A barn quilt pattern with simple geometry, and its meaning

[kerby]

Hey PSG! When I was in college I got to take part in a really cool pilot program called the Integrative Design Experience Laboratory. Our task was to design and build a farmers market in a rural area of North Carolina. Overall the experiment was a colossal learning experience and provided immense benefits to an increasingly agricultural area... but that's a story for a different day. I wanted to share something our team designed and I painted for the exterior of the market.

One cultural symbol where I live is something called barn quilt patterns. When you drive through the countryside, everywhere on various buildings there are these colorful emblems. They are symbolic and represent the nature of the surrounding land, profession, or people who live there. For instance, near a Christmas tree farm, you might see a barn quilt that looks like a tree (go figure).

The concept behind the barn quilt design that we chose represents our team. This project was a collaborative effort among eight students, so the basic geometric form is octagonal. Each color represents one person who helped with the project. The premise is that all eight of us are different, with our own individual backgrounds and ideas. Throughout the design process, we integrated our ideas together, which is why the colors are interlocking inwardly toward a center focal point. The white center represents the completed idea and the building we constructed. When you pull up to the building, this is the first piece of the design that will catch your eye.

I won't go too much into the painting process, but I simply used painters tape and careful measurements to paint the symmetry. The triangles are right and isosceles, and each edge is in a ratio of thirds relative to the largest triangle. Below is the final design.





...a photo of me the day of the grand opening. Hopefully it puts the scale of the painting into perspective. This was taken nine months after we first were assigned the project. As you can tell, I was elated when the moment finally came for the building to be functional.



...the structure itself, on the day of the grand opening. (let me know if this isn't relevant enough)

I hope you enjoyed my story and the artwork; if anyone is interested in the project itself or wants to know more about the process of painting the barn quilt I'd be glad to fill you in!

 

[IamSam]

Kerby, this is very interesting, thanks for posting. I like the backstory on this project. I was vaguely aware of the Barn quilt patterns as I had seen this practice mentioned in one of the shows I've watched recently.

 

[dv8_fx]

kerby..

This is a very good example of a design concept based on the project specs in hand plus a bit of imaginative thinking to create the emblem.

I can't say much of the structure as there's not enough images of it to give a sense of it's perspective and relevance to the project but that doesn't matter here...

I like your project brief and the logic behind your design choice. If I were in the panel assigned to organize and select the most feasible design, I would surely be attracted to your presentation and enticed to accept your choice of emblem design.


Your involvement in the pilot program was well worth it. And you should carry on whatever experience you derived from it and apply them to your day to day workflow as a designer.....

WELL DONE...

 

[kerby]

Thanks dv8 for the kind words.

I can't say much of the structure as there's not enough images of it to give a sense of it's perspective and relevance to the project

The structure and the design of the barn quilt are correlated, but I figured I would exclude it since it's not entirely relevant to the subject matter of this thread. I did all the photography for this project so I have thousands of photos from the design process to the completed construction. I would include a link to our blog, which highlights the nine months in its entirety if it was permissible.

I could talk for hours about the design process of the architecture but that's a different conversation. For now, I thought I would share something that's more related to painting for the gurus :cool2:

 

[dv8_fx]

I would include a link to our blog, which highlights the nine months in its entirety if it was permissible.

I could talk for hours about the design process of the architecture but that's a different conversation. For now, I thought I would share something that's more related to painting for the gurus :cool2:

You are qualified to add a link in your signature to your personal or professional website, portfolio or blog as long as it's related to Photoshop or visual design and does not contain spam, inappropriate discussion or heavy advertising.... .

Interested members can view, follow and learn from your activity.


.... edit... I forgot to mention that I did notice some correlation of the architecture and quilt pattern in terms of the triangle patterns on the walkway from light screening through the shape incorporated into the roof ....

 

[kerby]

the triangle patterns on the walkway from light screening through the shape incorporated into the roof ....

The shadows are caused by our basketweave wall. This was mostly aesthetic/conceptual but it did provide lateral support for the main structure:



Above is a closeup of the wall.

Below is an old image but it puts the wall into context. The main concept behind it is that form follows function. Since the structure's main function is a farmers market, it's design features should allude to the intended purpose of the building. Thus with a little clever engineering we incorporated a "woven basket" into the architecture.



There are 2 of these walls on either side of the square food prep/storage area and act as a threshold from the main, common areas to the more private area.

 

[dv8_fx]

The shadows are caused by our basketweave wall. This was mostly aesthetic/conceptual but it did provide lateral support for the main structure:....

The main concept behind it is that form follows function. Since the structure's main function is a farmers market, it's design features should allude to the intended purpose of the building. Thus with a little clever engineering we incorporated a "woven basket" into the architecture.

View attachment 62350

Ahhh... so it wasn't shapes cut into the roof like small sky lights.... but the result of the basket weave wall...

"Woven basket" design for a wall... How country and rural can you get? It's a very fitting concept.