8 Drawing Type: Contextual Appraisal/Integrative Context Analysis Diagram
rdabydeen
Keywords: Paths, Edges, Districts, Nodes, Landmarks, Figure Ground, Legibility
Apps: Adobe Illustrator
A city or site possesses prominent features that many individuals use to identify these locations. These features can be categorized into 5 physical elements known as:
- Paths
- Edges
- Districts
- Landmarks
- Nodes
Check out the image slider by dragging the slider to see the example for each element!
According to Kevin Lynch, these 5 elements help individuals easily recognize and describe a city or area they have experienced visually. A contextual appraisal diagram can also be called a legibility diagram, which highlights these features that define a specific location, city, or site, allowing the designer to communicate its legibility. In the previous chapter, you learned how to create a Figure-Ground Diagram. Feel free to refer back to the previous chapter on figure grounds if you need a refresher. Now, you can take this diagram and transform it into a contextual appraisal diagram that is useful for neighbourhood analysis and communicating what are the prominent features of your site or location of interest.
TECHNIQUE – Creating a Digital Contextual Appraisal Diagram Using a Figure-Ground
PART A – Open your Figure Ground Diagram in Adobe Illustrator (Ai). Refer to the previous chapter if you are wondering how to make a Figure Ground diagram.
- Once you have opened your diagram in Illustrator, if you have a background image or map of your site behind your diagram, set the image’s opacity to semi-transparent. A 33% transparency will do the trick, but feel free to adjust the opacity to whatever you feel is suitable. This will allow you to see the base map image in the background behind your figure ground. Refer to the tip below about how to set the right opacity when drawing shapes over images.
- Next, create a new layer above both the layers the figure ground diagram and image of your site are on. We will be drawing various shapes over the image to represent the 5 different elements. Creating new layers is a good practice to ensure that images or drawings like the figure ground do not get accidentally changed while drawing other shapes.
Now you are ready to start drawing the elements for your contextual appraisal diagram!
FINAL CHECK: *Make sure to lock any layers that you will not be editing. For example, locking the layers that have the figure ground diagram and the image of the site on them will ensure that you do not edit or change them accidentally*
Tip:
When drawing shapes over a transparent image, it is important to set the opacity to be transparent enough that it does not distract you from drawing your shapes, but visible to see the image’s details.
PART B – Before creating the contextual appraisal diagram, it is important to start identifying what the elements might be on your site. There is no set order or procedure to identify these methods, but it will make it easier to draw shapes or symbols that represent the 5 elements of a city or location.
Here are some common symbols, shapes, or techniques that are used to represent each element:
PART C – Using the shapes and symbols described above, they can be combined together to create a contextual appraisal diagram. Drag the image slider to see how each of the above shapes, symbols or techniques can be used, but feel free to use your creativity and find other ways to show the 5 elements that define a site or city.
FINAL CHECK: *Now that you have created your contextual diagram, take a step back and analyze your drawing. Ask yourself is this drawing highlights the 5 elements that you wanted to communicate to others in a easy-to-see and visually appealing manner. This part is important in the design and editing process to reduce clutter that is commonly found when creating contextual appraisal diagram, but still ensuring the drawing communicates the information you want clearly.*
Tip:
For each element, it is important to also separate the 5 elements into their own layers. This strategy makes it easier to keep your drawing organized and ensure you are editing or adding to the right element. This makes editing and creating contextual appraisal diagrams more easier over time, especially when the diagram becomes busy!
Author: Ricardo Dabydeen
