Design is all around us – my trip to the USA
Design is all around us, from street art to architecture, from way finding to the logo on your coffee cup. This couldn’t be more evident than in The Big Apple and America.
After recently returning from a ten day trip to America, visiting Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and New York I was left in awe from the sheer scale of everything over there, and the use of considered design application. I started my trip residing in a small harbour town in Connecticut State, called Mystic where it was full with quaint quirky shops, restaurants and bars. It was an incredible place where you could quite easily kick your feet up and kill time with some good food and company, and more often than not that’s what I did. However, this was also accompanied by lots of walking and shopping too!
What really stood out to me was the volume and scale on which everything consists around, and from a design related angle this was particularly evident with unique and considered brands everywhere. Each captivated the businesses they were representing but still felt consistent as a set within one location, they all complimented each other in some way. This provided a real sense of alignment, where the towns and their businesses co-functioned together.
Following this, on the other spectrum was New York, a beast of world brand application and architecture. However, what was nice was that it was very well-balanced, whereby you of course got your highstreet major brands from food to fashion but there were also plenty of independent places to eat, drink and shop – literally until you dropped. The Highline and Chelsea markets were a great example of this where you could pick up random bits you never thought you would want or need, but somehow were compelled to buy. For example, a must have was a Dachshund print made from sections of the New York metro system.
Aside from the confessions of a shopaholic, the one thing that captivated and really stirred a fire inside of me for inspiration was the mesmerising street art you would find on almost every corner. Often, buildings were used for canvases where beautiful artwork, abstract or direct, was plastered all over with bold colours and striking visuals, bringing the architecture of the city to life.
Now, America… what a place. I did truly feel fortunate to be able to visit such an incredible country, where over those ten days I learnt so much and took away so many fond memories. Moreover, after seeing the amazing use of design and in particular typography, its left me inspired and hungry to see what impact I can have on my future projects.