To be fair, supergraphics is filling a gaping hole left in architecture after the arrival of modernism: facade structure. After the abandonement of most forms of ornamentation or using them sporadically (bas-reliefs, frescoes), we are looking for a way to make the facades fun again. Tiles, frescoes, floral decorations, porticos, window blinds and ornaments, statues and reliefs, claddings and veneers - we always wanted to decorate and furnish the outsides of the buildings, making repetitive cheapskate modernism facades look absolutely dull. Paint fixes some of those problems.
1,000 % agree. Louis Sullivan said that we needed to take a 100 year break from ornament to understand the spatial organization of a place. We’re about at the end of that 100 year break if you ask me.
Great video! Considering the importance of color in human psychology, I think the impact of super graphics should definitely not be underestimated. Sure, it's definitely not for everything or for everyone, but there are some incredible projects out there and they can really brighten a person's day. I think that's wonderful!
The town I'm currently living in has a rainbow pride sidewalk, and regardless of your stance on pride, its nice to have a not boring sidewalk that stands out to cross Mainstreet midblock. And my hometown had several murals, but my favorite was a subtle owl and tree on the side of the brick bowling alley. (Sadly they redid the facade and didn't repaint the mural)
Super graphic is a huge trend in Japanese sci-fi anime & manga, especially industrial signages. Also you can check out the city in Mirror's Edge Catalyst game, it's architecture and use of colours, super graphic are amazing.
The project by boa mistura was most inspiring, being able to give economic, social, and cultural significance by just 'sprucing it up' with vibrant colors. The impact that architecture and urban planning have for society should not be underestimated. Also nice stache dude
absolutely - there's a meme about the drabness of soviet style social housing, but one should not forget that for the most part, such housing can be perfectly pleasant and comfortable provided the environment is pleasant - leveraging the community to make such urban spaces colorful - alongside with the walkability and green spaces in a number of soviet style new cities of the 1950's can be part of the response to the need for better urbanism and cheap, efficient high density housing. I remember a guy from Bulgaria showed me old-ish appartement complexes where people add painted there part of the façade and balcony in various colors, resulting in a mosaic effect which partially countered the initial austerity of the architecture.
As a graphic designer I love your videos because I always learn insights about design that I normally wouldn't come across just within the GD bubble. I love how in architecture there is so much overlap and interaction between different aspects of design/art/craft/tech. Its creativity-expanding. :)
I understand and respect the concept but to me these carry a very strong connotation of self important artists hired by real estate developers to polish a piece of turd. Here in Hungary I have seen old communist buildings of all shapes and sizes painted in pastel colours, in bold colours, single colours, gradients and patterns and let me tell you none of it made an improvement in a quality of life, it only signified that the housing unit will become more expensive. Meanwhile some of the best communist era buildings are still as grey as they were on the day they were built but got internally renovated and had parks and green spaces planted around them. Similarly, corporate murals are becoming more and more trendy and they are just as empty and cold as the multinational companies that order them made. The biggest downside of supergraphics and multi-story firewall murals is their super size: they are too big to organically fit in to a cityscape and come off as agressive and somewhat unsettling.
Yes, this critique is super pressing. As all other effects, it must be used with regards to the whole. If not, it's just like you said. Polishing a turd.
@@emmathearcticurbanist Lipstick on a pig. Or, since Russian Constructivism* design gave us these badly designed brutalistic structures in the first place, applying more of the same on top is like trying the 'hair of the dog that bit you'. It only makes it worst. * Bauhaus, Post-Modernism, samo-samo bolshevism.
There's a game called Mirror's Edge, where the whole focus is freerunning around a corporate dystopian cityscape as basically a black market courier. In order to blend functional design with the game's theme of a sanitized urban roofs, tracks, and tunnels, they made every surface predominantly a clean white. They then color the suggested paths, interactable objects like; makeshift ramps, boxes to vault off, railings and pipes to grab and swing from, all stark bright colors like Red, Yellow, and Green. The idea is to get these objects to stand out in the players view, be it directly in front or in the peripheral, to lead them into chaining the objects together and maintain a flow regardless of setting. Its important to note the pure mechanical purpose and how creative design turns a cliche into a strength. As games get more realistic, highlighting specific objects or coloring them bright colors becomes all the more necessary, but all the more immersion breaking, showing the seams of how the game works in an otherwise natural and chaotic environment. But Mirrors Edge uses that as a narrative piece, so even though the purpose of making these items stand out is purely a video game trope, the way they colored them tells a story. Solomon's work reminded me so much of this, and as you showed more examples, the more it felt like I was entering a video game, that the space was pushing me to an end goal in a much starker way than other architecture you've featured, and I mostly just wanted to vault over all the little box stools on the floor. And honestly a giant E and an X that forms two arrows pointing at a door seems like both a prettier, yet more matter a fact way to tell me where the exit is in a large parking complex.
Stewart, as a semi-retired architect I really enjoy your videos and remind me of why I loved the profession (not the business). Barbara Soloman and Sea Ranch was a big influence on my education as I went to school along the Central California Coast. You are right, a lot of Architects are adverse to color as it seems many new structures are a variation of grey tones which out here does not take advantage of the California sun. They seem more appropriate in Scandanavian countries. I think a lot of Architects feel their designs aren't serious if they have color. One of my favorite Architects was Ricardo Legoretta who used to say " We Mexicans are irresponsible in our use of color" with definite pride.
This articide how do you mix it, 4 parts increased rent 2 parts code enforcement 3 parts gentrification ... and, how many applications between breeding cycles?
This reminds me of the painted Soviet apartments I saw in the Czech Republic when I last visited. They're still the same stuffy concrete boxes, but the graphics on the side really put some life back into them.
Watching this I was reminded of some of the vast medieval mosques in places like Samarkand which use colorful tile patterns to add vibrancy to their space. Tiles are harder to replace than modern printed patterns, but still much easier that the building fabric.
You're thinking of Persianate-style mosques which often had ornate and detailed designs on tiles. The Greco-Roman and Moorish style mosques had less ornate tiling and the exteriors were generally plain. There were also fusions such as the current iteration of the Dome of the Rock which was renovated by the Ottomans. The use of geometric shapes and non-animal (vines, flowers) or non-human (birds) images were displayed in lieu of depicting living creatures or humans in a religious site since that's often been considered sinful.
It's amazing how many of your videos talk about elements that are present in Mirror's Edge and Mirror's Edge Catalyst. Truly underappreciated games, especially for the huge amount of dedication they have for architecture.
This is the first time I saw an ad and was like YES... my ReMarkable 2 has changed my work life so much for the better. Loved mine so much I bought 2 more for friends lol.
One of my favorite designers of super graphics is Paula Scher of Pentagram. Her solution to update the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark on a tight budget is a great example of her work.
I love architecture (I wanted to be an architect), and I love graphic design and murals. This hits all the warm, fuzzy stuff. There's some amazing artists out there creating work that make boring buildings stand out in anotherwise, drab area. Artists like Ten Hundred, Washington state, I am Detour, Colorado, Kiptoe, NH USA, Doke, Slovakia, and Smoe Nova from Germany. There are many more than I can think of here, but all of the above are here on RUclips.
Really cool stuff! I especially liked the part about repurposing sports tech for painting on grass lawns. It maybe doesn't fit into the theme of regenerating existing spaces using paint but two fun examples of applied visuals to space worth reading more about are the artist Sol Lewitt, who created art via a series of instructions for others to carry out (including sometimes intensive 'wall drafting' like in your video); and the MTCC at Illinois Tech by Koolhaas (which shows up in your last video on sound). Koolhaas did the building design with OMA but also used his firm AMO to develop a ton of applied graphics throughout the space with different concepts in different locations. They created an entire pictograph series so they could do pointilist portraits, used security camera footage as wallpaper, took natural patterns and scaled them up to abstraction; a lot of really interesting stuff (and even more that was cool that got left out due to ballooning budgets).
Very interesting! It made my wife think of the beautiful mural portrait where a human face is painted right under a natural tree (branches and leaves creating an awesome 3D hair effect). Thanks for the video!
Near my son's school there is a wall with a bougainvillea plant growing over it from the inside. On the wall they painted a mural of a tree. It's kind of satisfying how the painting of the tree and the actual leaves of the bougainvillea merge.
Always learn something when we come across your intersectional knowledge, meshing together all the artistic spheres and expanding our collective understanding. Thank you!
2:45 "Paint can be changed quickly and easily." This man has clearly never tried to remove paint from a surface. Or bought a house with 8 layers of paint on every wall, trim, and cabinet.
Great episode. I know there is a lot to cover with supergraphics alone, but graffiti is like a vernacular supergraphic, and I would love to know what you think of it. It's probably a lot to get into - but worth interrogating the elevation of supergraphic and the erasure of graffiti.
Ahahaha so cool man! I’m up late and watching your video and eating random things out my kitchen… and as I peer into my fridge one last time I hear you say “sea ranch” and say… no way! Out loud. I’m a wildlife surveyor and I worked on the Mendocino coast surveying for Northern Spotted Owls. I worked incredibly close to this area near sea ranch and would drive by it every few days and loved how beautiful the outsides looked. Never got to check it out for myself. Cool video man! I love your content you make..
Growing up in the 1980s and 90s, I never quite understood the supergraphics inside large spaces or even on cars and trucks. I was just thinking recently about how cars in the early 1990s sometimes included graphics on the side instead of a simple pinstripe. Was it a cost saving scheme to hide the fact that they couldn’t design sleek or otherwise inspiring lines on the sides of the vehicles? Either way, I see such graphics inside larger structures now the same way I see material changes: it is just a way to break up the larger space or move people along through an area. Thank you again for the wonderfully thoughtful and informative series.
Fascinating video Stewart. Growing up during the 60s and 70s these bold graphics were an integral part of our visual background (I can almost hear Tom Jones singing What's New Pussycat). I don't think it is too much of a stretch to draw a line from the bright graphics you showed to the Memphis Group furniture which seems to have come along slightly later.
I just wanted to say a big thank you for your informative and thoughtful videos. As a high school teacher with an interest in architecture, and how it can be a source of inspiration and ideas - particularly towards teaching spaces, and theatre / set design, I find your style of presentation targeted perfectly - either dumb down but support explanations where required. The film are developing my continuing understanding of architecture in the context of our broader culture. I’m currently working my way through some of your older films but I particularly enjoyed this one on supergraphics which definitely has applications for understanding and designing theatre set spaces. I hope to find a few more videos that touch on the voids and volumes of internal space to create mood and meaning in architecture. Maybe this is something you could explore in a future video. Thanks again.
As someone who adores graffiti, I've also always loved graphics on walls. A few weeks ago, my small, local mall in NYC created a massive graphic piece by their escalators. I noticed it on one of the worst, most emotional days of my life... and it made me laugh. Graphics have the power to drastically change human consumption of space as either a passerby or visitor. In times of uncertainty (like wartime or economical uncertainty) they bring emotions to the table in a much-needed way... just like some beautiful street art masterpieces. I can easily see this becoming a trend again through the next few decades.
I'm kind of surprised supergraphics aren't more fashionable for interiors. In terms of interior design, I feel like there are really two overriding looks for today: 1. Interiors that focus on layers and tactility. Scandi falls in here. So does boho. So does maximalism. Etc. They're designed to be an antidote to digital life. 2. Super flat spaces, that feel more like photos. This isn't a super high brow trend, but you see a lot of domestic spaces that are clearly designed with photography in mind. They feel less like parts of a home and more like sets. You see a luxurious version of this in a lot in Architectural Digest celebrity home tour videos. Instead of space being conceptualized in the round, you have houses that are like a series of vignettes. I feel like supergraphics would play really well with this kind of design, and if used wisely could give the spaces more cohesion. It also makes for a kickass "Zoom wall." It's really interesting for me to see how people conceptualize space. I'm not very social media oriented. I don't take a lot of pictures, and when I do take pictures they're usually for me, not for sharing. In terms of interior design, I lean towards maximalism and layers, and it's interesting trying to find a place that works for Zoom, or photos of whatever. Since nothing was really designed as "flat" none of the look really translates. I'm of the "the eye has to travel" school of thought. Adding supergraphics to a space that's designed almost as a series of vistas interests me because you can still have the Instagram friendly vignettes, but you could also have rooms that feel more complete. It's not something I'd want in my house. I'm more of a bold traditionalist, but I feel like it could be quite compelling in more contemporary home design.
@@FernandoTorreraFortunately that trend seems to be on its way out. Millennials in particular are leaning towards more personalized spaces when it comes to houses they own. My generation wants to personalize their space after living in rentals for so long. That awful builder grade packaged as high design, HGTV flipper look went on for way too long. The white with off white everything looks really dated now. The pandemic was really the last nail in that coffin. People want spaces that are warmer, more personalized to their needs, and more interesting to spend time in. Really, good riddance to the white on white. That look is great if you have more money than God and can do all of your surfaces and furnishing is truly tippy top of the line materials. Otherwise, it's hideous and cheap looking in anything that isn't a beach house.
Good to hear that millennials want more personal spaces in contrast to an apartment lease stipulating you can have any color wall you want as long as its white. "Painting by Numbers: Komarov & Melamid's Scientific Guide to Art" 1997. At first I thought the book was a put-on but it surveyed what people internationally want in a painting. Not quite Bob Ross's happy clouds, Cerulean Blue is at the top of the list for color. Otherwise, to see what people want in a painting (apartment) look at the clothes they're wearing.
Great episode! It's super interesting and I'm impressed you covered such a huge topic in 15 minutes. I'd love to see where some of the original muralists like Diego Rivera fall into these influences. Thanks!
I was thinking more of Jim Rosenquist and the influence of his background as a billboard painter on his art, it's scale and installations. Pop art seems to have a lot in common with the graphics shown here.
@@jimurrata6785 Not so much Pop Art as Russian Constructivism that gave us the bad building design in the first place. In this case taking the hair of the dog that bit you only makes it worst.
I never knew these had a name! I absolutely love outdoor supergraphics, definitely wish I would see them more often to liven up drab areas in cities. Why does it seem like they are always done on basketball courts? I guess its one of the only pedestrian/community centered public spaces covered asphalt? Either way great vid!
Was not a great fan of super graphics till we got the Fair-Haired Dumbbell here in Portland.... but your case for them in this video won me over beyond just that building
At "Bjerget" in Ørestad, Copenhagen, Denmark, Bjarke Ingels Group designed a building with some of the facade covered in perforated metal plate creating a giant rasterized image of Mount Everest.
Not known for any architectural treasures, a couple of downtown buildings along San Diego’s bay front have enormous paintings of sea and land wildlife, keeping in theme with the famous SD Zoo. PS. Excellent videos by the way!!
Loved this video. I am on a project that is considering “super graphics” or “environmental designs” as sometimes called. This video comes at a good time. My only critical thing is calling this impact. The word impact has at its root impinge. The patterns and colors do more than impinge they stimulate. I would have said evoke or evokes thoughts of a subject matter at play with the surroundings.
Hey Stewart, wonderful video. It was particularly interesting to hear how graphic intent changes from interiors to exteriors and the surrounding context. I would love to see a video on 'green' architecture and/or biomimicry. Cheers from Ottawa!
Do more about graphics and architecture, i feel it is such an underrated topic, especially for urban murals, like how it can impact a post soviet brutalist neighbourhood
in future I feel Augmented reality will add to the urban and architectural landscape as prints and decorative lights , and even more . I imagine we will be able to personalize the urban life around us and have personal experiences as we walk , just like what we do with music 🎉
I have a university degree in architecture....but the Graphic Environnement is my main business...robotic, digital print and RBG LED light effect.... We also do digital film insert betwen (2) layer of floor epoxy......
I live in the South Loop and a very few of new buildings, many them from Columbia College have enjoyable and interesting graphics which enthuse the building
They've repainted many of the panelák buildings in Petržalka in Bratislava, Slovakia. They used to be pretty drab or grey, now they have a little more character and feel more lively. Definitely not a solution to most urban issues (especially when super graphics are used in gentrification, at least to my understanding), but at least it can solve aesthetic issues, bringing some needed color and life.
As a boomer who came of age in the '70s, I find these designs to be so comfortable and inviting. But I wonder if members of the Silent Generation or Millennials would feel the same way.
thank u a lot this helps me a lot. Right now im doing a Pro Bono with a friend and we are trying to enhance the entrace from a school building. this could be a really good option. Cheap and powerfull.
I can't help but think in all the catholic and orthodox churches i have been into, and how full of images, color, and information they are. I hadn't realized that as a designed fact in itself until now.
My brain sort of filters out stuff like graphics that do not convoy a functional message ( like say which way to go in case of fire or where the water pipe is in the wall ) . I remember a professor brining up the Sunkist survey and pointing out that the option of getting the money instead of spending it on a nice looking interior space in the employee's pay was not an option in the survey which probably was why they thought it was important .
My Grandma lived in Sea Ranch when she retired; the architecture there is amazing! Every house has a natural wood exterior, but the layout and design of each is totally unique. If you’re driving up Highway 1 toward Gualala stop by, it’s so gorgeous
Eh, Stewart I punch hooked two poster sized yarn on stretched burlap rug/wall hangings circa '77. A loop de loop stripe of red, orange and yellow, (2:30!my aunt "had" to have one in pink, lime and white . Like your content, good job! More Louie Kahn, I.M.Pei?
@stewarthicks Would you say we can ( or could) consider the word Atlanta, integrated in the design of the Philips building, as a form of 3Dsupergraphic? Or would you say that is more like a form of structural sculpting?
This a very informative video, but I can't get over my adverse reaction to this entire trend. "Slap a coat of paint on it" is the idiom for "Do nothing substantial to improve something" and often I see super graphics and murals used to make crumbling or substandard spaces more visually appealing without addressing the problems.
I really REALLY enjoyed this video. And I learned that I'm apparently not a fan of supergraphics for the most part. lol I did really like the colorful civic spaces towards the end of your video. The graphics in the Medlener House were too jarring for me personally though. Unexpected can be a good thing, but that one wasn't it for me. Just my opinion. Still am really loving your content. ❤
Problems with supergraphics: 1. Highly subjective meaning that it’s difficult to get a strong singular concept across the line. 2. Easily redesigned by owner-clients who prefer to put tenant signage as the supergraphic no matter how poor the tenants graphic designer’s taste may have been. 3. They’re very loud, if the end result is distasteful you will see the results from miles away. 4. An insipid building who’s only redeeming feature is the artwork can quickly be painted grey by an unimaginative owner. Steer clear wherever possible.
You know, maybe I missed it but, it seems like you missed an opportunity to consider the ecology of the method - when you don't talk about the life cycle of a material, your neglecting an important consideration in cost. What's the paint made of? How is it taken care of? Removal, environmental impact, etc. You hit these points in other videos, I was just missing it in this.
Also notable that paint is used extensively in the renovation of "commie blocks" in the former gdr. Check out Lichtenberg in Berlin as an example, many of the usually quite drab blocks are very colourful and much more attractive
It's obvious you've never lived near or with any of these super graphics painted structures. They're seriously jarring and totally disrupts the natural flow of the city block. It feels like you're living in a billboard.
This was very informative ! Nicely edited too. That New Mexico work is really outstanding. Here in Prague, CZ, most people live in Communist era apartment blocks ( one of them is 120m long, and has 4000 (!) residents ). They are generally very well maintained, with little to no graffiti. They are rarely painted, but them they do, they generally put circles on them ( about window size ) to break up the hard lines. But it makes the buildings look like they have measles :-) I love the bold designs and colours shown here.
Interesting!! This Nintendo 64-ad from back then comes to mind (paints the whole room in the console's color) Then there is graffiti, which is a more rogue approach to this!?
Not sure I am buying into this premise. To me, it makes the building look garish or like some Disney attraction. Then what if every building adopted this design aesthetic? Bam, Blade Runner post apocalyptic skyline here we come!
Been saying this for years. Literally a couple bucks worth paint is all you need to transform a building. Although its really easy to mess up and I think you have to be moderate and tasteful in the designs, especially when working with indoor spaces. Slapping a bunch of non cohesive geometrical shapes on a wall in bright colors does not work for me. Things need to align they need to make sense.
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🙏 thank you … your content and recommendation is always excellent inspirational and very useful .
unsubbed
I didn't know ReMarkable had started doing RUclips sponsorships. Hope you love yours.
To be fair, supergraphics is filling a gaping hole left in architecture after the arrival of modernism: facade structure. After the abandonement of most forms of ornamentation or using them sporadically (bas-reliefs, frescoes), we are looking for a way to make the facades fun again.
Tiles, frescoes, floral decorations, porticos, window blinds and ornaments, statues and reliefs, claddings and veneers - we always wanted to decorate and furnish the outsides of the buildings, making repetitive cheapskate modernism facades look absolutely dull. Paint fixes some of those problems.
Spot on
1,000 % agree. Louis Sullivan said that we needed to take a 100 year break from ornament to understand the spatial organization of a place. We’re about at the end of that 100 year break if you ask me.
Great video! Considering the importance of color in human psychology, I think the impact of super graphics should definitely not be underestimated. Sure, it's definitely not for everything or for everyone, but there are some incredible projects out there and they can really brighten a person's day. I think that's wonderful!
The town I'm currently living in has a rainbow pride sidewalk, and regardless of your stance on pride, its nice to have a not boring sidewalk that stands out to cross Mainstreet midblock.
And my hometown had several murals, but my favorite was a subtle owl and tree on the side of the brick bowling alley. (Sadly they redid the facade and didn't repaint the mural)
I LOVED this video. And I think the graphics 100% change how you interact with a space and how you feel in it.
Super graphic is a huge trend in Japanese sci-fi anime & manga, especially industrial signages.
Also you can check out the city in Mirror's Edge Catalyst game, it's architecture and use of colours, super graphic are amazing.
The project by boa mistura was most inspiring, being able to give economic, social, and cultural significance by just 'sprucing it up' with vibrant colors. The impact that architecture and urban planning have for society should not be underestimated.
Also nice stache dude
absolutely - there's a meme about the drabness of soviet style social housing, but one should not forget that for the most part, such housing can be perfectly pleasant and comfortable provided the environment is pleasant - leveraging the community to make such urban spaces colorful - alongside with the walkability and green spaces in a number of soviet style new cities of the 1950's can be part of the response to the need for better urbanism and cheap, efficient high density housing.
I remember a guy from Bulgaria showed me old-ish appartement complexes where people add painted there part of the façade and balcony in various colors, resulting in a mosaic effect which partially countered the initial austerity of the architecture.
As a graphic designer I love your videos because I always learn insights about design that I normally wouldn't come across just within the GD bubble. I love how in architecture there is so much overlap and interaction between different aspects of design/art/craft/tech. Its creativity-expanding. :)
Also graphic designer. Industrial design is also fascinating and overlaps significantly with architecture and graphic design
I understand and respect the concept but to me these carry a very strong connotation of self important artists hired by real estate developers to polish a piece of turd. Here in Hungary I have seen old communist buildings of all shapes and sizes painted in pastel colours, in bold colours, single colours, gradients and patterns and let me tell you none of it made an improvement in a quality of life, it only signified that the housing unit will become more expensive. Meanwhile some of the best communist era buildings are still as grey as they were on the day they were built but got internally renovated and had parks and green spaces planted around them. Similarly, corporate murals are becoming more and more trendy and they are just as empty and cold as the multinational companies that order them made. The biggest downside of supergraphics and multi-story firewall murals is their super size: they are too big to organically fit in to a cityscape and come off as agressive and somewhat unsettling.
Yes, this critique is super pressing. As all other effects, it must be used with regards to the whole. If not, it's just like you said. Polishing a turd.
Really very well said. Every line rings true.
Thank you
@@emmathearcticurbanist
Lipstick on a pig.
Or, since Russian Constructivism* design gave us these badly designed brutalistic structures in the first place, applying more of the same on top is like trying the 'hair of the dog that bit you'. It only makes it worst.
* Bauhaus, Post-Modernism, samo-samo bolshevism.
Well if you don't tear down a turd. You might as well make it pretty. Regardless of history, as it isn't related to communism even if it is related
Exactly. TBH commie blocks don’t even look that bad if they’re maintained properly.
There's a game called Mirror's Edge, where the whole focus is freerunning around a corporate dystopian cityscape as basically a black market courier. In order to blend functional design with the game's theme of a sanitized urban roofs, tracks, and tunnels, they made every surface predominantly a clean white. They then color the suggested paths, interactable objects like; makeshift ramps, boxes to vault off, railings and pipes to grab and swing from, all stark bright colors like Red, Yellow, and Green. The idea is to get these objects to stand out in the players view, be it directly in front or in the peripheral, to lead them into chaining the objects together and maintain a flow regardless of setting. Its important to note the pure mechanical purpose and how creative design turns a cliche into a strength. As games get more realistic, highlighting specific objects or coloring them bright colors becomes all the more necessary, but all the more immersion breaking, showing the seams of how the game works in an otherwise natural and chaotic environment. But Mirrors Edge uses that as a narrative piece, so even though the purpose of making these items stand out is purely a video game trope, the way they colored them tells a story.
Solomon's work reminded me so much of this, and as you showed more examples, the more it felt like I was entering a video game, that the space was pushing me to an end goal in a much starker way than other architecture you've featured, and I mostly just wanted to vault over all the little box stools on the floor. And honestly a giant E and an X that forms two arrows pointing at a door seems like both a prettier, yet more matter a fact way to tell me where the exit is in a large parking complex.
Love that game, well said.
Stewart, as a semi-retired architect I really enjoy your videos and remind me of why I loved the profession (not the business). Barbara Soloman and Sea Ranch was a big influence on my education as I went to school along the Central California Coast. You are right, a lot of Architects are adverse to color as it seems many new structures are a variation of grey tones which out here does not take advantage of the California sun. They seem more appropriate in Scandanavian countries. I think a lot of Architects feel their designs aren't serious if they have color. One of my favorite Architects was Ricardo Legoretta who used to say " We Mexicans are irresponsible in our use of color" with definite pride.
I had an artist colony in my house once. I got rid of it with a few treatments of articide, but the damage was already done.
This articide how do you mix it,
4 parts increased rent
2 parts code enforcement
3 parts gentrification
... and, how many applications between breeding cycles?
This reminds me of the painted Soviet apartments I saw in the Czech Republic when I last visited. They're still the same stuffy concrete boxes, but the graphics on the side really put some life back into them.
I’ve never watched an architecture video before and just clicked on this on a whim in my suggestions. I’m glad I did. Awesome video!
Watching this I was reminded of some of the vast medieval mosques in places like Samarkand which use colorful tile patterns to add vibrancy to their space. Tiles are harder to replace than modern printed patterns, but still much easier that the building fabric.
You're thinking of Persianate-style mosques which often had ornate and detailed designs on tiles. The Greco-Roman and Moorish style mosques had less ornate tiling and the exteriors were generally plain. There were also fusions such as the current iteration of the Dome of the Rock which was renovated by the Ottomans.
The use of geometric shapes and non-animal (vines, flowers) or non-human (birds) images were displayed in lieu of depicting living creatures or humans in a religious site since that's often been considered sinful.
It's amazing how many of your videos talk about elements that are present in Mirror's Edge and Mirror's Edge Catalyst. Truly underappreciated games, especially for the huge amount of dedication they have for architecture.
This is the first time I saw an ad and was like YES... my ReMarkable 2 has changed my work life so much for the better. Loved mine so much I bought 2 more for friends lol.
One of my favorite designers of super graphics is Paula Scher of Pentagram. Her solution to update the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark on a tight budget is a great example of her work.
I love architecture (I wanted to be an architect), and I love graphic design and murals. This hits all the warm, fuzzy stuff.
There's some amazing artists out there creating work that make boring buildings stand out in anotherwise, drab area. Artists like Ten Hundred, Washington state, I am Detour, Colorado, Kiptoe, NH USA, Doke, Slovakia, and Smoe Nova from Germany. There are many more than I can think of here, but all of the above are here on RUclips.
Warning: Graphic Content
I see what you did there...😎
Really cool stuff! I especially liked the part about repurposing sports tech for painting on grass lawns.
It maybe doesn't fit into the theme of regenerating existing spaces using paint but two fun examples of applied visuals to space worth reading more about are the artist Sol Lewitt, who created art via a series of instructions for others to carry out (including sometimes intensive 'wall drafting' like in your video); and the MTCC at Illinois Tech by Koolhaas (which shows up in your last video on sound). Koolhaas did the building design with OMA but also used his firm AMO to develop a ton of applied graphics throughout the space with different concepts in different locations. They created an entire pictograph series so they could do pointilist portraits, used security camera footage as wallpaper, took natural patterns and scaled them up to abstraction; a lot of really interesting stuff (and even more that was cool that got left out due to ballooning budgets).
Very interesting! It made my wife think of the beautiful mural portrait where a human face is painted right under a natural tree (branches and leaves creating an awesome 3D hair effect). Thanks for the video!
Near my son's school there is a wall with a bougainvillea plant growing over it from the inside. On the wall they painted a mural of a tree. It's kind of satisfying how the painting of the tree and the actual leaves of the bougainvillea merge.
Always learn something when we come across your intersectional knowledge, meshing together all the artistic spheres and expanding our collective understanding. Thank you!
Thanks Stewart, and a new way to look at things. Is amazing what a bit of paint can do in or to a space.
2:45 "Paint can be changed quickly and easily." This man has clearly never tried to remove paint from a surface. Or bought a house with 8 layers of paint on every wall, trim, and cabinet.
Great episode. I know there is a lot to cover with supergraphics alone, but graffiti is like a vernacular supergraphic, and I would love to know what you think of it. It's probably a lot to get into - but worth interrogating the elevation of supergraphic and the erasure of graffiti.
Personally, graffiti as art is fine.
Graffiti as masturbation is not.
Ahahaha so cool man! I’m up late and watching your video and eating random things out my kitchen… and as I peer into my fridge one last time I hear you say “sea ranch” and say… no way! Out loud. I’m a wildlife surveyor and I worked on the Mendocino coast surveying for Northern Spotted Owls. I worked incredibly close to this area near sea ranch and would drive by it every few days and loved how beautiful the outsides looked. Never got to check it out for myself. Cool video man! I love your content you make..
I am a Japanese architecture student. Thank you for introducing Takeyama’s work. His work in this video has changed its graphic now into monochrome.
Growing up in the 1980s and 90s, I never quite understood the supergraphics inside large spaces or even on cars and trucks. I was just thinking recently about how cars in the early 1990s sometimes included graphics on the side instead of a simple pinstripe. Was it a cost saving scheme to hide the fact that they couldn’t design sleek or otherwise inspiring lines on the sides of the vehicles? Either way, I see such graphics inside larger structures now the same way I see material changes: it is just a way to break up the larger space or move people along through an area. Thank you again for the wonderfully thoughtful and informative series.
Fascinating video Stewart. Growing up during the 60s and 70s these bold graphics were an integral part of our visual background (I can almost hear Tom Jones singing What's New Pussycat). I don't think it is too much of a stretch to draw a line from the bright graphics you showed to the Memphis Group furniture which seems to have come along slightly later.
I just wanted to say a big thank you for your informative and thoughtful videos. As a high school teacher with an interest in architecture, and how it can be a source of inspiration and ideas - particularly towards teaching spaces, and theatre / set design, I find your style of presentation targeted perfectly - either dumb down but support explanations where required. The film are developing my continuing understanding of architecture in the context of our broader culture. I’m currently working my way through some of your older films but I particularly enjoyed this one on supergraphics which definitely has applications for understanding and designing theatre set spaces. I hope to find a few more videos that touch on the voids and volumes of internal space to create mood and meaning in architecture. Maybe this is something you could explore in a future video. Thanks again.
I love the folk art inspired flat color murals by ricardo cavolo, extra special love to the window pieces in Madrid, at ifema and the urban hotel
Love Supergraphics!
Thanks for the intresting video Stewart
As someone who adores graffiti, I've also always loved graphics on walls. A few weeks ago, my small, local mall in NYC created a massive graphic piece by their escalators. I noticed it on one of the worst, most emotional days of my life... and it made me laugh.
Graphics have the power to drastically change human consumption of space as either a passerby or visitor. In times of uncertainty (like wartime or economical uncertainty) they bring emotions to the table in a much-needed way... just like some beautiful street art masterpieces.
I can easily see this becoming a trend again through the next few decades.
I'm kind of surprised supergraphics aren't more fashionable for interiors. In terms of interior design, I feel like there are really two overriding looks for today:
1. Interiors that focus on layers and tactility. Scandi falls in here. So does boho. So does maximalism. Etc. They're designed to be an antidote to digital life.
2. Super flat spaces, that feel more like photos. This isn't a super high brow trend, but you see a lot of domestic spaces that are clearly designed with photography in mind. They feel less like parts of a home and more like sets. You see a luxurious version of this in a lot in Architectural Digest celebrity home tour videos. Instead of space being conceptualized in the round, you have houses that are like a series of vignettes. I feel like supergraphics would play really well with this kind of design, and if used wisely could give the spaces more cohesion. It also makes for a kickass "Zoom wall."
It's really interesting for me to see how people conceptualize space. I'm not very social media oriented. I don't take a lot of pictures, and when I do take pictures they're usually for me, not for sharing. In terms of interior design, I lean towards maximalism and layers, and it's interesting trying to find a place that works for Zoom, or photos of whatever. Since nothing was really designed as "flat" none of the look really translates. I'm of the "the eye has to travel" school of thought. Adding supergraphics to a space that's designed almost as a series of vistas interests me because you can still have the Instagram friendly vignettes, but you could also have rooms that feel more complete. It's not something I'd want in my house. I'm more of a bold traditionalist, but I feel like it could be quite compelling in more contemporary home design.
Interiors are mostly super boring people are obsessed with upping the marketability of their home so most homes look like hotel rooms.
@@FernandoTorreraFortunately that trend seems to be on its way out. Millennials in particular are leaning towards more personalized spaces when it comes to houses they own. My generation wants to personalize their space after living in rentals for so long. That awful builder grade packaged as high design, HGTV flipper look went on for way too long. The white with off white everything looks really dated now.
The pandemic was really the last nail in that coffin. People want spaces that are warmer, more personalized to their needs, and more interesting to spend time in. Really, good riddance to the white on white. That look is great if you have more money than God and can do all of your surfaces and furnishing is truly tippy top of the line materials. Otherwise, it's hideous and cheap looking in anything that isn't a beach house.
@@Bunny-ch2ul I’m a millennial thank you for hope pilling me.
Good to hear that millennials want more personal spaces in contrast to an apartment lease stipulating you can have any color wall you want as long as its white.
"Painting by Numbers: Komarov & Melamid's Scientific Guide to Art" 1997. At first I thought the book was a put-on but it surveyed what people internationally want in a painting. Not quite Bob Ross's happy clouds, Cerulean Blue is at the top of the list for color.
Otherwise, to see what people want in a painting (apartment) look at the clothes they're wearing.
I really liked this video and topic! I was not aware of this movement so thank you for introducing it to me and my apartment wall
Great episode! It's super interesting and I'm impressed you covered such a huge topic in 15 minutes. I'd love to see where some of the original muralists like Diego Rivera fall into these influences. Thanks!
I was thinking more of Jim Rosenquist and the influence of his background as a billboard painter on his art, it's scale and installations.
Pop art seems to have a lot in common with the graphics shown here.
@@jimurrata6785
Not so much Pop Art as Russian Constructivism that gave us the bad building design in the first place.
In this case taking the hair of the dog that bit you only makes it worst.
I never knew these had a name! I absolutely love outdoor supergraphics, definitely wish I would see them more often to liven up drab areas in cities. Why does it seem like they are always done on basketball courts? I guess its one of the only pedestrian/community centered public spaces covered asphalt?
Either way great vid!
Was not a great fan of super graphics till we got the Fair-Haired Dumbbell here in Portland.... but your case for them in this video won me over beyond just that building
This was such an interesting video and helps me understand how urban spaces can really be transformed with color & murals! Thanks for the video!
My father painted super graphics on my and my brothers bedroom walls in the mid 70’s. Didn’t know he was so hip!
At "Bjerget" in Ørestad, Copenhagen, Denmark, Bjarke Ingels Group designed a building with some of the facade covered in perforated metal plate creating a giant rasterized image of Mount Everest.
because of this channel i got interested in architecture, thanks)
That's awesome!
Informative and fun!
Could you make a video about the architectural choices of people renovating office buildings into apartments?
Not known for any architectural treasures, a couple of downtown buildings along San Diego’s bay front have enormous paintings of sea and land wildlife, keeping in theme with the famous SD Zoo.
PS. Excellent videos by the way!!
Jürgan Mayer's work will always win me over any day, hope to meet him one day! 🎨🏢
Loved this video. I am on a project that is considering “super graphics” or “environmental designs” as sometimes called. This video comes at a good time. My only critical thing is calling this impact. The word impact has at its root impinge. The patterns and colors do more than impinge they stimulate. I would have said evoke or evokes thoughts of a subject matter at play with the surroundings.
Why not paint the word EVOKE on the building and be done with it?
A la Tom Wolf's book "Painted Word".
My favourite supergraphic is the sistine chapel
Good choice. I was thinking about the connection to frescoes and ancient cave paintings also.
So, you're equating the Sistine Chapel with durty, filthy, bolshevik Russian Constructivism graffiti ?
Hey Stewart, wonderful video. It was particularly interesting to hear how graphic intent changes from interiors to exteriors and the surrounding context. I would love to see a video on 'green' architecture and/or biomimicry. Cheers from Ottawa!
Do more about graphics and architecture, i feel it is such an underrated topic, especially for urban murals, like how it can impact a post soviet brutalist neighbourhood
Downtown Mexico City (zocalo) was painted a few years ago to convert the street in just pedestrian...
Architects have been doing this for years. This is an example of a new label on an old concept. See Sistine chapel
You're equating the Sistine Chapel with graffiti?
Consider getting your won reMarkable 2 paper tablet to get notetaking here: remarkable.com
Can it run Rhino? /s
in future I feel Augmented reality will add to the urban and architectural landscape as prints and decorative lights , and even more . I imagine we will be able to personalize the urban life around us and have personal experiences as we walk , just like what we do with music 🎉
CURA - Circuito Urbano de Arte is a project similar to Boa Mistura being conducted in my city, Belo Horizonte, Brazil!
the big 60 outside the Grace Building in NYC, a super graphic itself.
Bravo. UN gran cambio en los lugares intervenidos.
you always post something relevant to what im doing in university right now :)
I have a university degree in architecture....but the Graphic Environnement is my main business...robotic, digital print and RBG LED light effect....
We also do digital film insert betwen (2) layer of floor epoxy......
Interesting!
Neil Denari’s NY tower also a good example!
I live in the South Loop and a very few of new buildings, many them from Columbia College have enjoyable and interesting graphics which enthuse the building
I can't believe you didn't talk about Paula Scher. She's a graphic designer who uses a lot of crazy super graphics in her work
preventing the paint from fading or weathering away is another matter.
They've repainted many of the panelák buildings in Petržalka in Bratislava, Slovakia. They used to be pretty drab or grey, now they have a little more character and feel more lively. Definitely not a solution to most urban issues (especially when super graphics are used in gentrification, at least to my understanding), but at least it can solve aesthetic issues, bringing some needed color and life.
lawl my parents have that same horrendous red rug in their living room. Interesting seeing it printed like that
As a boomer who came of age in the '70s, I find these designs to be so comfortable and inviting. But I wonder if members of the Silent Generation or Millennials would feel the same way.
thank u a lot this helps me a lot. Right now im doing a Pro Bono with a friend and we are trying to enhance the entrace from a school building. this could be a really good option. Cheap and powerfull.
Damn you are really banging out these videos
👍 a really good RUclips video and the slightly longer 15 minute run time works really well for me.
I can't help but think in all the catholic and orthodox churches i have been into, and how full of images, color, and information they are. I hadn't realized that as a designed fact in itself until now.
Just fascinating!
My brain sort of filters out stuff like graphics that do not convoy a functional message ( like say which way to go in case of fire or where the water pipe is in the wall ) . I remember a professor brining up the Sunkist survey and pointing out that the option of getting the money instead of spending it on a nice looking interior space in the employee's pay was not an option in the survey which probably was why they thought it was important .
My Grandma lived in Sea Ranch when she retired; the architecture there is amazing! Every house has a natural wood exterior, but the layout and design of each is totally unique. If you’re driving up Highway 1 toward Gualala stop by, it’s so gorgeous
Eh, Stewart I punch hooked two poster sized yarn on stretched burlap rug/wall hangings circa '77. A loop de loop stripe of red, orange and yellow, (2:30!my aunt "had" to have one in pink, lime and white .
Like your content, good job! More Louie Kahn, I.M.Pei?
@stewarthicks
Would you say we can ( or could) consider the word Atlanta, integrated in the design of the Philips building, as a form of 3Dsupergraphic? Or would you say that is more like a form of structural sculpting?
This a very informative video, but I can't get over my adverse reaction to this entire trend. "Slap a coat of paint on it" is the idiom for "Do nothing substantial to improve something" and often I see super graphics and murals used to make crumbling or substandard spaces more visually appealing without addressing the problems.
so, the spaceships by Chris Foss are basically supergraphics?
1:29 Shagadelic baby!
He reminds me when Gary Oldman portrayed James Gordon in Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins
Kinda surprised you didn’t talked about Barbara Kruger
I really REALLY enjoyed this video. And I learned that I'm apparently not a fan of supergraphics for the most part. lol I did really like the colorful civic spaces towards the end of your video. The graphics in the Medlener House were too jarring for me personally though. Unexpected can be a good thing, but that one wasn't it for me. Just my opinion. Still am really loving your content. ❤
Was that a book at 2:26? If so what is the author?
I'm reminded of the Memphis Group out of Italy. What happened to that group?
Never been here this early... Fantastic video!
All this stuff is functioning to say, "Hey, everybody! Look at me!" 😆
Problems with supergraphics:
1. Highly subjective meaning that it’s difficult to get a strong singular concept across the line.
2. Easily redesigned by owner-clients who prefer to put tenant signage as the supergraphic no matter how poor the tenants graphic designer’s taste may have been.
3. They’re very loud, if the end result is distasteful you will see the results from miles away.
4. An insipid building who’s only redeeming feature is the artwork can quickly be painted grey by an unimaginative owner.
Steer clear wherever possible.
Sol LeWitt is one of my favourite artists. Would is work fall into this category?
I thought the paper tablet was a sarcastic thing about notepads. "using notepads is so much better than using loose paper".
You know, maybe I missed it but, it seems like you missed an opportunity to consider the ecology of the method - when you don't talk about the life cycle of a material, your neglecting an important consideration in cost.
What's the paint made of? How is it taken care of? Removal, environmental impact, etc.
You hit these points in other videos, I was just missing it in this.
Not important to the point of the video
@@Twinceramic Why is it not relevant?
Also notable that paint is used extensively in the renovation of "commie blocks" in the former gdr. Check out Lichtenberg in Berlin as an example, many of the usually quite drab blocks are very colourful and much more attractive
Stauffacher... Swiss sounding name.
It's obvious you've never lived near or with any of these super graphics painted structures. They're seriously jarring and totally disrupts the natural flow of the city block. It feels like you're living in a billboard.
This was very informative ! Nicely edited too. That New Mexico work is really outstanding. Here in Prague, CZ, most people live in Communist era apartment blocks ( one of them is 120m long, and has 4000 (!) residents ). They are generally very well maintained, with little to no graffiti. They are rarely painted, but them they do, they generally put circles on them ( about window size ) to break up the hard lines. But it makes the buildings look like they have measles :-) I love the bold designs and colours shown here.
No one cares about Czechoslovakia
Interesting!!
This Nintendo 64-ad from back then comes to mind (paints the whole room in the console's color)
Then there is graffiti, which is a more rogue approach to this!?
not much on shutterstock or getty
There's so much tacky stuff used in hotels and new developments. Always made me wonder what else these giant vinyl printing machines are used for.
Consider changing your channel name to e.g.“AWS - Architecture with Stewart”. I couldn’t figure out where the “Hicks” was in the logo.
Not sure I am buying into this premise. To me, it makes the building look garish or like some Disney attraction. Then what if every building adopted this design aesthetic? Bam, Blade Runner post apocalyptic skyline here we come!
subscribed :)
I have always wanted to see more colour both in indoor spaces and in cityscapes, why just paint everything white?
Been saying this for years. Literally a couple bucks worth paint is all you need to transform a building.
Although its really easy to mess up and I think you have to be moderate and tasteful in the designs, especially when working with indoor spaces. Slapping a bunch of non cohesive geometrical shapes on a wall in bright colors does not work for me. Things need to align they need to make sense.