Big Blue Designer Genes

Big Blue Design puts its success in functional design to serve the purpose. Sue Reay of Benchmark Communications, organisers of Design North East looks at the design processes of Interior Architecture.

"Design must be functional," says Ian Gowland of the Big Blue Design Company in answer to my question of what makes a design work. Which is an ethos I discovered that runs throughout the company. This Interior and Spatial Design company was set up in Sunderland nearly 3 years ago by the directors, Ian Gowland, Rachel Smith and Gary Gaffney. Operating nationally they work in many facets of interior design from office and retail, but predominantly in the licensing and leisure industry.

"We offer a bespoke service to out clients and when we take a brief one of the first questions we ask is what is the function or purpose of their business," adds Ian.

"We then start the creative thinking to improve that purpose or function."

One of their most prestigious projects has been at the International Centre for Life. They were asked to submit a design tender for the self-service restaurant, café and retail areas of the Life Interactive World. The outline brief with a client is often done at concept stage, especially for an original project like this. A ‘space’ was allocated but the building was still under construction.

Even at this early stage a visit is essential to study the surrounding environment and begin to get a feel for the space and different concepts.

"Our minds tend to work 3-dimesionally," says Ian.

" This has obvious advantages when exploring these ideas".

They work closely as a team with Ian and Rachel dealing with the creative ideas whilst Gary looks at the technical side. Together they collaborate to produce ideas that are fused and divided until a winning concept is formed.

"Our approach to detail is what makes design work", explains Ian.

"Creating ideas is one thing but testing their feasibility out is the real challenge. This must be done before the client is presented with the proposed design".

Client feedback is invaluable; it is the start of a working partnership which begins to take the design forward to a successful outcome. Over several months Big Blue Design modified and defined their design to the reformulated brief that evolves from the feedback. The final presentation, together with working drawings, is then submitted. This is where the Quantity Surveyor comes in and subjects the design to a full budget approval before it goes to tender for a main contractor and specialist suppliers and services.

I came away realising there is much more to interior design. With spatial design constant day-to-day reviewing, analysis, and examination is required based on basic design principles set out to achieve function and benefit.

Minds that work 3-dimentionally? I concluded, with time being a constant factor, it is more a case of minds working 4-dimentionally!

For further information on Big Blue Design telephone: 0191 565 7272 or visit their web site: www.bigbluedesign.co.uk

  Charles Rennie Mackintosh

 One of the most renowned designers of the 20th century was Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868–1928) whose skill for interior design continues to influence design today.

Although architecture was his first love he expanded his interest into fine and decorative arts and became equally famous for his interior design, furniture, metalwork, glass, textile and art. He studied at the Glasgow School of Art and as a student began making a name for himself and his work.

Rennie Mackintosh rejected the florid, over-rich designs of art nouvaeu and went for a more simple, straight line using space and cool colours such as white, mauve, green and grey, often dramatically emphasised in black. He worked very closely with a group known as "The Four" which included his wife, Margaret MacDonald and her sister Francis, and Herbert McNair who he had met as a student. They exhibited widely in Europe.

His influence is very much in evidence today with the many reproductions around from interior design, objet d’art and jewellery to name a few.

  Career Steps to Design

Interior design has become very popular. However there is a major difference between the popular interior design television programmes that tend to concentrate mainly on decorative effects and a professional interior design course that calls for a full understanding of the design process, spatial concepts, 3-D and the whole built environment.

There are a number of short, part-time courses bases around decorative effects at FE Colleges in Sunderland, Gateshead, Newcastle and Teesside but those considering a career and want a professional qualification should look at Interior Architecture. There is a 2 year full time HND course at Newcastle College and a 3 year BA (Hons) degree course at the University of Teesside.

Contacts:

• HND in Interior Design
  Newcastle College
  Tel No 0191 200 4219
• BA (Hons) in Interior Architecture and Design
  University of Teesside, Tel 01642 342364
• BA (Hons) in 3-Dimensional Design
  University of Northumbria
  Tel 0191 227 4913

Quotes for Design File Page, July 2000

"Form Follows Function"

Louis Sullivan, USA (1856 – 1924)

"When I am working on a problem I never think about beauty. I only think about how to solve a problem but when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong"

Richard Buckminster Fuller, USA (1895-1983)

"Of course form should follow function, but unless it weaves desire into the equation, it will fail. Design isn’t an expensive add-on, but a fundamental part of the process. Only, that is, if it rules both the head and the heart."

John Hegarty, Creative Director, Bartle Bogle Hegarty

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This document is reproduced with he kind permission of The Journal and Benchmark Communications.