A continuation of the HOK Diversity Quilt posts … today we are featuring “all about me” squares.  We’ve found that each square represents the maker in a unique way, and the next two were uniquely made:

Donovan Oliff (Assistant General Council) – “Donovan”

1. Did you have any inspiration in making your square (and what process did you use to make it)?

I wish I could point to something interesting as a source of inspiration.  To tell you the truth, I was a little intimated by all the stunningly creative people working in our office.  My knowledge of artistic media is limited to what I was taught to use in grade school, masking tape and water-based paint in primary colors.

2. Do you have a quilt at home that means something to you (something you or a family member made)?

I don’t have a quilt at home, but I do remember my mom making quilts when I was growing up.  Quilting is a deeply communal activity.  There was a time people would gather together to make quilts from recycled cloths and left-over fabrics.  They are a textile memory of a people, place and time.

3. Anything fun we should know about your square?

People claim my image looks 10 years younger than I am.  Don’t judge me…

Brok Howard (BIM Manager) – “Brok”

1. Did you have any inspiration in making your square?

Inspiration came from our awesome model shop crew. I initially had an idea of creating a stencil and using the laser cutter in the model shop to make it, then painting the image. But, after talking with Vincent Schell and Victoria Gray they suggested I go with a different method. They have so many resources and contacts to make awesomeness happen I was impressed how quickly they came up with a better solution than the one I had thought up. They suggested I just create the image in Photoshop (a lot easier than a CAD file for laser cutting) and give it to them. They then contacted NovaColor, a local digital image management company they have used several times. Basically they can print on anything. So, I simply gave them the fabric and the image and in few days I had the square done. They even did it twice to be sure that it was as clear as can be.

2. Why the QR codes?

First, a QR code is a Quick Response Code, simply put, it is an image that with a smart phone camera can link you to any uURL. It works like a UPC bar code, but for the Internet. I remember talking with James Vandezande when I first started working at HOK about adding a QR code to the buildingSMART marketing material and with a few clicks he created one that is now on the marketing material. When I started to look into making QR codes I came across http://goqr.me/ that makes it really easy. At the bottom they advertise a QR code on a t-shirt…so I thought, I can do that.  I am heavy on the social media interest and you can find bits of me on the Internet, so I thought for the diversity quilt I will add a few “links” to where I am online and share a few things about me in the process.

3. So what are some of the links?

 My twitter handle (http://twitter.com/brokhoward)
The Young Architects Forum of St Louis (http://yafstl.blogspot.com)
The Greater Saint Louis CSI Chapter (http://greatersaintlouis.csinet.org)
The University of Georgia (http://www.georgiadogs.com)
Beastie Boys myspace page (http://www.myspace.com/beastieboys)
My LinkedIn page (http://www.linkedin.com/in/brokhoward)
And finally, the first time I was on the HOK Life blog riding my bike through the office!

4. Anything else we should know about your square?

The week before I started at HOK I got new glasses, so having some representation of my “new look” really represents my “life” at HOK.