I had a lot of considerations when designing my chosen logo, namely what colours to use, what to name my planetarium and cosmic museum and how to make it immediately understandable for children when they read the name...
Thus I decided to call it the Stargazer Planetarium and Cosmic Museum, due to it having a literal connection to the internal functions of the space as well as being universally understood as being a link to space and the planets/stars.
The chosen colours are grey, blue, white and black. This makes for a sophisticated look to a potentially childish logo, as well as being easy to read. The colours were chosen due to their associated meanings:
Blue: Associated with depth and stability; wisdom, confidence, intelligence and heaven; beneficial to the mind and body; linked to consciousness and intellect.
White: Colour of perfection; light, safety and simplicity - suggestive of high-tech products.
Black: Power, darkness, elegance, and mystery; associated with the unknown (black holes), prestigious colour and gives the feeling of depth and perspective.
Grey: Intelligence, maturity, practicality, and solidity. Used in excess, it can cause a feeling of isolation and lonliness (the feeling of being lost in space)
Below is the final logo design:
So, the site and building planning stage of my BTech begins! Here's some insight into the beginning stages of my proposed design:
-- THE BUILDING --
The chosen site, or building, is going to be a proposed "Phase B" of the existing Nelson Mandela Bay Science and Technology Centre which is situated in the CBD of Uitenhage, in the Eastern Cape, a mere 30 minutes outside my hometown, Port Elizabeth.
The building has a very interesting history.. The whole site consists of a cluster of buildings which used to be the Old Railway Workstations, where they used to make and repair trains in the late 1800's. The first issue this brings about is the fact that the building is well over 60 years old, which makes it a historically significant building. Not only is it significant due to its historical background, but also because it has a lot of cultural, scientific, social and architectural value in the area.
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| Original aerial photo of Old Railway Workstations taken in 1950 (Terblanche, 2004) |
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| Photo inside the Workstation from 1950 - production of parts (Terblanche, 2004) |
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| Existing MNB Science and Technology Centre in Uitenhage - portion of the building on the right is half of my proposed site (Roofless) |
The building as it currently stands is derelict, abandoned and in need of some serious TLC. The portal frame structure of the building is very old and comprises of the original cast iron and steel columns, trusses and clay clinker bricks. Due to it being a heritage building (according to SAHRA - South African Heritage Resource Association), the structure may not be changed unless permission is given from SAHRA themselves.
Below are some photographs of the site as it currently stands:
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| View of the roofed area of the chosen site |
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| View of the uncovered area of the chosen site - in the process of being restored by the UDDI (Uitenhage and Despatch Development Initiative |
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| View from the back wall of the covered warehouse |
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| View from the front wall of the covered warehouse |
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| Existing/original steel portal frame system with structural columns |
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| Existing/original clay clinker brick wall with arched doorway and window |
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| Existing/original cast iron channel column on a concrete base with the original clay clinker brick wall behind it |
The building is in desperate need for a revamp, and because it is directly linked to the existing Science Centre, the proposed function of a Planetarium and Cosmic Museum (with astronomy being an integral and vitally important part of the field of science) makes the location and position within the building cluster very feasible.
I did an analysis of the building in order to really understand the site and the building itself. Below are the drawings I analysed:
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| Locality analysis and surrounding areas |
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| Site analysis and factors influencing proposed design |
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| Building analysis and surrounds |
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