by Alex Hogrefe | Jun 25, 2017 | Break Down, Portfolio Vol. 5, Project 06 Philly Bridge |
I first generated a black and white study like this for my wharf design back in 2014. I liked how this approach breaks down the complexity of site design into simple elements and creating a space for me to quickly “sketch” out and iterate ideas. For this...
by Alex Hogrefe | Jun 1, 2017 | Break Down, Project 06 Philly Bridge, Styles / Effects, Uncategorized |
I always look to diagrams to help tease out ideas or to clarify my thoughts as early on in the design process as possible. The diagram being broken down below is working off of a simple model with almost no detail or structural articulation making it easier to update...
by Alex Hogrefe | May 4, 2017 | Portfolio Vol. 5, Project 06 Philly Bridge, Uncategorized |
A few weeks back, I was lucky enough to give a lecture and some workshops at Philadelphia University School of Architecture. During my tour of the city, I was blown away by the amount of development and new architecture going on. One proposal that I found especially...
by Alex Hogrefe | Apr 17, 2017 | Fundamentals, Uncategorized |
Whether it is because time is limited or cutout libraries are too small, it often seems like adding entourage into an illustration is treated as an afterthought at the end of most workflows. When it is finally time to insert people, a large portion of time goes to...
by Alex Hogrefe | Mar 31, 2017 | Uncategorized |
The last time that I posted this film on this blog was back in 2013 and I have been long overdue to post it again. The short film by Alex Roman has had a big influence on my work since the very beginning and is still something I try to revisit at least once a year. He...
by Alex Hogrefe | Mar 6, 2017 | Over Time, Portfolio Vol. 5, Project 05 Research Lab, Uncategorized |
As old school as they are, GIFs can still be a low tech, highly shareable solution to communicate an architectural idea. In this case, I was having trouble deciding how to illustrate the operable shade system of my research lab design. Enter the GIF. The obvious...
by Alex Hogrefe | Feb 5, 2017 | Fundamentals, Portfolio Vol. 5, Project 05 Research Lab |
Continuing work on my research lab design, I wanted to generate floor plans that were a little more informational than the standard line drawings. Therefore, I turned the floor plans into oblique projection drawings using my Sketchup model and a technique described...
by Alex Hogrefe | Jan 8, 2017 | Fundamentals |
It has been a while since I have created a good ole tutorial. This is a really important one if you don’t already know or use Smart Objects in Photoshop. Smart Objects bring a whole new level of ability to edit in Photoshop. At Design Distill, we use them in...
by Alex Hogrefe | Dec 11, 2016 | Break Down, Portfolio Vol. 5, Project 05 Research Lab |
Since I dropped the ball last year, I am picking things back up this year with a new winter special illustration of the research lab design. This view moves the camera underneath the architecture to give a sense of the experience one has when approaching the entrance....
by Alex Hogrefe | Nov 21, 2016 | Break Down, Portfolio Vol. 5, Project 05 Research Lab, Uncategorized |
I had been going back and forth on building materials and realized that I needed to create an illustration that would allow me to visually compare options within the contextual setting. The form is more or less finalized, but I have had trouble envisioning exactly...
by Alex Hogrefe | Oct 27, 2016 | Portfolio Vol. 5, Project 05 Research Lab, Styles / Effects |
I have been continuing to develop my research lab concept and specifically I have been focusing on some sectional qualities of the design. Since time is limited these days, I don’t always build elaborate models of each idea. In this case, I cut a section through...
by Alex Hogrefe | Oct 9, 2016 | Portfolio Vol. 4 |
I am excited to finally introduce Portfolio Volume 04. As I have said many times before, nothing beats being able to see work in printed form, especially after seeing some of these images for over two years only on the screen. This has been a long time coming and the...
by Alex Hogrefe | Sep 24, 2016 | Portfolio Vol. 4 |
I will be releasing Portfolio Volume 4 in about two weeks. In preparation for this, I have compiled all of the posts that relate to Portfolio Volume 4 and placed them on my dedicated portfolio page. Below are links to the posts that span over two years along with...
by Alex Hogrefe | Sep 5, 2016 | Break Down, Project 05 Research Lab |
It’s been a busy past several weeks including a quick trip to Vienna for the D2 Conference. However, I was finally able to start my next project which will be a research lab located in a heavily wooded context. I have yet to illustrate a project situated within...
by Alex Hogrefe | Aug 7, 2016 | Break Down, Portfolio Vol. 4, Project 01 Long Wharf, Uncategorized |
One of the final images that my upcoming Portfolio Vol. 4 was lacking was a view of the Boston harbor for my Long Wharf redevelopment project. This view was crucial because it showed how one of the most important parts of the design, the tiered seating, framed the...
by Alex Hogrefe | Jul 16, 2016 | Fundamentals |
One of the questions I get asked most is how do I compose perspective shots. I have touched on this subject in past posts but have not organized these concepts into one place. The tips discussed below are by no means the law. There are often circumstances that limit...
by Alex Hogrefe | Jun 26, 2016 | Break Down, Portfolio Vol. 4, Project 03 Crossroads Pavilion |
There are still some areas of Portfolio Vol. 4 that are missing information. One image that I just finished creating is an aerial of the train pavilion project that better shows the relationship of the new architecture to the iconic town water tower. I have several...
by Alex Hogrefe | May 29, 2016 | Portfolio Vol. 4 |
You can spend a ton of time perfecting your portfolio, but all of that means nothing if you choose a bad printer. That is why I have spent the last several weeks testing out many online print-on-demand services. I wrote a post on Print-on-demand printers several years...
by Alex Hogrefe | May 15, 2016 | Break Down, Portfolio Vol. 4, Project 02 Cultural Center |
As I rework some of the spreads for my upcoming Portfolio Volume 4, I find myself needing to develop several new illustrations to fill in some missing information or to help better tell the story. However, due to time limitations and the amount of images I need to...
by Alex Hogrefe | Apr 16, 2016 | Portfolio Vol. 4, Uncategorized |
I have been working on some of the different design elements of Portfolio Volume 4 and this week I am focusing on the cover design. I wrote a post a few years ago on the cover design for Portfolio Volume 3 seen here. Not much has changed with the way that I am...
