3D Storyboarding Presentation Idea...

Since Yancey/Blogspot is experiencing technical difficulties posting today, I thought I would see what is interesting on YouTube and try to post this from work today.

This is a cool idea for Storyboarding and selling your designs and ideas to a client. Interesting way to leverage technology to tell a more compelling story with motion and music - like a mini fashion show. Pretty funky juxt of 2D and 3D here. Reminds me of Yellow Submarine or Monty Python.

At Pre-Market for the furniture industry in High Point, NC recently, I saw a salesmen leverage his IPad and show an interactive slide show pitch for his furniture line. It was so much more professional than pulling out a lot of furniture catalogs and wood samples and tear sheets. It was cleaner, more mobile, and certainly more compact if you are selling someone in a crowded setting like a restaurant. It also had the advantage of being brief, 20 minutes, and on point, as well as being able to send a copy or share with others. Basically a first selling opportunity before pulling out wood samples or swatches later on. 

3D Storyboarding is new to me. Anyone else using something like this or leveraging technology to tell a compelling design story?

*********NEWSFLASH - THIS RECENTLY IN*************

Yancey's FASHION INSPIRATION BOARD post follows. She has overcome the glitch! Yay! I tried to put her (post) on top, which is the way I like it :) but Blogspot is sometimes a demon bitch...

Shine On!

Braxton

FASHION INSPIRATION BOARDS

One subject we haven't touched on this week is fashion.  So....I've searched the net for inspiration boards made by fashion designers.  Not all of the following boards fit into that category, but most do.  Hope you enjoy.

 If you don't already have one, I hope this weeks muse has inspired you to create your own inspiration/mood board.  One of the benefits of having a i/m board is that it helps to train the eye and organize  design/creative ideas.

 Begin your inspiration board by collecting images from magazines, books, calenders, the Internet, greeting cards/post cards, or old photographs.  From there you can cull your favorites, the ones that most inspire you, the ones that tell your story. 
I like to lay all my images on a large surface and begin to organize them, sometimes by size, sometimes by color....then, usually beginning with the largest images, I will start to attach them to my inspiration board.  As I've said, my boards are metal so I attach my images with magnets, but you can certainly make a board out of cardboard or heavy paper, wood, cork....whatever, then attach your images appropriately.

Is it just me or is Zac Posen adorable?  Thought so.

 Remember the only rule regarding inspiration boards is that there are no rules.  Your board is all about what inspires YOU.  Use it to say something about yourself, who you are or wish to be.  Your inspiration board doesn't have to be seen by your neighbors, MIL, decorator, or even your friends.....you can keep it in your bedroom (as we do) or inside a closet door, your home office, or right in your living room.

 Most of all.....have fun.

I hope you've enjoyed and been inspired this week.  If you make or have made an inspiration board, I would love to see it.  Please share.
Have a beautiful weekend everyone.
YANCEY

HOW I USE INSPIRATION BOARDS

Yesterday I showed you some fantastic examples of inspiration boards used in decor.   Now, I would like to show you my own inspiration boards which are working boards and not always pretty.  Here goes...

I am fortunate to have room in our bedroom for four painted metal boards which are hung side my side to make one really long inspiration board.  Two boards are painted orange and two are painted hot pink.  Sorry if they look a little shrimpy here, the lighting in this room is not conducive to great photographs.

 Sometimes these boards are completely full, and other times, like now, they are a little sparse.  The two orange boards are currently being used for pattern inspiration, and the pink boards are used for muse ideas for this blog.  This is also where we hang sketches and print- outs of PowerPoints when we are designing something new.  I can't tell you how helpful these inspiration boards have been to us.  I wouldn't necessarily recommend that you hang work related images in your bedroom, but for Braxton and myself, our design work is our life and passion.  I also really love seeing things that truly inspire me before going to sleep...besides Braxton of course, ahum.

See the two white pieces of paper in the corner?  This is where we list our muses past and future.  Braxton cleverly balances a pencil across two plastic magnets so we never have to go searching for one. 

We keep unused magnets on a piece of paper because the ceramic ones tend to leave black marks on anything they touch - including my hands.

 The following is a single board,  which I painted in a Mondrian style (oh how I do flatter myself) in the colors of our living room which is where this one is hung.  I painted this because I wanted it to look nice even when it wasn't in use, which is most of the time.

I anticipate using this for hanging invitations to...you know....royal weddings, white house dinners and that sort of thing (which explains why it's empty).

 The following is an inspiration board that hangs in our kitchen/breakfast room.  Again, I painted it to look nice when not in use.  Actually I really love this Union Jack design, it's so fun.

 Here I want to show you how the size of these boards...2ft x 3ft....is perfect for hanging eight 8 1/2  x 11 prints.  They make a nice modern frameless display.

These are pictures I took in our backyard, which inspire me to keep practicing my photography.

This is my little corner of our studio.  I write my posts here and over the years have turned the paneled wall into a inspiration board .  Now that I have the metal boards I realize how primitive and awkward it is to tape pics. to a wall.  Magnetic boards allow for so much more flexibility.

 One last picture... the beautiful blue inspiration boards in our guest room.  It's nice to see these naked , because they are usually completely covered with fashion ideas.  Can you tell how much I love my inspiration boards?

And that's how I use my inspiration boards.  How about you?
Have a beautiful day.
YANCEY

THE INSPIRATION BOARD AS USED IN DECOR

The first time I seriously considered the inspiration board as a decorating element was thanks to my daughters.  When they were young teenagers  they began tearing up my old magazines to decorate their closet doors.  Which soon ran over to their walls, then the door to the room, then.....they even had some images on the ceiling.  Only the floor was spared.

Every dorm room they ever had was decorated with images from old magazines, calenders, or old text books. whenever they found beautiful, inspiring pictures they would become part of the collage.  It was beyond beautiful, oh how I wish I had pictures to share. 

The following images are examples of inspiration boards used in decor, or inspiration boards as works of art.  Hope these inspire you.

The nice thing about cork board is it really is so easy to change your images.  It does tend to wear out in time, however.

This one really blurs the line between inspiration board and art.   I love.

Love the nail head trim.  So smart looking.

I can't imagine the patience this took.  Interesting though, right?

This one is very similar to what our daughters would do.  Wow, I really do miss them.

Inspiration board on a door.  Smart.

Do you have an inspiration/mood/color/collage board?  Is it part of the decor?  Would love to know.

Personal note:  Last night I finished one the the most profoundly beautiful books I've read in a very long time.  The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery.  Have you read it?  If so, let's talk.  If not, please do...and then, let's talk.

Have a beautiful day.
YANCEY

INSPIRATION BOARD OR ART?

We have quite a few inspiration boards at our house.  Today I want to show you four boards which are in our guest room.  I've posted about these before, but to quickly get you up to speed.....these were found objects, metal shelves to be exact.  If you look closely you can see that they have small holes all over them....drainage perhaps?  Air flow?  Not a clue.  Anyway, Braxton brought home 13 of these babies, and they have changed my life.

We have hung all four side by side above the bed, to make one really long inspiration board.  Each board measures 2ft. X 3ft. and we have hung them portrait style.  Originally they were a dull industrial gray and had some sort of sticky residue in places, which required sanding.  We then painted them a gorgeous blue which actually has more purple in it than you can see in these pics. 
Because it was important that the finish be durable (these guys get plenty of use) we chose an oil based paint in a high gloss finish.  I put them outside to dry (it was the middle of summer) which took a full four days!  Oil paint is a pain in the ass, but totally worth it.

Notice all the tiny holes?  Huh?

While we have other boards around the house which we use for design ideas, business if you will,  these four boards are used primarily for fashion ideas, or fun!  Braxton never uses these, so I get to make fashion collages to my hearts content.
Lets talk magnets........

These are the four types of magnets we use on our boards.  The one on the left is a plastic handled magnet you can find at any office supply store.  These are actually my favorite because they are so easy to grip.
Next is a black ceramic magnet.  Not my favorite because they get your fingers dirty and the ceramic against the metal is truly loud.
Next is a ceramic magnet that we made a little project out of.....first we found wee pictures in magazines (which took quite a while, let me tell ya) then glued them to one side of the magnet.  We then glued a glass glob (found at any arts and crafts store) over the picture, which has a slight magnifying effect.  We actually made bunches of these one snowy day, because that is what design nerds like us do for fun.
Next, and last, look very very closely, is a teeny tiny shiny metal magnet, and omg is this sucker strong.  Love these!

Does anyone know where I can find more of these?  These are left over from our eldest daughter's  senior art show at UVA.   To display her art, she nailed tiny nails, with tiny heads, until the heads were flush with the wall.  Using the nail heads as a surface for the magnets to attach themselves, she was able to safely hang her very delicate art.  It was brilliant.

One of the things I love most about inspiration boards, is it gives me a reason to use these.....

You know you saved all your old copies of Domino, am I right?

Just because I think they're so beautiful, I wanted to show them naked.  Inspiration board or art?  Both, I'd say.

Have a beautiful day.
YANCEY

A BOARD BY ANY OTHER NAME

Inspiration board, color board, mood board, story board.....all slight variations on the same theme. This week we're exploring what we at braxtonandyancey call the "inspiration board", or a collage of collected images that inspire us and help to keep our ideas organized thus allowing us to move forward with the design process.

Let's begin with the story board which is quite literally a sequence of images that tell a story.  Apparently the Disney Studio began to use story boards in the 1930's when the animated projects they were working on became complicated enough that it was difficult to keep the story line straight.  The boards were a way for the animators and writers to work together with less confusion as to the sequence of the story line itself.
Obviously the story board is quite specific and generally used by graphic designers for the film industry, music videos, TV commercials, educational and gov. training and more.  Novelists and those in the publishing industry frequently use story boards as well.
 
Color Boards:

This is an example of a color board, used by interior designers to keep the details of a project organized and to show how all the surfaces of a room will work together.

 If you are interested in making your own color board I found these guide lines from an on- line interior design program.  Sounds like fun!  Of course you begin with a board, which could be as simple as a foam board from an office supply store.  I've used soooo many foam boards over the years.  On your board you will want to attach color samples of the following...

1. Paint colors for walls, trim and ceiling, and any other wall coverings, wallpaper, fabric, etc.
2. Floor coverings - i.e. carpet, stone, wood, etc.
3. Window treatments - i.e. drapery, blinds, shutters, etc.
4. Furniture finishes - i.e. wood, metal, plastic, etc.
5. Upholstery fabrics
6. Accent colors

Fairly specific guidelines I know.....but if you are making a inspiration board for your own use, have fun, there are no rules!


An example of a creative color board made for a wedding.

  Christina Aguilera uses mood boards to plan her albums.  Stephen Webster was so inspired by her mood boards he created his jewelry line from them.

Fashion designers have long used mood or inspiration boards and have produced some of the most beautiful boards I've seen.

 Mood Board:  designers and others use mood boards to develop design concepts and communicate them to other members of the design team.

We will be exploring different materials one can use to make an inspiration board.  This one seems to be made of chicken wire and clothes pins. Brilliant!!

We will also explore the use of inspiration boards as a part of the decor, something Braxton and I have done many times.

This inspiration board is actually a wall painted with dry erase paint.  Who knew?

Lots of creative business rely on inspiration boards.  These boards are placed in a hallway so that all employees can benefit and add to when needed.

Wire and small clips make a wonderful "board".

Inspiration boards can help you see connections and how your pictures relate to each other.  There are no rules! 
Braxton and I have used inspiration boards for years.  They inspire us and keep us focused.
Have you ever used an inspiration board?
We've got a lot to talk about this week....as always....I'd love to hear from you!
Have a beautiful day!
YANCEY