words as design element

photo courtesy of radisson blu

photo courtesy of radisson blu

The newest addition to the Radisson Blu group in the US, the Radisson Blue Warwick Hotel, just opened in Philadelphia.  They utilized one of my favorite design elements to engage their guests:  words.  The project, created by Scotland based Graven Images, uses words on the lobby carpet to express the historical role that Philadelphia  played in the birth and growth of the United States.  The walls of the lobby express the viewpoints of brothers born at the same time in the ‘city of brotherly love’.  It’s a beautiful use of language to express a theme and create a mood.

photo courtesy 1amsf.com

photo courtesy 1amsf.com

When the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit opened a couple of years ago at the de Young Museum in SF, 1 AM SF, a group of graffiti artists gone mainstream (and I mean that in a really good way), provided the visual component.

papas room

2 years ago, when my dad became too ill to care for himself, he lived with my family.  So for the last 30 days of his life his home became the room that we had always called the sun room.  Now it’s Papa’s Room.

When I’m working on a project my first stop is the dictionary.  Words are always the beginning, so it’s fitting when they are part of the ending too.

MLK in words

photo courtesy Philly Word Art facebook page

If you want some really cool words for yourself, check out Dan Duffy, aka Philly Word Art.  You can have a photo of MLK drawn in own words, your favorite Philly sports hero using his stats, or a picture of your pet rat using the words from Michael Jackson’s ‘Ben’ (that would be a custom order).

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