blogs are cool

I may not be the best blogger,.. in fact I am sure of that. However, I think blogging can be very beneficial. It seems to be the equivalent of a scientific journal for the design industry. It is good to share ideas with others and to help grow creativity from other's ideas. While I have found it difficult to be a disciplined blogger, I think the idea is a helpful one.

God bless you readers,

AG

Dramatic finish

Just like any good story, a great experience ends with a bang. This could be a soft, cold mystery, or a powerful roar, but it is the climax of the experience. The simple rule is to save your best tricks for last. The Jurassic PArk attraction, at Universal Studios Island of Adventure waits until the end of its ride to raise guests guests up its hill and to send them plunging into the water below, just after coming face to face with a T-rex. They saved the best for last.

As technology increases in the theme park industry, more and more experiences become available. But just as the animation industry, if technology attempts t replace a good story, a ride will loose its quality. The Amazing Adventures of Spider man is a good example of a successful use of technology while keeping the story. This moving 3D cinema of sorts takes guests through the city streets with Spiderman as their leader. The fun story takes advantage of the technology. The fear of some ride enthusiasts is that technology will replace actual moving rides, but this seems unlikely, as simulators have note been able to replicate G forces. My fingers are crossed.

Tower of Terror Case Study 2: surroundings

One of the best things Disney does is support their attractions through the surrounding environments. This is an amazing thing. Not only are the attractions themed, but so are the local restaurants, architecture, and details surrounding the ride. Before a new ride is designed, an appropriate location must allow the ride to feature the correct time period, dolor scheme, architectural style. etc. Tower of Terror os a great example of this. The Hollywood hotel themed ride is featured at the end of Sunset Boulevard. A rarely seen a graphic sign at the beginning of the street advertises for the "new" hotel. The 1930's Hollywood attraction fits in its environment, and even completes the scene. In addition, the rides vibrant purple and orange lighting give the ride a special focus on the street.

THe transformation from 2D design communication to 3D communication is an amazing one. Especially for the enviornmental deisgn world. The goal of a render of to capture the feeling of the mood of a space. This is mimicked through the loose feel of enviornmental renders. However, a 3D model gives space a reality. I wish more physical models were done, these days. While they are time consuming they seem to capture the reality of a space even better than a 3D rendering. There are, of course benefits to the digital renders too, as they are generally quicker, and more photo realistic. I suppose the key is to know when to choose the best method.

Blue - Pink- Sky

One of my favorite parts of the design process is the brainstorming process. In this phases their is no bad ideas and the sky is the limit. Known as the "Blue Sky" stage at Disney, this picture is of an early rendering of the Expedition everest attraction. It is an interesting piece because parts of the attractions layout did not end up being as they are shown here. The picture is telling of the design's though process before the realities of time, space and money set into the ride as it is today.

Tower of Terror Case Study 1: effects

As seen in the picture, special effects can be a very effective way to tell a story, or to express part of it. This example of the "Pepper's Ghost" effect is in Disney's Tower of terror. The mystifying guest effect captures the attention of the viewer. However, one important thing to notice is that the ghosts are part of the story. This isn't simply a random effect for effect sake, but it is used to support the overall story. Very successful experience.

Reptilian Wars

This final Project for Des Com was very helpful. This was a great exercise to practice the rendering process with a 3D model as the base of a rendering. I had not done an environmental rendering with this process before. This was a great way to end a very helpful quarter. I have learned and improved very much! Thanks for the quarter!

The queue

A common place for complaining in a theme park is the long queue line on a hot day. No one wants to be there. What is the best solution? Some parks, such as Disney, Universal, and Six Flags have used different variations of a "Fast Pass" system. In this system guests are assigned a time to arrive at an attraction to ride. This method allows guests to avoid waiting in line and allows them to be enjoying other areas of the park while they would otherwise be stuck waiting. One solution I have considered is to make he line part of attraction's experience. This has be used in many themed rides, as animatronics begin to interact with guests as they enter the line. However, I wish there was a greater use of story used in queue lines. If it was great enough, guests wouldn't feel like they were in line, they would believe the "ride" had begun. Expedition Everest, at Disney's Animal Kingdom is an example of suing a queue line to tell a story. Throughout a guest's wait they are informed that they are about embark on a climb of Mount Everest. Guests walk through Everest architecture and through a yeti museum before they arrive at the ride. In theory the story should not pause between the wait the the ride. In fact the ride should have a beginning after the line, the "story" should be experienced from beginning to end of the experience. How can the line be taken advantage of by designers? How could this part of the attraction be as fun as the "ride"? Could it even be more fun? The future will tell.

A different world

Its not really that hard to put a guest in a different world. I mean, it could be... creating a museum exhibit themed to jupiter would be difficult. However, guests require few foreign things in their environment to feel like they are in a foreign place. The above image is of a concept The Hettema Group did for The Royal Hashemite Court of Jordan. As you can see the architecture is very themed, but all the same elements or are daily life are present. THeir are buildings, trees, transportation, and more. The point is, is a themed area is complete in its execution, it doesn't need to be extremely different then our present world to be successful.

Experiencing Design 2

Bouncing off a previous post, experiencing design can be enhanced in multiple ways. In addition to enhancing the physical sense to improve experiences emotional senses can be enhanced as well. Every time we see a movie our emotions are grabbed, whether it be in a chick flick or an action movie or anything in between. Use of interesting characters, good story, appropriate music, and relatable situations can all be used to capture the emotions of the viewer. In the experiential design industry, emotions are a key way to improve an experience. Disney has capitalized on using their lovable characters to capture the emotions of thousands of children and adults. When theme parks create memorable experiences (example: taking guest's pictures as they enter a theme park) they are producing a special moment and memory that will recall certain emotions to guests whenever they remember it. So, emotions are also a key tool for experiential designers to use.

Good story

Story is an amazing part of our lives. It seems to be ingrained in us. It seems to have been designed in each of our souls. We desire to be a part of a story in which good overcomes evil and victory is won. Understanding story can be used to the designer's advantage can't it? Understanding this core part of the human, allows the designer to capture the guest in a great story. For example, in a themed attraction, guests will most fully experience story if they are allowed to feel the stress of a stories conflict before the relief of its resolution. A similar application of story could be applied to consumer products, in the way they are advertised or explained. A good designer should have a good understanding of story.

Experiencing Design

Experiential design is obviously about experiencing. How can this be achieved successfully? How can a guest have a effective experience? One way is to enhance the senses. To create smells of popcorn on a main street or to produce smells in a 4D cinema attraction. For the sense of "feel" thrill rides play with our bodies as we are dropped quickly giving the experience of negative G forces as wind breezes by. Beautiful colors can captivate our sense of sight, and unique noises mystify our ears. Food that we have never tasted before captures our taste buds. So to successfully produce experiential design , one method is to engage the guest's senses in a way they have never experienced before. The more we experience something, the less the impact. So, one key to experiencing design is to use the physical senses.

Allen

Fantasy

Fantasy is a favorite theme of our world. A fantasy story contains some of our favorite elements: a love story a hero, mystery , danger, and most of all a happily ever after ending. These elements are key to any story. When emotions are tugged on in any business it can be profitable. If teens fall in lust with Zack Efferon by watching him on tv there is an insant connection and opportunity for a brand to market that emotion to be experienced more. This can be dangerous if aboused. Things like music, visual scenes, and situations a viewer can realte to are all ways to draw a guest into a story - to gain their full attention, even grabin gtheir heart. Fantasys feature all or these and are stories that people dream about experienceing (true love, being a hero, etc.). This dream is reninforced as we see it again and again in an entertaining way. Stories with emotions are aa powerful tool.

Understanding the Journey

Guests desire to be taken into a new land, in a themed experience. Experience designers must understand this land before they can tell the story to others. A team of Walt Disney Imagineers took a trip to Nepal, Asia as they designed this replica attraction, Expedition Everest, in Orlando. They had to understand the experience before expressing it to others. Even fantasey worlds must be explored an dunderstood before invitin gothers in.
This process can be interesting when the guest sis invited to help tell the stoyr and help define an expreience.

Detail

The most sought after theme parks today seem to be the most detailed. These details show that park designers are stressing a story. While detailed props add up financially they provide an kind of ora to the guest, even if the guest does not directly see or notice theme. Walt Disney insisted that guests could tell if a park was cared for and he went to great measures to give guests details that his colleges thought would too much.
So how far is to far? While every park can't affornd the detail of Disney, there does seem to be an incrase in theme park attendence with increase in theming detail. However, part of the art of theme park design is giving the guests a believiable experience at an affordable price. Design tricks in painitng/material choices, forced perspective and more can give a great experience at a great price.
This will contiue to be an miportant ar as the majority of theme parks can't afford the amount of theming they might desire.

Branding

There are several examples of themed experiences whose theme is purely based on a brand. Examples include Hersey Park , Lego Land (as seen in the picture), and Ferrari World. The story's for these experiences must come from the brand content. This may be a difficult way to get a story, but the stories produced are rather interesting. Many brands create characters in the form of their product to allow for an emotional connection to the product. Emotional connections can be very powerful, as seen with cartoon characters, such as Disney's. Hershey Park and the Coke Museum feature many characters to represent their brands. Hershey personifies different candies, while Coke creates an extire new world, "The Happiness Factory" where Coke comes from.
While there is certainly a modivation behind these stories to support the brands, unique stories do arise when given peramiters. However, these stories are obviosly not as open or free as a non-branded story with less limitations.
When looking for a new story check out a brand!

Whats makes a good park layout?

When I think of my top ten favorite theme parks layout plays a role in how I rate them. The features of the park play a big part as well. But the overall layout plays a big part of the experience.
Old boardwalks and amusement parks, such as Cedar Point feature a long, narrow park plan, which reflects the nature of being on a coast. Cedar Point, which is over a hundred years of, still reflects this linear plan, as seen to the right.
When Disneyland opened Walt Disney created a new standard of park layouts. This model featured a center icon with different themed areas branching off from it. This model certainly reflects the park being themed and therefor revolving around a story, rather than the goal of amusement at older parks.
Today, this circular model derived from Disney is still used. Here is shown Universal Studio's Isand of Adventure park wchich opend in 1999. What will be the next revamp to the park layout? My thought is that it will be a model that reflects a storyline even more. Instead of symmetrical circle layouts it may be a single path which winds around the storyline of the park. It could be an experience completely revolving around one story.

Whats in a Name?

A ride's name give it a lot of personality. It may be the first or even the only impression someone gets of the ride. For instance if I hear someone say: "Have you ridden the Flight of Fear?" I start thinking about a high speed thrill ride. The sigh gives personality, a mental description of the ride. If a ride changes it name, the ride changes... atleast slightly. A few years ago King;s Island's "Beastie" was renamed and re-themed to become "The Family Odd parents coaster." The ride is still the same (except for the colors). Now, however, I don't think of the ride as "the Beat's little brother." Now the ride is disconnected from the family of thrills the Beats is in. The ride is now just a kiddie ride, for kids. I'm not saying renaming the ride was a mistake (even though some would), all I am saying is a name should be chosen carefully. Its amazing, the amount of impact a name has.

Themed ride signs can be some of the greatest examples of themed logos. The name and themed sign for the "Road Runner Express" coaster is a great example of a name that describes and supports the ride.
















Goliath at Six Flags Magic Mountain is another great example of a ride title and sign which supports a ride experience. Goliath's sign letters are even able to be walked through by park guests, making theme an interactive part of the experience.

Six Flag's other Goliath coasters, however, feature different themed signs. These two signs seem to be less costly of the first one. The image to the right, however, even seems to have a different theme. It has an appealing font, but Im sure if is says "Goliath." It seems to be more futuristic than Biblical. Maybe a different name would fit that font better. Or maybe keeping the name with a theme more like Six Flagss's Magic Mountians. Just my opinion.

Opening Scene

Don't you love the feeling of walking into a theme park. The anticipation grows as you wait in line to enter. You go through the security post, then you go through the turnstiles. As you walk forward and leave the overhead shelter you find yourself viewing the opening scene of the park. That first moment is a great one. At Kings Island, you feel the mist of the international street fountains as you view the effiel tower straight ahead. The more I think about it, the more I reliaze how designed this experience is. The opening, one point perpsective scene you see is usually crowned with the park's icon (the efief otwer of Kings Island. How interesting.
Does a sunny, onepoint perspective scene evoke happy emotions? I wonder how theme park designers design this openeing scene to fill the viewer with excitment.
Let me know if you have any ideas!

Ride Restriants

I came across this image of theme park ride restraints. I am always fascinated by restraints. Their purpose, obviously, is to retrain human bodies, but they should be analyzed on many levels. In addition to being safe, restraints should be comfortable and a part of the ride's story. Do these restraints look comfortable? Do they look like props of a story. I think they could could do better.




The next restraint, is certainly better designed. This shoulder harness for a jungle themed coaster named Kingda Ka is designed to fit a person's body. Unlike the hard, "bumpy" over-the-shoulder restraints, this restraint has thin flexible shoulder straps to give maximum comfort and freedom, in addition to safety. However, the restraint doesn't neccisarily support the jungle theme of the ride.

This final set of restraints are for a new roller coaster called the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit Roller Coaster at Universal Studios, Orlando. The parks markets the ride as a Total Immersion Entertainment and Puts Guests In The Director’s Seat. This is a very successful restraint. Not only is the restraint safe, and comfortably designed, it is also a functional part of the ride's story.
The music themed coaster is the "country’s only coaster where guests can choose the soundtrack to their ride from songs representing five different genres of music. They will use a

personal touchpad – or guest interface panel – mounted on the lap bar to make their selection. The panel is designed for ease of use and visibility. It is military-grade durable and waterproof. And it uses wireless servers to upload each rider’s music pick."

This is a super example of using a restraint for all that it can be: a safe, comfortable, storytelling piece of design.

Welcome to Des Com!

After four co-ops of Environmental design training, I truly enjoy the entertainment design industry. Therefore, my goals for this quarter will be to continue growing in these skills. My hope is to grow in my perspective sketches of spaces - both exterior and interior - and figures to go in them. In addition, I desire to continually grow in drafting objects, specifically themed objects that are props in an overall story. Finally, Photoshop rendering is aways a place I desire to grow, especially when it comes to rendering spaces and story boards. I'm looking forward to this quarter as I'm sure it will prove to be another opportunity to gain new skills, learn from new people, and have fun designing!

Until next time,

AG