Welcome to the
website of Bruce King
Design Associates, LLC.
Please use the links at left to
navigate around the site. We hope you will enjoy your visit.
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Bruce
King and his design team have been designing some of the world's most
noteworthy yachts since 1964. Our credo is simple. Whether
15 or 150 feet, we believe that to be successful, a yacht must be
beautiful: a work of high art as well as high technology. A
joy forever,
a lovely vessel
inspires deep feelings of pleasure, affirmation, and affection. She
commands the
loyalty and esteem that lead successive generations of owners to
maintain and
renew her perpetually, conferring a touch of
immortality on her
original patron, with whom she will be forever associated. In yachts,
surely, grace
is the primary virtue.
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AESTHETIC
VALUES
RELATING TO YACHT DESIGN
Bruce
King
The
appeal or enjoyment, as well as value,
of pleasure boats comes primarily from two sources: first, the
pleasures gained
from the act of sailing and its independent life; second, the visual
aesthetic
pleasures of a yacht's appearance. There are many stylistic approaches,
but
design aesthetics generally take place at three levels.
The
first, or fundamental, level is the establishment of
of the basic proportions, combined with sizing and arranging the visual
masses
of the primary design elements. The visual masses are usually driven by
utility
requirements, as well as basic principles of design. If a design fails
at this
fundamental level - if it has bad proportions or if the visual masses
lack
balance - the highest level of aesthetic evolution will never be
attained.
Further development will be limited by damage control, visual
diversionary
tactics, or generally attempting to make the most of an unfortunate
situation.
Sadly, designers are frequently required to operate at this level.
Once
the visual masses have been established, the second level of aesthetic
design is to wrap them in curves and surfaces. One of the reasons boats
can be
such appealing objects is that their shapes are derived primarily from
curved
lines, giving them perhaps a greater connection with natural forms than
most
other man-made objects. When arranging the curves and surfaces of a
design, I
believe that lines must flow with direction and purpose. Spirals, cyma
curves
and conic sections impart motion and excitement, while circles, arcs,
and
straight lines do not. Parallel and flat sections generally lack
interest.
Twisting, winding and reverse curves create drama. Finding the right
balance
between drama and restraint is perhaps one of the most difficult issues
facing
the designer. There should be a balance between curved and straight,
rounded
and defined, feminine and masculine.
The
third level of aesthetic design relates to
intangibles. It is at this level that designer individuality is most
apparent
and a designer has the most power to elicit a strong emotional response
from
the viewer. The visual elements that make up a yacht design interact in
concert: the total is always greater than the sum of its parts. It is
this
intangible essence of totality that determines the third level
aesthetic value
of design. Make one seemingly small change on a truly harmonious
design, and
frequently any artistic summits will vanish. The dimensional
differences
between good design and bad can be very small indeed. Many times they
are no
more than fractions of an inch. Often design errors are so subtle that
many
people are not consciously aware of them, but on an intuitive level one
knows
that something is amiss.
When
working with buyers who desire a technically modern
functioning yacht, but one whose styling reflects an earlier age,
additional
aesthetic issues must be addressed. Traditional yachts were usually
built of
wood. Certainly the joinery was wood - a vanishing art developed over
time to
minimize the dimensional instability of wood in conditions of varying
temperature and humidity. Translating a traditional design to a modern
yacht
requires awareness of traditional joinery methods and an understanding
of the
technical reasons behind these methods.
We
have always believed, where yachts are concerned, that
technology and utility are only part of the story. To fulfill both the
utility
and technology requirements, and to do so in a manner encompassing as
much
visual satisfaction as possible, must be the goal of a skilled
designer.
Technology is fleeting; it is constantly changing. Aesthetic beauty is
timeless, and it alone provides the motivation for preservation. It is
hoped
that as present technology gives way to the new, we will continue to be
able to
impart to our designs an appeal, both tangible and intangible, that
will allow
them to endure.
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