing complexity — is a fundamental aspect of my work

The explanatory text is an important element of every competition submission and project documentation. It provides a supplement to the visual material, such as drawings, sketches, material samples and so on, in the form of an independent, precise summary of the project

An architect or designer fundamentally speaks, thinks and looks with a pencil in his or her hand. Comprehending things in terms of form, tectonic singularity and expression with a sketch is quicker and more precise than using an array of words. The same applies when the basic structure of a concept is to be represented

A simple working model, without particular refinement or extensive three-dimensional formulation of spatial relationships, provides a basis for examining the composition of mass

Photographs from suitable angles are treated digitally (e. g. with Photoshop) or elaborated by hand on transparent paper laid over the photographs. In this way the impression conveyed by the project can be visualised relatively easily

Construction drawings are horizontal and vertical sectional views and are produced on a scale of 1: 50, and in cases of section extracts also 1: 20. Important here are overall coherence and the depiction of relations between structural elements. Dimensioning can be simplified by marking dimensions on scale intersecting lines

Although exploded views are proportionally accurate they are not drawn to a particular scale. The aim here is to make it possible for the viewer to grasp the interrelationships between different structural elements, material applications and various functional spaces at a glance

Which meal can be easily stored, is ready to eat in ten minutes, and tastes fabulous? What can soothe the soul under competition deadline stress or after draughty construction site visits or bitchy manufacturers?

Models that show not only a building from outside as a shell but which can be opened out to provide a view into the interior space are among the oldest forms of representation in architecture. Such models of churches, theatres and castles can even be admired in museums. This method is laborious but highly effective as a means of clarifying the relationship between interior and exterior

Whereas ground plans, sectional drawings and elevations show an object from one angle, an axonometry shows the three dimensions of the form simultaneously. The following variations of the axonometry are commonly used:

A schema is a simplified graphic depiction which aims to draw attention to a particular content-based statement. Sequences of several illustrations can, for instance, show connections or the application of coloured elements to elucidate the organisational composition of a building

Visual metaphors provide an effective means of expressing the syntax and parameters of a design and their project-specific application. In combination with pictograms, metaphorical presentation allows for clear emphasis of the main features of the design concept

The word entwerfen (design) was originally used in tapestry weaving, in which the shuttle with the thread is cast into the warp stretched on the loom. The term referred to the process of the increasing appearance of an image, one which was already complete in the imagination of its creator. Today, in German-speaking architecture and interior architecture faculties the main subject is still referred to simply as Entwerfen

A method for the depiction of the concept idea is a fictive tour through the design by way of a pictorial story. With the help of illustrations, for example freehand drawings or photomontages, the different aspects of the basic concept are given a vivid character

Perspective drawings, based on the human eye level line (average height 1.50 m), provide an initial three-dimensional impression of the design. This allows interior views, spatial relationships and scales to be checked. Yet even in the case of realistic depictions which are accurate in every detail, perspectives remain abstractions! The aim is to stimulate the imagination of the observer. Even the best perspective cannot hope to directly present reality

Everyone has done it: built further; for example when existing structures — old buildings or planned urban ensembles — need to be adapted or developed through a process of “modernization” which accords with contemporary requirements or fashions. In most cases the demands in question involve new functions for existing building stock, such as those required to improve profitability

The representation of a design in the model is a method for directly showing spatial relationships

TIME PLANNING: a good model is more workintensive than one assumes. Begin with time buffers!

Computer-aided presentations, enriched with moving pictures, are good tools for the visualization of complex interrelations, because they speak not only to the rational mind but provide an experiential framework for the emotions

Intermediate presentations are important interfaces within a project. On the one hand, they crystallize the concept and the present stage of work. At the same time they are usually designed to promote a particular standpoint in order to win support from others. The quality of a presentation has an important influence on what course the subsequent discussion takes, how convincingly a project is lodged in people’s minds and how successfully it is able to assert itself in relation to other projects. The following tips come from a lecture composed for interior design students but can of course also be applied to presentations in other design areas

Dimensional coordination is kept if there is a relation between the user and the object: in the first case, the house is as if it were made for the dog, in the latter the size relations are not right

Tabasco is an original. It is not covered by any other product and in its own way is ultimate: two, three drops and the palate burns, regardless of whether it is used to “ennoble” a drink, a soup or a sauce. Is “design” the Tabasco in the product menues of our markets? Great oaks from little acorns grow. There could be something to this. One need only recall the media-entrancing Colani treatment of computers, glasses, televisions, kitchens among other things, which the consumer observes with the fascination of an accident witness. It could have happened to him but it didn’t — thank God! However, there are also serious examples from truly significant designers: Hansgrohe and his collaboration with Philippe Starck or the collections by Ettore Sottsass for Zumtobel and Kaldewei, but also the handles series (Jasper Morrison, Mario Botta, Alessandro Mendini etc.) for the fittings producer FSB. All these examples exhibit the intention to ennoble a successful but not particularly charismatic product portfolio through collaboration with a renowned designer. A small label of an Italian furniture giant commissioned a star architect to design a round giant sofa, which is said to have been sold barely a dozen times, but which was featured, discussed and celebrated in all the relevant design and furnishing magazines. Simple chairs, produced in massive series, were sold in the slipstream of these design icons, chairs which on account of their plainness would in themselves have been hard to position within the flashlight shimmer of the media landscape. In essence, the situation is not that different in the case of the producers referred to above

ENGLISH: Yesterday, ago and last always want the simple past. Ever, never and so far — present perfect is the star

IMAGE PROCESSING: Program format (e. g. Photoshop: PSD); layout program: dependent on import filter, TIFF and EPS are the most common; web editor: GIF, JPEG and PNG

COLOUR MANAGEMENT: Colour management refers to the process of dealing with colours and colour profiles where this involves several printing devices and computer programmes. Colour management aims to ensure that an original produced with any input unit is reproduced with the greatest possible accuracy by any output unit. The task consists in formatting the data available as device-dependent colour descriptions in such a way that a generally applicable colour description is achieved that can be correctly interpreted by all devices involved. For this purpose the devicedependent colour values of every device must be translated into the data of a standard colour space

Which other? The great absentee? The one for whom the project is ultimately meant but who nevertheless does not participate in any of the decisions governing the design process? The one with whom the designer has to attempt to emotionally identify? The one whose position the designer would like to put himself in? The one who finally you have to respect and for whom you will try to produce the best design? How can you develop a high-quality product that is intended for someone who you yourself disdain? And yet, through the ideology of marketing that dominates our democracies, this other constantly feels himself to be disdained; disdained both as consumer and as citizen. What freedom does he have to intervene in the planning, the design or - more generally put — in the society? When the project is completed will he be satisfied to consume or perhaps to keep his wallet closed. Will he decide to make use of the planning result or ignore it, to choose or not to choose?

FLOAT GLASS: Float glass is the type of glass most commonly used in construction today. Molten glass with a temperature of approx. 1100°C is cast onto a liquid tin bath and is then cooled without passing it over rollers. This produces ideal, coplanar surfaces. Maximum standard size: 3.21 × 6.0 m; thicknesses: 2–8, 10, 12, 15 and 1 mm

NATURAL COLOUR: The natural colour of concrete ranges from light to dark grey. The use of different types of processed cement can produce shades varying from grey-green and grey-blue to grey-brown. Portland cement produces concrete in white tones

Limestone is a sedimentary rock produced by the deposit and compression of mud, ash, clay, fossils and other sediments. These deposits give limestone its typical horizontal layers

Cultural initiatives and events rarely cover their own costs. And since perimeter advertising and programme insertions are ubiquitous and we are constantly being confronted with events and films presented by businesses, it would seem only logical to look for financial support from third parties when mounting an event or bringing out a catalogue. Since an increasing number of our contemporaries have hit on the same idea, we can hardly blame potential sponsors for sometimes becoming annoyed by the flood of requests and even refusing to answer them at all. The decisive mistake often made here can be traced back to the fact that institutions, businesses and individuals donate — if at all — to social causes and hardly ever to cultural ones. Seeking money for the latter is futile and tends to be understood as begging

Bonsai formats or vellum paper? Neither nor, in modern book production Asian format means purely and simply lots of images, a small amount of text. That is, book pages which communicate 90 % or more of their information via images as seen on the adjacent sample pages