by Matt Uminski | Jan 7, 2019 | Graphic Design, Styles / Effects, Uncategorized |
If you read my first post, you understand that Alex and I chose to start his Portfolio design process by selecting fonts. Anytime I begin any kind of design project I always start with type. Others may tell you they start with a grid, color palette, forms, and shapes,...
by Alex Hogrefe | Dec 19, 2018 | Break Down |
For this year’s Winter Special illustration, I decided to create a series of images partly because I couldn’t decide on one view, but also to experiment with the effects of thick snow at different view angles. I was less interested in the architectural...
by Matt Uminski | Dec 1, 2018 | Graphic Design, Portfolio Vol. 5 |
For the first time on Visualizing Architecture, I am bringing in a new voice to help discuss some important graphic design related topics for the upcoming design of Portfolio Volume 05. Matt Uminski is a really good friend and encyclopedia of knowledge when it comes...
by Alex Hogrefe | Oct 28, 2018 | Portfolio Vol. 5 |
I have begun thinking about some of the spreads for the Mountain Lodge Project and what kind of tone I want to set. The images consists of simple and minimal diagrams paired with heavily textured and vegetated perspectives intentionally creating a contrast between the...
by Alex Hogrefe | Oct 3, 2018 | Break Down, Portfolio Vol. 5 |
It’s been way too long since my last post. It has been a busy month traveling and moving Design Distill to a new office. However, I was finally able to find some time this weekend to put together two new images for the Mountain Lodge Project. For these images,...
by Alex Hogrefe | Aug 20, 2018 | Portfolio Vol. 5 |
I have been working up some drafts for a few diagrams and elevations for the mountain lodge project. I am testing out some graphically minimal styles that contrast the highly textured and atmospheric perspective illustrations seen here and here. I don’t normally...
by Alex Hogrefe | Jul 22, 2018 | Break Down, Portfolio Vol. 5 |
This will be a quick post, but I wanted to show another image that I have been working on. This illustration was put together to study the ground around the base of the tower. I wanted to iterate on some ideas I had for the landscape/hardscape relationship as well as...
by Alex Hogrefe | Jul 6, 2018 | Break Down, Portfolio Vol. 5 |
As I continue to develop my Mountain Lodge Project, there are a couple of areas that I am using visualization to study the design a little more closely. One of the key moments is a bridge that connects the tower to the mountain side. I had envisioned this space to be...
by Alex Hogrefe | Jun 10, 2018 | Portfolio Vol. 5, Uncategorized |
Below is a sneak peak of my next project that I will be illustrating over the next several months. As with all of my projects, I have tried to setup several scenarios that I am interested in visualizing. For this project, specifically, the overarching concept is of a...
by Alex Hogrefe | May 20, 2018 | Portfolio Vol. 5, Uncategorized |
The Desert House Project is nearing completion and I have begun looking at how I can piece together the different images into portfolio spreads. Setting up these spreads help me to clarify what images still need to be generated to fill in the narrative gaps. They also...
by Alex Hogrefe | Apr 21, 2018 | Break Down, Portfolio Vol. 5, Styles / Effects |
I decided to go abstract with this latest post. With this set of illustrations, I have been studying the interior spaces of the Desert House. I tend to prefer interiors with minimal color and material, so I generated these studies as a way to force me out of that way...
by Alex Hogrefe | Mar 25, 2018 | Break Down, Over Time, Portfolio Vol. 5 |
Part 2 of this tutorial will break down the Photoshop side of this illustration. In terms of Photoshop complexity, this image is relatively simple and minimal in layers. However, I think it is a good example of how a compelling image can be generated with just a few...
by Alex Hogrefe | Mar 4, 2018 | Fundamentals, Portfolio Vol. 5 |
I have had a ton of people asking me to create a more thorough breakdown of one of my images and it seems the desert house dusk shot would be a good candidate. I like this image because not a ton of Photoshop is needed for the illustration, but the little Photoshop...
by Alex Hogrefe | Feb 11, 2018 | Break Down, Portfolio Vol. 5, Styles / Effects |
This week, I got back into the Trench House project by generating some exterior vignettes. I wanted to use these images to emphasize the vastness of the context and also to explore some color combinations. Since this project sits in the middle of a desert in Nevada,...
by Alex Hogrefe | Jan 9, 2018 | Break Down, Portfolio Vol. 5 |
After a few more weeks of studying, iterating, and modeling, the design of the desert house has been more or less finalized. I have now begun thinking about the visuals and how I want to present this project. This has been difficult at times because the form can...
by Alex Hogrefe | Dec 19, 2017 | Portfolio Vol. 5, Styles / Effects, Uncategorized |
Even though I have started the new desert house project, I jumped back to the Philly Bridge project to generate this year’s winter special. This was a view that I had planned on illustrating months ago but ran out of time. Luckily, it works perfectly for...
by Alex Hogrefe | Dec 3, 2017 | Fundamentals, Portfolio Vol. 5, Uncategorized |
I have been testing out a ton of different ideas for how to articulate the glass facade for the Desert Trench House project. From those studies, I developed a spread that shows some of the iterations that were generated. As I was putting this illustration together, I...
by Alex Hogrefe | Nov 20, 2017 | Portfolio Vol. 5, Uncategorized |
I have started a new project that I am calling the Desert Trench House. I have yet to illustrate a project on this website that is located in an arid environment and am excited to get going on this. The structure sits mostly recessed underground with large shade...
by Alex Hogrefe | Oct 29, 2017 | Uncategorized |
I have been traveling quite a bit lately which means it has been a while since my last post. I figured I would ease back into this with some mapping studies that I have been experimenting with. I have always liked the idea of locating a project at the beginning of the...
by Alex Hogrefe | Sep 24, 2017 | Break Down, Portfolio Vol. 5 |
Aerial architectural renderings in a city environment are some of the toughest images to create. For one, you are dealing with a ton of texture, geometry, and complexity when it comes to the context. The ideal way to manage this is to hire a photographer to take...
