Photography College - Harrington College of Design

 

Photography colleges can help you prepare for new career opportunities

Are you looking for an industry-current photography college in Chicago? Join us at Harrington College of Design. We are dedicated to helping you pursue success in the fast-paced fields of digital and commercial photography. We have the resources you need to develop real-world knowledge and skills used by today's professional photographers.

At Harrington you can access hands-on training in an area that truly interests you. Take classes in our industry-current classrooms and labs, and get comfortable using the equipment found in today's photography studios. Work on career-relevant projects that can help you gain the valuable experience you need to be competitive in the field.

Find out now if a digital photography or commercial photography college is right for you.

Photography Programs

Take your natural talents to the next level with photography training at Harrington College of Design. Our Associate of Applied Science in Digital Photography and Bachelor of Fine Arts in Commercial Photography programs offer hands-on training and personalized instruction from experienced professionals in the field.

Photography Classes

Gain industry-current knowledge and practical experience through the Photography classes offered at Harrington. Learn more about our Commercial Photography and Digital Photography courses today.

Photography Careers

Explore your interest in digital photography career opportunities and the commercial photography industry. Learn more about the career outlook for photography professionals in today's competitive workforce.

What to Consider When Choosing a Photography College

Discover what makes Harrington College of Design different from other photography colleges. Learn more about the unique opportunities available through our Digital Photography and Commercial Photography training programs.

A wide array of services and opportunities are provided to members of professional associations which play an important role in the design profession. Through professional associations, designers come together to network, engage in continuing education and advocate for their profession. For more information about the benefits of membership in an association, visit the Web sites below.

Interior Design

National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) www.ncidq.org

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) www.aia.org

American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) www.asid.org

International Interior Design Association (IIDA) www.iida.org

Interior Designers of Canada (IDC) www.interiordesigncanada.org

Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC) www.idec.org

Professional Photo Associations

Advertising Photographers of America (APA) www.apanational.com

American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) www.asmp.org

American Society of Picture Professionals (ASPP) www.aspp.com

BioCommunications Association (BCA) www.bca.org

Certified Photographic Consultant (CPC) cpc.pmai.org

Commercial Photographers International (CPI) www.mycpi.com

Editorial Photographers (EP) www.editorialphoto.com

International Association of Architectural Photographers (IAAP) www.architecturalphotographers.org

International Event Photographers (IAPEP) www.iapep.com

North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA) www.nanpa.org

The National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP) www.photoshopuser.com

National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) www.nppa.org

Picture Archive Council of America (PACA) www.pacaoffice.org

Photo Imaging Education Association (PIEA) www.pieapma.org

Photo Marketing Association (PMA) www.pmai.org

Professional Photographers of America (PPA) www.ppa.com

Stock Artists Alliance (SAA) www.stockartistsalliance.org

Student Photographic Society (SPS) www.studentphoto.com

Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA) www.wpja.com

Wedding and Portrait Photographers International (WPPI) www.wppinow.com

MAC On Campus http://www.mac-on-campus.com/students/career.asp

A career in photography can be in your future. There are many paths to take for a rewarding career in this very creative specialty. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics web site (http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos264.htm#outlook) in the US, competition is high for jobs that list photography as a requirement. You probably already know why - many people are attracted to making photographs. However, an attraction is not always enough. You'll need sharp technical skills, innate creativity, imagination and the ability to "keep on top" of new technologies. Think you have what it takes? Visit the career forums listed below to learn more.

Photographer

Since the invention of the medium, photographers have made their impact on society, offering a way to document anything imaginable, from everyday life, to moments in history or the marvels of science and medicine. Photographers use their special visual vocabulary to share images and communicate with others around the world. This section lists some of the areas you may want to specialize in as a photographer. This is by no means a complete list - photographers work in almost every industry segment.

Commercial Medical/Scientific Fashion Nature/Environmental Editorial Underwater/Marine Architectural Sports Movie Stills Photojournalist

Fine Art  Fine Art photographers generally make their photographic images as finished prints for sale. Fine art photography ranges from images of landscapes to surrealistic patterns to everything in between. The fine artist generally sells his or her work through local or on-line galleries, art shows, and from their own studios. Successful fine art photographers also use reps to promote their work. For further research visit the following site: http://www.photoshow.com

Commercial  Commercial photographers usually specialize in advertising and corporate assignments. Subjects may range from basic product photography of consumer products to industrial sites and vehicles or aircraft. The commercial photographer must understand lighting, film, digital and analog cameras and must have the ability to multitask and work well with clients and models in the studio and on location. For further research visit the following site: http://www.mycpi.com

Fashion  Photography is one of the most important elements of the fashion world. Who better to show off a new design or clothing line than a talented photographer? Fashion photography is hard work, requiring a lot of international travel and long hours. Sounds good to you? Having an excellent portfolio is important for getting an assignment. A distinct style and the ability to translate that into photographs are necessary for a fashion photographer. Work with a photo agency can help promote the fashion photograper's talents and get their work seen. For further research visit the following sites: http://www.asmp.org http://www.apanational.com

Editorial  Editorial photographers can be found in many places, from local newspapers to glossy magazines with huge circulations. Editorial photographers work on story assignments, usually pairing with the writer of the story. The editorial photographer may travel with the writer, or independently. Editorial photographers work on human interest, culinary, travel, and all general interest stories. They travel to unusual places and need to be ready for anything, sometimes working for long periods of time away from their home base. A good portfolio, an interest in culture and current events, patience and the ability to work as a team player are important qualities for an editorial photographer. For further research visit the following sites: http://www.asmp.org http://www.nppa.org http://www.apanational.com http://www.editorialphoto.com

Architectural  Architectural photographers are among the most technically gifted of all photographers. Knowledge of the view camera, excellence in lighting, exposure, and film and digital imaging are all requirements to excel at this profession.Architectural photographers also need a superb portfolio, knowledge of architecture, interior design, and the ability to work on location and apprenticing with a successful architectural photographer can be a helpful way to learn the tools of this trade.For further research visit the following sites: http://www.architecturalphotographers.org http://www.asmp.org http://www.apanational.com

Movie Stills  Movie still photographers work on movie sets, capturing both behind-the-scenes images as well as still images during shooting. These images are used for movie promotion, record shots and for other applications. The movie stills photographer must have an outstanding portfolio showing people and their interaction, along with a great personality and the ability to be flexible in their work habits. For further research visit the following site: http://www.oscars.org

Wedding/Portrait  The wedding or portrait photographer usually works out of a studio, but frequently works on location with clients. Capturing the big day for a bride and groom is a daunting responsibility. Wedding photographers need top notch equipment and the technical knowledge to make it work. Photojournalistic wedding photography has become quite popular. Making portraits of people and families requires great patience as well as creative flair. For further research visit the following sites:  http://www.wppionline.com http://www.ppa.com http://www.wpja.com

Medical/Scientific  Photographers that work in the medical or scientific communities work in research labs, hospitals, healthcare facilities and in the field. They use tools such as cameras, microscopes, video cameras and specialized equipment designed to capture biomedical images. Specialties include Ophthalmic photography, Forensic biomedical photography, Photomicrography, Dental photography and more. Since medical photographers frequently work with patients, physicians and researchers, good people skills are necessary. For further research visit the following sites: http://www.jbiocommunication.org http://www.opsweb.org http://www.bca.org

Nature/Environmental  The nature or environmental photographer usually works on location, and may work in conjunction with a researcher, newspaper or magazine. Knowledge of the natural world is a must for photographers choosing this path, including a background in wildlife, botany, natural sciences and more. Great patience is required as well as a love for travel. For further research visit the following sites: http://www.nanpa.org http://www.nationalgeographic.com http://www.explorers.org

Underwater/Marine  The underwater photographer not only needs excellent technical skills in photography but also must be certified as a diver and work comfortably in a marine environment. Diving, swimming and underwater safety, combined with a thorough knowledge of marine life, the ocean and boating are all requirements for this career. Underwater photographers also shoot many images for stock photography. For further research visit the following site: http://sio.ucsd.edu http://www.scubadiving.com

Sports  The sports photographer records sporting events as they happen, and must have lightning fast reflexes, superb timing, knowledge of the sport and great technical skill with a variety of cameras. Some sports photographers specialize in only one sport, while others photograph many different sports. They travel extensively, and work nights, weekends and typically endure extremes of weather. Sports photographers generally own their camera gear, and work for several magazines or newspapers. For further research visit the following sites: http://www.sportsshooter.com http://www.asmp.org http://www.nppa.org

Photojournalist  Photojournalists make many of the photographs you see on a daily basis in both newspapers and magazines. Photojournalism requires not only photography skills, but also the following: negotiating skills, knowledge of different cultures and physical and mental strength. Photojournalists frequently travel and may be away for extended periods of time covering conflicts or working on assignments. The National Press Photographers Association has a National mentoring program for students, which is an excellent way to work and learn from a professional photojournalist. For further research visit the following sites: http://www.nppa.org http://newslink.org/photo.html http://www.americanphotojournalist.com http://www.ap.org http://www.whnpa.org http://www.wpja.com

Graphic Design

American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) www.aiga.org

Harrington College of Design - Campus Facilities

The Urban Campus – The Heart of Design, Technology and Innovative Teaching
Harrington's six-story vertical campus is within a glass and granite high-rise that reflects the surrounding cityscape and serves as a learning laboratory.

• Structural elements, plumbing, HVAC and even some walls are left exposed or dissected to exemplify to students the inner workings of the built environment
• Unique three-story display space connects floors designed to hold a mix of classrooms, galleries, offices and spaces for conversation and collaboration on projects.
• Specialized design library with extensive traditional archival holdings and current digital resources supports student research
• Technology which delivers a flexible and innovative education in studio, computer and lecture classrooms
• Faculty of practicing professionals expands the learning experience beyond the classroom to the rich design and cultural community of Chicago

Harrington Library – Connecting Students to the Power of Knowledge
The Harrington College of Design Library is a specialized library functioning as a single source for all student and faculty research needs. Having a professional quality design collection on site helps students save time and create better work.

Library offerings include:

• Approximately 20,000 Books
• More than 10,000 Electronic Books
• Special Collections containing Rare and Valuable Books on Design
• 125 Journal and Newspaper Titles (current and back issues)
• Hundreds of Electronic Journals and Newspapers
• More than 35,000 Digital Images
• Dozens of Research Databases
• Nearly 1,000 Furniture and Product Catalogs
• 450 Videos, DVDs and Compact Discs
• Group and Individual Research Instruction and Assistance
• 17 Computer Workstations with Black & White or Color Printing
• Black & White and Color Copiers (note that the copyright law of the United States (Title 17, U.S. Code) governs the making of photocopies and other reproductions of copyrighted materials. Persons using library photocopiers are liable for any infringements.)
• Quiet study areas
• A cutting board, cutting mats, scissors, hole punch, tape, staplers, and other office equipment.

The library catalog and electronic resources are accessible through the Library Tab on the Student Portal. Some resources are only accessible by on-campus users, while other resources can be accessed anywhere via the World Wide Web.

Harrington College of Design Programs

Passion and creativity.
Problem-solving, critical thinking skills and conceptualization ability.
Hands-on interior design courses, digital photography courses, communication tools and real-world experience.
Education that fits your life.
Prepare for a career you love.

Explore Course Descriptions, Course Outlines and Career Paths for these degree programs and start working toward a rewarding design career:

Associate of Applied Science Interior Design Digital Photography

Bachelor of Fine Arts Interior Design Communication Design

Master of Arts
Interior Design

Master of Interior Design

Class schedules for real life. Students follow a standard 15-week semester system. Fall semesters begin in September, Spring semesters begin in January and Summer semesters begin in May. All of our programs are offered in three time periods to meet a student's flexible schedule: Monday through Saturday morning classes held between 8:30a.m. and 12:30p.m.; Monday through Saturday afternoon classes held between 1:00p.m. and 5:00p.m.; Monday through Thursday evening classes held between 5:30p.m. and 9:30p.m. and no classes held on Sunday. Individual student schedules will vary. Enroll online for interior design courses or digital photography courses at Harrington College of Design.

Consider interior design college to prepare for exciting career opportunities

Are you considering interior design colleges in Chicago? Discover the difference of Harrington College of Design. At Harrington, we understand that the best way to help prepare students for the fast-paced world of interior design is by giving them the chance to develop the real-world knowledge and skills they need to pursue success. Our college offers career training in interior design using industry-current equipment that allows you to complete a number of career-relevant projects.

Is an Interior Design College Right for You? If you have a deep appreciation for interior design, an interior design program may be right for you. Find out more information about our interior design college.

Interior Design Programs

Make the most of your interior design training with the Associate of Applied Science or Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design degree programs at Harrington College of Design. Learn more about the opportunities available through our career-focused Interior Design degree programs.

Interior Design Classes

Receive practical experience through the Interior Design courses offered at Harrington College of Design. Learn more about our Interior Design classes.

Interior Design Careers

Would you like to pursue new career opportunities in Interior Design? Learn more about the career outlook for interior design professionals in today's competitive workforce.

Things to Consider in an Interior Design College

What makes Harrington College of Design different from other interior design colleges? Learn more about the qualities of our interior design school.

What is Interior Design?

Interior Design techniques have come a long way over the years. Find out what today's interior design professionals do and what they need to know.

Siliserh

This is the most popular Illustrator training course created for beginners interested in learning Adobe Illustrator. Each lesson will take around 20 mins to complete and you will be able to learn the basic fundamental techniques before the 30 days trial ends.

In this Illustrator training course, I will not be drilling down in details how each feature works. However, I will be covering all the essential tools that are commonly used so that you can get started and have a feel of how illustrator works. At the 30 days you will be able to and draw your illustrations, design your own logos and create special effects after this Illustrator training course!

Update December 2010 – More than 6,000 users have completed this Illustrator training course and recommended it to their friends! So start learning today!

Illustrator Training – Week 1
Day 1: What is Illustrator
Day 2: Getting Started in Illustrator
Day 3: Drawing Basic Shapes
Day 4: Drawing with Pencil Tool
Day 5: Drawing with Pen Tool
Day 6: Weekend Break
Day 7: Weekend Break

Illustrator Training – Week 2
Day 8: Using Brushes
Day 9: Creating Compound Paths
Day 10: Working with Color and Strokes
Day 11: Editing Objects, Layers & Groups
Day 12: Transparency & Graphic Styles
Day 13: Weekend Break
Day 14: Weekend Break

Illustrator Training – Week 3
Day 15: Transforming & Moving Objects
Day 16: Basic Text
Day 17: Blending Shapes & Colors
Day 18: Photorealism with Gradient Mesh
Day 19: Using the Symbol Tools
Day 20: Weekend Break
Day 21: Weekend Break

Illustrator Training – Last Week
Day 22: Creating Special Effects
Day 23: Applying 3D Extrude & Bevel
Day 24: Distort using Warp Effects
Day 25: Applying Live Paint
Day 26: Masking using Clipping Path/ Opacity Mask
Day 27: Weekend Break
Day 28: Weekend Break
Day 29: Saving & Printing
Day 30: Final Project – Designing a Logo

Let’s draw a nice awesome vector red curtain in this Illustrator tutorial. This lesson assumes that you already have a basic understanding on how the gradient mesh works. We will move on to create a realistic curtain using the gradient mesh. You can use this curtain effect for your movie or theaters related theme design.

1. Creating the Curtain

First, we create Rectangle and fill it with red. Select the Mesh Tool and start clicking along the edge of the rectangle. Creating 3 segments close together will give good results as we can simply change the middle segment to black for shadows.

Illustrator maestro Alexis West demonstrates how to magic up appealing characters using a pencil, a computer and bags of imagination.

The ability to dream up and design cool, dynamic people is a good skill for any graphic designer to have under their belt, whether you’re basing whole graphic novels around them or just using them to add a quirky twist to flyers or T-shirt designs.

Character design is a great chance to really let your imagination run wild – the sky’s the limit. In this tutorial, you’ll learn some basic skills for converting your character from a pencil doodle to a complete, fully-coloured image – learning some crucial Illustrator skills along the way.

Today I’ll talk about how you can recolor your artwork in Illustrator CS3 using the LiveColor feature. I’ve always wanted to talk about this feature, but somehow I never got to actually doing it. I believe this is a rather powerful feature that might be a bit daunting at first sight. It definitely needs some getting used to before you actually see or understands its power.

Some people might find other methods better, easier or faster, but here are the steps I usually take when I use this feature:

In this tutorial you’ll start by taking a photograph of a tree, then trace its natural form and add your own creative touches to produce an eye-catching, contemporary illustration. You’ll use a range of Illustrator tools, including the freehand drawing tools, the shape tools and the Layers palette.

Of course, the methods I’ll show you can be adapted for any project you have to hand. You can create your own atmosphere using a different colour palette, a different type of tree and different surroundings. Your final illustration can be bright and colourful, dark and magical, psychedelic and surreal, or wholly realistic – it’s entirely your choice.

The goal of the students' work was to inspire options for chemotherapy suites for patients in a satellite outpatient center in Brooklyn.

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) and Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects teamed with Parsons The New School for Design in an external partnership project to explore new interior designs for an alternative delivery care model for the hospital’s chemotherapy patients residing in Brooklyn.

The project began when MSKCC, the world’s oldest and largest private cancer treatment and research institution, invited Parsons, a veritable factory of famed designers founded in 1896, to develop ideas for the patient-centered model as part of physical expansion plant that has seen the hospital build a network of outpatient centers and research facilities.



The goal of the partnership was to harness the work of Parsons interior design students to inspire new design concepts for a 7,745-square-foot ground-floor satellite chemotherapy delivery site in downtown Brooklyn that would provide treatment to patients closer to their homes in a more streamlined manner.

Students in instructor Aki Ishida’s Interior Design Studio II developed design proposals that alter how a clinical facility could be experienced by both patients as well as the public. Their designs were required to allow 12 patients to be treated concurrently at any given time. The goal for Parsons was to challenge the roles that interior designers can play in contemporary society by shaping the physical, emotional, and psychological experience for patients in ways that empower them. Below are three examples.





Sofie Bamberg: "To give the patients an environment with as flexibility and comfortable as possible, I designed the chemotherapy center from the principles of the human body, taking all five senses in concern. This was done while meeting the needs of functionality that a hospital demands. I used solar tubes to reflect daylight into the community area and designed a light therapy ceiling for the treatment rooms, which gives the patients the ability to control the color, intensity and temperature of the light. I found inspirations for my design in the urban site, combined with the quiet and peaceful nature of Northern Europe. All together, I created an area in which the patient can find peace and harmony, where light, sound and materials will synchronize and give patients the motivation to go through the difficult experience of chemotherapy."


Tracy Ong: "The satellite treatment center for Memorial Sloan Kettering is designed around giving the chemotherapy patient a sense of control through an environment that changes and moves according to the scale of the body. Vertical panels around the room collapse to provide seating, storage and privacy (through dividers). The ceiling is composed of layers of laser cut-patterns that project shadows of different depths, creating the experience of being underneath the trees. Control over the color and the brightness of the lights enable the patient to define his surroundings, making the experience feel safe and personal."




Erik Malave: "The design goal for the cancer center was to diminish the feeling of isolation for patients undergoing treatment. This was achieved through making connections with its urban site and fostering a sense of community within the clinic. An inviting environment containing the necessary triggers that would encourage patients to leave the comfort and privacy of their rooms was created. Evoking the serenity of ancient Roman atriums, the central communal fountains provide an opportunity for relaxation and social interaction. The space is activated with visual, tactile, and audio sensory stimulation through the use of ambient lighting, wood detailing, and the flow of water. It is a place to sit, read, chat with family and friends, or for quiet contemplation. Sliding doors in the rooms allow patients to invite the comforting sight and sounds in."

Lederer + Ragnarsdóttir + Oei kick-starts kids' imaginations at a Steiner-Waldorf school in Freiburg, Germany

Children often leave their mark on schools, from initials carved jaggedly into desktops to graffiti scrawled on restroom walls. It's not often that the architecture actually invites these contributions. However, it does at an addition to the Freien Waldorfschule St. Georgen, a Steiner-Waldorf primary school in the southwestern German town of Freiburg. The three main doors are clad in copper that changes color with the weather. . .and with fingerprints. “The students can rub in their own graphics. Then, after three weeks, they're gone,” Jórunn Ragnarsdóttir says. Ragnarsdóttir, her husband, Arno Lederer, and his former student Marc Oei beat out five other architecture firms in the competition for this project—a decision influenced by Lederer + Ragnarsdóttir + Oei's previous forays into educational design, notably a Steiner school in nearby Villingen-Schwenningen.

Appealing to a child's imagination is just one pillar of Rudolf Steiner's educational system, which emphasizes the academic, physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of the “whole child.” The first Steiner-Waldorf school opened in 1919 in Stuttgart for children of workers at the Waldorf-Astoria cigarette factory. Now, more than 1,000 outposts exist in 60 countries. In terms of architecture, most Steiner schools are influenced by the organic form of the Goetheanum in Basel, Switzerland. Steiner, who was also an architect, designed this concrete building as the home base of his spiritual philosophy movement, Anthroposophy. “Keep in mind that the man is a god today,” Lederer says. “And his approach ideally calls for no right angles.”

The 29,000-square-foot white stucco addition to the Freiburg school houses 11 classrooms spread out over three stories. A multipurpose room hosts activities as diverse as handicrafts and cooking. Two studios are dedicated to eurythmy, which Lederer describes as a “mixture of modern ballet and Chinese shadow boxing.” As performance is a large part of the Steiner curriculum, the school's showpiece is a double-height auditorium. Chairs here as well as in the classrooms were custom-made in plywood to keep costs down.

Because Steiner's pedagogical philosophy is very specific about children's need for color, Lederer + Ragnarsdóttir + Oei tempered the envelope's neutral plywood, oiled oak, concrete, and white paint with bright accents. Classrooms, all slightly different in shape, have walls in sunny yellow or tomato red. “Steiner believed that younger pupils, particularly, need warm colors,” Lederer explains. A balustrade on the second-floor landing is painted that same red, bouncing a rosy glow on the wall opposite. “For the preteen years,” Oei adds, “the colors get cooler.”

The architects' most prominent use of color involves the auditorium's windows, square and rectangular apertures scattered asymmetrically across the street facade. Mounted in front of each of them is a slightly larger panel of blue, red, pink, or orange glass, which casts a rainbow of light on the walls inside. “There's always color, so you don't really see the gray concrete,” Ragnarsdóttir notes. Only two other colors appear in the auditorium: crimson, used for chair cushions and one of the velour curtains, and royal blue, used for the other curtain. Designed like those in a professional theater, the curtains can be closed or opened several different ways. “Suddenly, Hamlet can appear on stage,” Lederer says, adding that Steiner students are “simply more creative.” He speaks with some authority. All four sons of Lederer and Ragnarsdóttir attended Steiner schools.

PROJECT TEAM volker katthagen; katja pütter: lederer + ragnarsdóttir + oei. büro für baureali s ierung: structural engineer. ingenieurbüro bühler: mep. holzbau baumer: wood work. albert feser: plasterwork. moser: concrete work. bodenlegerei bromma: flooring contractor.

firm:unstudio
site: graz, austria

Credit visionary architect Ben Van Berkel with thinking outside the black box. The UNStudio principal's commission for the Kunstuniversität Graz in Austria was very basic at the outset: provide an education-minded venue to host concerts ranging from classical to jazz and electronica. However, his MuMuTh music theater and faculty building has proved to be much, much more. Around that minimal nucleus wraps a highly expressive building. He calls the spatial effect kaleidoscopic, adding, "I'm trying to formulate a way for architecture to go from box to blob and back again."

The interior is vast, 67,000 square feet, and individual spaces are also "very generous," he says. Although the lobby is truly expansive, the sculpted concrete and plaster forms wafting through it create not only drama but also intimate areas. In contrast to these dynamic forms, materials largely reference classic modernism: wood, chrome, concrete, glass. Color accents, meanwhile, bring stage makeup to mind. "The red comes from lipstick, the soft purple from around the eyes," he says, explaining his choices for the spiral staircase and the dressing-room walls.

Glass sheathing the building is fritted with colorful shapes derived from musical instruments and notes. (The black-box theater features several layers of lacquered MDF that was CNC-milled in similar patterns.) An external layer of stainless-steel mesh helps to shade the curtain wall, producing a deceptively solid-looking facade during daylight hours yet allowing the building to radiate at night, Van Berkel notes, "like a lamp in the city." The magic is nothing short of theater.

A dashing Portuguese architect, Nuno Montenegro has two maestros-he made their acquaintance at university in Venice. One is Vittorio Gregotti, known for geometrical, function-first designs for everything from door hardware and interiors to urban planning. "Never a step out of order," Montenegro says, parroting a Gregotti dictum. "Once, he told me I'd be a great architect if my designs were just a bit more orderly. I still don't agree totally with that." Nor did Gregotti's colleague Aldo Rossi, who famously encouraged students to address the ambiguity and symbolism that surround us. "The romantic vision," Montenegro explains. "Rossi was often unhappy in his futile fight against a world of extreme definition that lost a bit more of its Renaissance legacy every day. Part of my work is truly dedicated to him."

The clashing ideals of Vittorio the Vitruvian and Aldo the emotional come together visibly in a building that Montenegro + Partners Architects designed­ for the Polytechnic Institute of Beja, Portugal. A sleeper of a project-and the firm's most ambitious by far-the 53,000-square-foot School of Management and Technology owes its powerful exterior presence to clean lines and rigorous simplicity. The thick white walls and small windows fur­ther­more reflect the climate in the southern part of the country and, in some ways, recall the rural vernacular. Inside, meanwhile, the obsessive whiteness continues, while idiosyncratic flourishes keep students on their toes.

Most memorable are the human silhouettes that recur on the walls. Some are wood cutouts applied to either fixed or sliding glass doors; others are simply apertures in the cast concrete; still other apertures are glazed. All could be interpreted as suggesting distinct personalities, alternately endearing or slightly spooky. It's a bit surrealist, perhaps Giorgio de Chirico with a dash of M.C. Escher for good measure. However they make you feel, their ghostly presence makes you think. As Montenegro explains, the message is: Learn by perception. "Architecture communicates its ratios, dimensions, colors, textures, and symbols to produce a world in balance," he says. "Someday, if someone remembers a special detail of a stair, then I have done my job."

The human shapes are only one of many conceits meant to raise questions. There are plenty of puzzles to ponder. For example, why are interior doors tall and narrow, when exterior doors are low and wide? Why does a carved bas-relief of the elemental symbol for water, H2O, appear on the ceiling of the entry? Why does its shared station for the receptionists and security guard have two small round windows? It might be to intrigue students and reduce­ the scale of the huge room, but Montenegro, like his mentor Rossi, stops short of a straight reply. "The answer to those questions is part and parcel of the process of gathering and transforming information," he says. Architecture becomes a metaphor for the daily challenge of teaching students: Encourage questions before giving the answer, but offer paths of discovery.

From symbolism to contextuality and functionality, Montenegro's submission to the European Union-sponsored competition for the project won in every category. A jury of mainly Portuguese architects was clearly smitten by a solution so pleasing to the senses while acknowledging the economic realities of a nation "relying on rather scarce resources," Montenegro says. The brief called for an ambitious program, with administrative areas as well as student zones including the inevitable Portuguese bar in addition to more serious-minded facilities. There's a state-of-the-art computer department, a variety of wet and dry laboratories, and 15 classrooms. In a straightforward, rational division that's pure Gregotti, Montenegro ganged the labs partially below-grade and the classrooms on the second level. And each large classroom can be divided in half by placing a simple partition across the space.

Also eminently rational, multiple entrances connect to the corridors that run through the center of all three levels. Yet these long, wide expanses of white-on-white, already a bit disorienting, further deceive visitors with false doorways. Montenegro's School of Technology and Management never fails to create opportunities for reflection. The theatricality and grandeur are unmatched elsewhere on campus.

Kliment Halsband Architects has renovated Gilman Hall, an academic building
at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

Higher education is going low-impact, with these three universities among those aiming for a grade of LEED Silver for recent campus projects. At Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Kliment Halsband Architects updated the century-old Gilman Hall in sustainable style by reusing marble and brick, adding skylights, and installing an outdoor-air cooling system. Designing a student center for Cleveland State University, Gwath­mey Siegel & Associates Architects specified pale roofing, LED fixtures, and low-VOC carpet and paint. And Valerio Dewalt Train Associates, building the University of California San Diego's six-story Rita Atkinson Residences, concealed three additional levels of bike storage and student services underground, beneath a planted courtyard.



Valerio Dewalt Train Associates’s stucco-clad posttensioned concrete
Rita Atkinson Residences for the University of California San Diego.

Interior designing is a multi–faceted profession in which creative and technical solutions are applied within a structure to achieve a built interior environment and home lifestyle enhancement. The interior design process follows a systematic and coordinated methodology, including research, analysis, and integration of knowledge into the creative process, whereby the needs and resources of the client are satisfied to produce an interior space that fulfills the project goals.

There are a wide range of working conditions and employment opportunities within interior design. Large and tiny corporations often hire interior designers as employees on regular working hours. Designers for smaller firms usually work on a contract or per-job basis. Self-employed designers, which make up 26% of interior designers, usually work the most hours. Interior designers often work under stress to meet deadlines, stay on budget, and meet clients' needs. In some cases, licensed professionals review the work and sign it before submitting the design for approval by clients or construction permisioning.

Drawing Limits

In the previous tutorial, drawing limits were mentioned while explaining the use of the zoom all command. When the zoom all command is chosen, AutoCAD zooms to the extent of the user defined limits. Limits can be thought of as the extent of the drawing area. The AutoCAD drawing area is, in theory, infinite. As long as you continue to draw, AutoCAD will continue to give you the drawing space.

If thought of in practical terms, if we were to manually pencil draw a 1:1 scale (full size) drawing of a wrist watch, why draw it on an A0 sized sheet of paper when A4 size is adequate? AutoCAD drawing limits follow the same logic. We can tell AutoCAD the drawing space we require (although we have the option to increase this if we so desire at a later stage). AutoCAD will display a grid to the extent of the drawing limits specified.

Lets have a go:

1) Start a new AutoCAD drawing.

2) Start the line command

3) For the start point , enter 0.2,0.2 For the next point enter @0,0.52

4) For the next point enter @0.37,0

5) For the next point enter @0,-0.52

6) To close the box, we'll try a new technique. Normally, we would now enter @-0.37,0 to draw a horizontal line back to the start position to close the box. As we have drawn all 3 lines keeping the line command open, there is a quicker way to draw the box. Type the letter c in the command line (the c stands for close) to draw a line from the current location back to the start point.

Your screen should be similar to the screen shown below (You may have to zoom extents to see the entire drawing).

7) Now try using the zoom all command. The drawing will be barely visible (if at all). This is because the default limits are not set correctly for our drawing. We need to enter new drawing limits.

8) Type limits directly into AutoCAD's command line. You will be asked to specify the lower left co-ordinates (remember - in relation to the UCS). Hit enter to accept the default value of 0.0000,0.0000.

9) AutoCAD now wants us to specify the upper right limit co-ordinates. There is no right or wrong value, but it should be set to a sensible value for the drawing size. Our drawing is only 0.52m x 0.37m. Lets enter an upper limit of say, 1m,1m from the UCS. Enter 1,1 into the command line and hit enter.

10) Now try the zoom all command again. The view should be much closer as it is set to the drawing limits.

Some professional AutoCAD users manage to go their whole careers without ever altering AutoCAD's limit setting, and quite frankly:- it's easily done! There will be many times (especially if like me, you never use the zoom all command and grid!) that adjusting AutoCAD's default limit settings has no advantage.
Why mention it then? well... occasionally while panning your pan icon may gain a line next to it (dependant on the pan direction) and you can't pan any further. This is because the limits have been reached and AutoCAD refuses to let you see beyond your defined drawing areas. You may then require to enter the limits command and change the default setting.

Try panning away from the drawing we just made, as soon as you hit the 1m drawing limit we set, we can't pan any further.

Just in case you were curious, the drawing is of a DVD case (520mmx370mm). If we were to have drawn the case in millimetres instead of metres (i.e we decide one AutoCAD unit shall equal 1mm instead of 1m - perfectly acceptable to do) then a much larger upper right drawing limit would have been required, perhaps 1000,1000.

That's about all there is to know about drawing limits!

Here we'll take a quick look at the various zoom commands available, and their uses. This tutorial requires you to download the AutoCAD drawing file Lesson3.dwg

1) Load up the file, the drawing is of a steel plate with 6 mounting screws.

To see all of the available zoom commands, the zoom toolbar needs to be visible. Load in the zoom toolbar (For those who can't remember: Go to the 'view' drop down menu, then select toolbars. Check the 'zoom' box then choose close. Move the toolbar to a convenient location)

AutoCAD's zoom command toolbar:

AutoCAD is a Computer Aided Design (CAD) program used by just about every Engineering and Design office in the world. Although there are alternative CAD packages, AutoCAD is by far the most widely used system. Autodesk's AutoCAD is the industry leader in CAD packages. Used by Civil Engineers, Architects, Mechanical and Electrical Engineers, Aeronautical Engineers plus many other disciplines.

There have been several versions of Autocad over the years, with each new version introducing new and more powerful features than its predecessor. The latest version of AutoCAD (at the time of writing) is Autocad 2005. Any courses, whether through community colleges or online universities, that are related to Engineering or Architecture should be considered incomplete if they do not introduce students to Autocad.

Accurate, scale drawings can be created and published using AutoCADs powerful features. 3D 'models' can also be created giving the designer absolute control over the design from start to finish. The computerised model can be viewed through a 360º angle, and even 'rendered' with a texture on screen to give an idea of the finished product.

Open up AutoCAD, you should be greeted with a screen asking if you want to open an existing drawing or start from scratch. (Dependant on your version of AutoCAD, the screen will be slightly different - The image shown below is for AutoCAD 2002).

In this tutorial you will be guided in creating vector handphone in illustrator.

The following tutorial is on creating a vector bear t-shirt design in illustrator.