From Auto Design to Boutique Hotels . . .

The designers of two of the most exotic automobiles in the world, Ferrari and Maserati, have now designed a hotel, The Keating in San Diego. You can clearly see the automobile design heritage of Pininifarina in The Keating. It is an interesting study of how expertise in one design discipline is applied to another. In this case, the transfer design skills results in a unique design statement and visual showcase.

In a similar way, when a graphic designer migrates to web design, you can see the print design heritage clearly in their approach. Sometimes the end result is good, sometimes not! The key is knowing what principles of print design are best left behind, and what should be kept. Also, a clear understanding of web technology helps a designer understand the creative limitations of working on the web.