In Conversation with Christian Barnard

I had the opportunity to meet Christian Barnard almost a year ago when he approached Meade Design Group to design his new graphic identity. From that moment we established a professional relationship that later became a friendship. It was truly a pleasure to work for him and his portfolio was an amazing source of inspiration.

Landscape Designer, and overall naturalist Christian Barnard is one of the island's most talented young people. Because I appreciate his talent I wanted to showcase him via a blog interview. I sent him some questions I always wanted him to answer and I wanted to share them with my readers.

Christian Barnard -Landscape Designer

Iván Meade - What was your first experience with design?

Christian Barnard - I clearly remember windsock design and construction with my mother at a young age. I was amazed how the environment and its elements brought my creations to life.

Sherwood Plan

Iván - Who or what has influenced your style aside from nature itself?

Christian - I look to varying artistic mediums like sculpture, fashion and architecture. Many different things influence me, and inspiration comes in a multitude of forms and may strike at any time. I always have a sketchbook with me, and I am continuously filling it with drawings, thoughts and work that stimulate me.

Sculpture Garden

Iván - What attracted you to a career in landscape design?

Christian - One of the attractions is that it combines such a diverse range of disciplines, including art, science, horticulture and engineering. I have always enjoyed creating, and this in combination with my education and extensive experience working in gardens and construction, have led me to where I am now. Over the years I have formed a close relationship to, and found inspiration in, the earth and its cycles. I feel our outdoor environment is essential to our society and our quality of life. Ultimately I want to design outdoor spaces that engage and inspire people, as it does me, every day.

Hartford Legacy Screen

Iván - Your designs are stunningly well balanced, modern yet timeless, spacious but not stark. How do you keep current in the garden design industry?

Christian - I spend a lot of time reading art, landscape and architecture books and magazines. Time away from the studio and travel is also important to stay fresh. The key is being mindful not to cling to the trends, to trust your instincts and create your own unique approach and style.

Sherwood Concept Sketch

Iván - Do you feel that Victoria is ready for a change? Where do you see landscape design going in the next 10 years?

Christian - Absolutely Victoria is ready for a change. We are so lucky where we live and I feel the interest and appreciation for the west coast in a local and global sense is growing. In the years to come there will be a deeper understanding and commitment to the space we are given, and a greater need to utilize our outdoor environment. I feel the home in its context, the occupants and their immediate outdoor setting will need to be more environmentally active and balance harmoniously, both functionally and aesthetically.

Iván - You received your education from London's Inchbald School of Design and began your career in England; what has the European culture brought to your designs here in Canada?

Christian - Green space is highly valued in European cities, where space is limited, work hours are long and holidays short. These spaces are used to relax and are key to the communities well being. I was left with this awareness and knowledge of how important the time in this valuable space is to our culture and health.

Sherwood Residence

Iván - Victoria is also your hometown, what do you think your Canadian background brought to your projects in Europe?

Christian - Growing up on the Canadian west coast filled me with a deep respect for the land and its rhythm and allowed me a more sensitive approach to each project. Instinctively my designs reveal and agree with the deeper context and are more functional, economical and sustainable over time than designs that disregard it.

David Residence Plan View

Iván - What kind of things do you have to keep in mind while creating a landscape design that the client might not realize is important for you to know?

Christian - It is critical for me to know how much time the client has to maintain my vision. I do not create complicated gardens; it’s just that a landscape or garden is not finished when construction has been completed. A garden takes time to shape, it needs to evolve and establish.

Hartford Legacy Screen Concept

Hartford Legacy Screen Completion

Iván - What is the most unusual request that you have ever received from a client?

Christian - No request has ever been too unusual, the more unusual the better.

Iván - What do you consider to be your greatest strength and weakness?

Christian - My strength is that I completely immerse myself in every project. I love what I do and pride myself on attention to detail in all aspects of the design and management process. My weakness would have to be my passion for fine footwear.

Davis Residence

Iván - What project are you most proud of?

Christian - It is a garden I grew up shaping and working in from a young age. The client showed me the important aspect of the sense and history of a place, while creating your own unique style within its context. It is a garden where I learned through experiment, a space for work, play and relaxation. It has been an ongoing project now for roughly 16 years.

Iván - What would be your dream project if you were given carte blanche?

Christian - It would have to be an avant-garde urban landscape where the public could experience my work. A green space that reveals local natural processes and resources, improves environmental quality and stimulates other initiatives. A place to build knowledge and relish in biodiversity.

Davis Residence

Iván - What is your favourite plant to work with?

Christian - Every site and project is unique with different requirements and I rarely, if ever, look at plant material for a singular quality. My plantings are created in a painterly fashion, using them en masse, or as “living sculpture.” I select plant materials for their structural character, mutual compatibility, and how they contrast together.

Hartford Legacy

Iván - What is your most valued possession?

Christian - My tan briefcase and its contents.

[ I wonder what the contents are ... ]

Iván - What's next for Christian Barnard Landscape Studio?

Christian - I am currently consulting and working on some very unique projects. What's next? Well, it's really about being open to each distinct challenge and opportunity and embracing the unknown.

To see more of Christian Barnard stunning work please visit:

www.christianbarnard.ca

Christian Barnard Studio

Suite 300 # 3 Fan Tan Alley

Victoria British Columbia V8W 3G9

P 250.590.5098

F 250.590.2930

MEADE DESIGN GROUP - THE BLOG. Copyright 2007-2011

The Design District

Yesterday was the official launch for THE DESIGN DISTRICT in Victoria, BC. It was an event where lots of familiar faces got together and celebrated the long awaited commencement of the project that was four years in the making.

What is THE DESIGN DISTRICT ?

THE DESIGN DISTRICT is an area in downtown Victoria BC where aproximately 25 stores related to design have joined efforts under the direction of Pamela Robert from Thomson and Page and Ken Kelly from the DVBA (Downtown Victoria Business Association) to bring attention to this part of town

Where is THE DESIGN DISTRICT ?

THE DESIGN DISTRICT is in Herald Street, Store Street, Fisgard and Pandora Street in downtown Victoria BC

Who is part of THE DESIGN DISTRICT ?

THE DESIGN DISTRICT members are for the most part furniture stores, childrens boutiques, art galleries, and other local stores selling a wide variety of products and design services for the residents of Victoria BC, as well as supporting businesses such as restaurants and coffee shops.

Why the need to create THE DESIGN DISTRICT ?

The need to identify and create a sector of the city where businesses get together to create one-stop shopping for anything that your home can need, and make it an experience.

Why do we know so much about THE DESIGN DISTRICT ?

Well, Meade Design Group got the honor to be invited as a company to design their graphic identity.

To read more about the concept behind THE DESIGN DISTRICT you can read an entry that we posted earlier this year

http://meadedesigngroup.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Design%20District

This will be the street signage that will identify this new community in town.

We also have created a list of links under THE DESIGN DISTRICT category at the left side of the blog.

MEADE DESIGN GROUP - THE BLOG. Copyright 2007-2011

The Design District

In late 2007 Meade Design Group was approached by DVBA (Downtown Victoria Business Association) and IPC Decor to create an image that represents the group of businesses within what will be known in the future as "The Design District" in Victoria B.C. It was specified that this image would be applied to street signs throughout the design district as well as further marketing applications at a later stage.

If you have ever wondered what a designer thinks about and considers when making a logo, read on. Here is our case study for The Design District project.

Objective

Our goal was to create an image that brings all of the designers and businesses related with design in the area together into an image that embodies them as a community and gives them an identifiable branding. We also aimed to bring together the past of this historic area with the future growth that it has potential for.

We researched the logos of the design businesses in the area. Below are selections of some of the logos found in the design district. The majority of the logos in the area have been created with a classic sensibility and work with the surrounding architecture. We had to take these factors into account while conceptualizing branding for the design district.

Architecture

Another signficant factor we considered was the architecture of the area. Here are two images that show the architectural diversity that are in The Design District.

Colour

The colours of the street and other signs will also need to be taken into consideration. The colours, particularly in China Town are quite vibrant and compete with other bold colours that are placed next to it.

For this reason, the colours we chose to use in the logo are cream, gray and charcoal. The charcoal and gray give a sophisticated look and feel when placed next to the red and blue that is so prominent in this part of town.

Identity Concept

Our concept is “D Squared” D2

We feel this name identifies the design district in a number of ways. It is classic in its creation but contemporary in its approach. It is a play upon the phrase “Design District”, taking the two Ds and squaring them with the idea that the square represents the city blocks of the area.

D2 is also symmetric in its approach and it reads well with all the serif typography used by the design businesses within the district.

We took inspiration from the classical elements in the district's architecture and decided to layout the D’s such that they create a roman numeral [ II ]. This orientation also creates the illusion of door handles, a representation that The Design District is open to all. Here is the new logo for the Design District.

Signage

With the logo established, the next task was the design of the sign. Our aim in creating the sign was to produce a distinctive and representational emblem that does not add visual pollution but instead works with its surroundings. This is our design:

Here are some explanations of the sign's design.

The shadowing of the typography signifies the design community coming together in this project, falling into place to create a unified community.

This unified community is again represented through the solid cream bar that extends up to The Design District logo.

An asymmetrical positioning makes the typography look contemporary and confident and the classic font face suggests tradition and experience. This coming together of the two elements shows the joining of past and present within the design district itself.

And there you have it - the ideas, inspirations, and considerations that have gone into the design district logo. Look for it in on a street sign in 2008.

MEADE DESIGN GROUP - THE BLOG. Copyright 2007-2011