News.
RSM Design Welcomes the 2016 Interns
Joining the RSM Design team for the summer of 2016 are four fabulous interns! Over the past week we’ve welcomed Tyler, Claire, Santiago, and Will to the RSM Design team and wasted no time immersing them into the studio life and getting them primed to take on a variety of projects in the coming weeks. Coming from a pool of national and international talent, these college (and high school!) students are gearing up to learn the ins and outs of architectural graphic design and learn valuable lessons they can take back to their studies with them in the fall. Read on to learn a few fun facts about the newest members of the team!
TYLER BICKEL
Hometown: San Juan Capistrano, CA
School + Grade: San Jose State University, Senior
Major: Industrial Design
What are you looking forward to learning and doing this summer at RSM Design?
I’m excited to be working with Will this summer, since he is also an industrial design major (and apparently a Jack of All Trades. It seems that everyone on the RSM team is, really!) In University, I have become very used to the design project types and deliverables, but at RSM it looks like I will gain a lot of experiences and be challenged this summer. I’m looking forward to this, coupled with a wonderful, fun team to work with!
What are your hobbies and what do you like to do in your spare time?
- I run a lot. Not very fast… But often!
- I also enjoy hiking and camping
- Trying to improve my photography skills
- I’m a pretty big nerd when it comes to consumer electronics and apps
- I’m also a vegan and a terrible cook, so it has been a great hobby/arduous task learning to make vegan dishes with friends
Give us your favorite design-related quote:
“Good designs are like good jokes. If you have to explain it, it just isn’t that good.”
“If you can design one thing, you can design everything.” –Massimo Vignelli
CLAIRE GRIFFIN
Hometown: San Clemente, CA
School + Grade: Santa Margarita Catholic High School, Senior
Academic Interests: Photography, Architecture, Graphic Design, Theater Tech (makeup, lighting, sound, set design)
What are you looking forward to learning and doing this summer at RSM Design?
I am looking forward to being a part of an office community and seeing what working in the design industry is like.
What are your hobbies and what do you like to do in your spare time?
- I love photography and theater tech
- I love hanging out with my family and friends
- I love travelling with my family
Give us your favorite design-related quote:
“When nothing goes right, just go left.”
WILL SCHWARTZ
Hometown: San Clemente, CA
School + Grade: Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Sophomore
Major: Computer Science and Electrical Computer Engineering
What are you looking forward to learning and doing this summer at RSM Design?
Learning more about the environmental graphic design field.
What are your hobbies and what do you like to do in your spare time?
- Hang out with my friends
- Read
- Eat food
- Be active
- Making stuff
- Fixing stuff
Give us your favorite design-related quote:
“Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.” –Albert Einstein
SANTIAGO
Hometown: Mexico City, Mexico
School + Grade: Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Sophomore
Major: Computer Science and Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering
What are you looking forward to learning and doing this summer at RSM Design?
Developing my skills in graphic and wayfinding design to later apply in the development of new technologies.
What are your hobbies and what do you like to do in your spare time?
- I like to design and make apps, websites, and robots
- I play the violin and enjoy magic tricks
Give us your favorite design-related quote:
“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.” –Steve Jobs
Shareable Spaces Worth Talking About
SHAREABLE SPACES WORTH TALKING ABOUT
COMMUNITY LIVING ROOMS ARE IN DEMAND AMIDST TRENDS TOWARDS DENSER LIVING
Over the past year, the team at RSM Design has worked to transform the once vacant lot between our buildings into an activated and dynamic community space. “The Lot” at RSM Design is home to a community garden for local restaurants, and downtown San Clemente’s only horseshoe pit, as well as bocce ball and volleyball courts. An art wall provides the perfect canvas for locals to showcase their aerosol skills. We’ve conducted a number of educational garden tours, and “First Friday” nights at The Lot draws crowds for outdoor movie showings.
With density driven development prevalent in today’s market, private spaces are getting smaller while community spaces are getting larger. People are seeking places to engage and connect with others in shared communal settings. We are hardwired to want to share experiences with others, and are more likely to revisit places where our community and personal interests have intersected.
Community living rooms are equipped with a perfect blend of places to pause, participate, relate, and be a part of something with others. This formula is part programming and part organic growth. We are seeing this new shared space community concept popping up in many of our upcoming projects. The team at RSM Design loves creating community spaces here at our own studio, and most importantly for our clients.
How will you up the ante on your next project in order to create a shareable space worth talking about?
Using Public Art to Add Value to Projects
Providing people with an engaging, passive place to linger, as well as spaces to visit and arrive, gives value to landlords leasing commercial and retail spaces. Many forward-thinking developers and businesses are realizing this value and adding public art component to projects, understanding that the appreciation for public art spans from baby boomers to millennials.
USING PUBLIC ART TO ADD VALUE TO PROJECTS
You’ve probably seen them at some point in your life, standing boldly on a curbside, emblazoned with a state flag or bright graphics and typographic statements– the Cows. The Cow Parade is the world’s largest public art event. After debuting in Chicago in 1999, more than 250 million people have seen these famous cows. Over a decade and 5,000 cows later, the parade spans across the globe, reaching every state and most countries, offering local artists a chance to create a statement utilizing the terrain of a cow’s anatomy.
Much has changed since 1999 and the value and perception of public art has evolved into something quite different. In the early 2000’s Banksy, a British street artist used stencils to create provocative visual statements about politics and the world. Using blighted streetscapes, cracks in walls, broken curbs and abandoned buildings as creative inspiration, Banksy transformed the way in which pop culture and political cartoons reach an audience. The documentary “Exit Through the Gift Shop” released in 2010 exposed street art to a new generation. Once considered graffiti and a public nuisance, public street art is now purchased by celebrities and rock stars, sold as high-ticket items by such reputable art houses as Sotheby’s.
The change and evolution of public art can be attributed to the community of everyday people turning into art curators through the use of technology and social media, Calum Sutton, the head of a global communication agency, recently told Business Life Magazine. “With the growth of social media, everyone is now a photographer and looking more closely at their environment,” Sutton said. “It would follow that more businesses are seeing the value of commissioning excellent public art to help both define their buildings and engage with their audiences.”
As environmental graphic designers, working in the built environment alongside architects and developers, we shape spaces that make a lasting impression, providing people with a memorable moment that reminds them where they are, how they arrived and why they want to come back. We use physical elements as enhancements to give color and shape to an “Instagram-moment.” These moments will inevitably serve as invaluable marketing through organic, authentic endorsements for shopping centers, parks, business communities, and more. This is a contagious endorsement that goes well beyond an advertisement or commercial.
Providing people with an engaging, passive place to linger, as well as spaces to visit and arrive, gives value to landlords leasing commercial and retail spaces. Many forward-thinking developers and businesses are realizing this value and adding public art component to projects, understanding that the appreciation for public art spans from baby boomers to millennials.
Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest and the other social media platforms are virtual galleries offering an audience of millions–all with an opinion and just a finger tap away from a “like.” Artists now have the ability to reach prolific status without the need for a storefront gallery or huge monetary investment. Providing space for artists to contribute to this arena as part of the new urban fabric adds more to a bottom line than parking spaces and green roofs.
Shaping a Coastal Identity: Pacific City and RSM Design
Historically, Pacific City was the maiden name of the California village that would eventually become Huntington Beach. Over the span of about 7 years, RSM Design worked with various project owners to name the project and reintroduce the historic name. DJM Capital Partners revived the Pacific City project in 2012 for a 31-acre development across from the iconic Huntington Beach pier, looking to capture the spirit and energy of the SoCal oceanfront lifestyle.
SHAPING A COASTAL IDENTITY – PACIFIC CITY AND RSM DESIGN
Historically, Pacific City was the maiden name of the California village that would eventually become Huntington Beach. Over the span of about 7 years, RSM Design worked with various project owners to name the project and reintroduce the historic name. DJM Capital Partners revived the Pacific City project in 2012 for a 31-acre development across from the iconic Huntington Beach pier, looking to capture the spirit and energy of the SoCal oceanfront lifestyle.
RSM Design created a distinct identity, signage, and wayfinding program that captured the spirit of the project’s beach-side shopping and dining experience.
Comprised of village-like elements that complement the eclectic cabana-chic beach theme, design details help define the newborn star of Orange County’s coastline. RSM Design paired distinctive colors with rustic materials and finishes to enrich the artisanal feel of this resort-like shopping experience.
The Jerde Partnership’s team of talented architects aimed to define an architectural style that celebrated the seaside elements of a coastal town through a mix of materials and bold architectural accents. Their work successfully created subtle breaks in the massing, evoking a warm and inviting experience that shapes the quintessential “hang-out” spot. Lot 579, an indoor food-hall with unique culinary casual faire, provides additional dining to enhance a more communal and playful coastal vibe. Foosball tables are arrayed along the boardwalk-inspired planked areas within the project. Developers went the extra mile to ensure boards in wooden walkways squeak and creak just like an authentic pier boardwalk. Every detail is designed to create an authentic seaside experience as a pause from the shopping and buzz of this new paradise by the Pacific.
Neon and bulb-lined signage elements paired with reclaimed wood and contrasting white-washed walls give this picturesque site a well-balanced blend of modern, hand crafted and fresh flare. The distinct collection of artisans, restaurateurs and shopkeepers were carefully curated to complement the mood envisioned by the developers as the perfect sunny, catch-all beachfront destination. The signage elements maintain a rhythm of the consistent theme, coupled with enough variety to add moments of delight and surprise.
RSM Design also worked to create transitional elements and temporary signage that would allow for staging and storytelling of the exciting elements to come. From a wood block 3D map to the interactive chalk wall, you’d be hard pressed to find something that doesn’t compel a return visit. These bold graphic statements are a choreographed teaser for guests and work to inspire those classic Instagram moments.
Harry Mark, FAIA Inducted Into the AIA College of Fellows
RSM DESIGN HEADS TO AIA ATLANTA TO CELEBRATE THE INVESTITURE OF HARRY MARK, FAIA
INTO THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS COLLEGE OF FELLOWS
For the past twenty years Harry has focused on a number of varied and unique realms…from environmental graphic design as a principal at RSM Design, to archaeology as the senior architect at the Aphrodisias Archaeological Excavations, and to architectural publication as the editor-in-chief of Architype Review. With an impeccable eye for detail and a passion for design and its impact on place, both past and present, Harry’s contribution to the architectural profession is applauded by his peers in the profession, and RSM Design.
The Fellowship program within the AIA was developed to elevate those architects who have made a significant contribution to architecture and society at a national level and who have achieved a standard of excellence in the profession. The 2015 Jury of Fellows elevated 147 members this year to its prestigious College of Fellows. Out of a total AIA membership of over 85,000 less then 3% of the members are distinguished with this honor.
Harry Mark, FAIA and the 2015 Fellows will be honored at the AIA National Convention on May 15th in Atlanta.
Promotions and Growth at RSM Design
RSM Design Promotes Christy Montgomery to Senior Design Associate and Welcomes Yolanda Sepulveda to the Firm as Our New Design Director
RSM Design celebrates the promotion of Christy Montgomery to the position of Senior Design Associate. Christy’s contribution to the RSM Design team as a mentor and coach continues to elevate the firm’s offerings while also making her an invaluable team member. With an experienced design eye and in depth knowledge of graphic design principles as they relate to the built environment, Christy has an understanding of the people for which RSM’s designs serve and is able to translate that into functional design details.
A new addition this spring filling the role of Design Director is Yolanda Sepulveda.
No stranger to the real estate development and design arena, Yolanda’s career spans urban design and strategic planning for interdisciplinary teams aimed at unblocking challenges in development. Yolanda will focus on expanding the cache of RSM Design’s offerings through projects in new locations while giving shape to the voice to the of the studio.
