Design Principle / Final Project
Design Principle: Final Project - Visual Analysis and Final Blog
Instructions
Recap of Final Project
Fig, 1,1 The Mess That We Made by Michelle Lord, Julia Blattman
Visual Analysis
- A method of understanding design that focuses on the visual elements and principles.
- A critical part of visual literacy, a skill that helps to read and critically interpret images,
- The purpose is to recognize the choices that a designer made in creating the design.
Phase 1: Observation
- Closely looking at and identifying the visual elements of the design, trying to describe carefully and accurately with our words.
- It is about looking, thinking and finding good language to communicate what we notice.
Phase 2: Analysis
- Analysis requires you to think about your observations and try to make statements about the work based on observations.
- The specific visual elements that are identified are combined together to create a whole and what effect that whole has on a viewer.
Phase 3: Interpretation
- The observation, description and analysis of a work are fused with facts about the design work (also the designer) and historical context.
- Some questions would assist on the interpretation:
1) What was the purpose of its creation?
2) What is the meaning of the design?
- A method of understanding design that focuses on the visual elements and principles.
- A critical part of visual literacy, a skill that helps to read and critically interpret images,
- The purpose is to recognize the choices that a designer made in creating the design.
Phase 1: Observation
- Closely looking at and identifying the visual elements of the design, trying to describe carefully and accurately with our words.
- It is about looking, thinking and finding good language to communicate what we notice.
Phase 2: Analysis
- Analysis requires you to think about your observations and try to make statements about the work based on observations.
- The specific visual elements that are identified are combined together to create a whole and what effect that whole has on a viewer.
Phase 3: Interpretation
- The observation, description and analysis of a work are fused with facts about the design work (also the designer) and historical context.
- Some questions would assist on the interpretation:
1) What was the purpose of its creation?
2) What is the meaning of the design?
Part 1: Visual Analysis
Explanation
For this project, I decide to choose Life Below Water which is number #14 as my UNSDG goal. I choose this design because it brings out a really good message about the ocean life just by observing the illustration itself. I think this design explains about one of our biggest issues where people carelessly litter the ocean without thinking about the consequences. The design is also fun and brings out good memories about the books I used to have when I was a child.
Phase 1: Observation
This design is worked in a square format. Big words is curled at the bottom of the middle right and small words are written at the bottom right in straight line. Both are colored in white in a form of a chalk. As for visual elements, black shadows formed by the school of fishes and turtles are placed around the center.
Four children sitting on a white boat are centralized at the top left with bright color clothing. A lot of organic lines overlap with one another in the composition. Miniature of colorful geometrical shapes are placed around the composition. The blue color of the design gradually becomes lighter from the corner to the center. A lot of organic shapes with different colors are placed near the lighter area.
Phase 2: Analysis
This design does not use any striking colors and it is made out of different shades of blue which gives a sense of harmony and unity. Random organic lines, rubbish and aquatic animals are placed in a circular motion to represent movement. This helps to create a whirlpool and water movement around the boat. A repetition of fishes is mostly found between the light and dark area. A further emphasis is placed when the rubbish surround the children on a boat with colors that stands out from the blue. A visual contrast is applied when the water gradually becomes lighter to the center. There is also contrast between the fonts and the dark background.
Phase 3: Interpretation
This is an illustration for children's book written by Michelle Lord and illustrated by Julia Blattman. It explores the environmental impact of trash and plastic on the ocean of marine life, and it inspires children to do their part in combat pollution. This was first published in January 1, 2020. The Mess That We Made is a cumulative tale that portrays the terrible impact of plastic trash on the ocean and marine life.
This digital illustration captures the disaster that is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a collection of plastic trash in the Pacific Ocean. This design helps to bring imagination to children being one of the four multi-ethic occupants of the little boat surrounded by swirling plastic in the middle of the ocean. This design is not only to capture children's imagination, but it is to show a realistic view of what is occurring in the ocean.
Fig. 2.2 Night scenes by Herlinde Demaerel
Fig. 2.3 Ocean references
Fig. 3.1 Design sketch #1
Fig. 3.2 Design sketch #2
Fig. 3.3 Design Sketch #3
Fig. 3.4 Design Sketch #4
Fig. 3.5 Design sketch #5
Design in progress
Fig. 4.1 Progress #1
Fig. 4.2 Progress #2
Fig. 4.3 Progress #3
Fig. 4.4 Progress #4
Final Design
Fig. 5.1 " Hope We Shall Make" by myself
Feedbacks
For this project, I decide to choose Life Below Water which is number #14 as my UNSDG goal. I choose this design because it brings out a really good message about the ocean life just by observing the illustration itself. I think this design explains about one of our biggest issues where people carelessly litter the ocean without thinking about the consequences. The design is also fun and brings out good memories about the books I used to have when I was a child.
Phase 1: Observation
This design is worked in a square format. Big words is curled at the bottom of the middle right and small words are written at the bottom right in straight line. Both are colored in white in a form of a chalk. As for visual elements, black shadows formed by the school of fishes and turtles are placed around the center.
Four children sitting on a white boat are centralized at the top left with bright color clothing. A lot of organic lines overlap with one another in the composition. Miniature of colorful geometrical shapes are placed around the composition. The blue color of the design gradually becomes lighter from the corner to the center. A lot of organic shapes with different colors are placed near the lighter area.
Phase 2: Analysis
This design does not use any striking colors and it is made out of different shades of blue which gives a sense of harmony and unity. Random organic lines, rubbish and aquatic animals are placed in a circular motion to represent movement. This helps to create a whirlpool and water movement around the boat. A repetition of fishes is mostly found between the light and dark area. A further emphasis is placed when the rubbish surround the children on a boat with colors that stands out from the blue. A visual contrast is applied when the water gradually becomes lighter to the center. There is also contrast between the fonts and the dark background.
Phase 3: Interpretation
This is an illustration for children's book written by Michelle Lord and illustrated by Julia Blattman. It explores the environmental impact of trash and plastic on the ocean of marine life, and it inspires children to do their part in combat pollution. This was first published in January 1, 2020. The Mess That We Made is a cumulative tale that portrays the terrible impact of plastic trash on the ocean and marine life.
This digital illustration captures the disaster that is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a collection of plastic trash in the Pacific Ocean. This design helps to bring imagination to children being one of the four multi-ethic occupants of the little boat surrounded by swirling plastic in the middle of the ocean. This design is not only to capture children's imagination, but it is to show a realistic view of what is occurring in the ocean.
Visual References
The garbage in this sketch depicts as a whale. It is shown that even a pile of garbage can even reach as high as the mountain. I choose one of the biggest aquatic animals for this purpose. Another meaning is that the aquatic animals would easily get confuse and consume anything in the ocean that they deemed food. This is what we'll see when a fish consumes too much garbage.
Fig. 3.2 Design sketch #2
I imagine it someday our world will run out of ocean and it is nothing but filled with wastes. This sketch shows that the ocean gradually transform into waste. The waste is increasing whereas the ocean gradually dissipates.
This sketch is mainly inspired by my visual analysis "The Mess That We Made". Someday our ocean would become a mess just like this. Therefore, it is up to us humanity to form a right path for the ocean life. This sketch shows a person sailing a boat clearing a path for the water creatures. I am going to put more emphasis on them by using bright colors and colors of grey and white on the garbage.
Time is always ticking and it certainly doesn't wait for us. Without any immediate actions, our ocean will die and that includes our world. A clock is drawn at the bottom and the top shows our dying world. Just like a wine glass, the garbage will overflow until there is no place left to put them.
In this sketch, a man with a fishbone head is portrayed. This shows that our ocean life can become worse by our own actions. Due to ignorance to the aquatic life, a disaster is just waiting for it to happen.
Design in progress
For this final assignment, I will be choosing design sketch #3 as my final design.
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For this design, I decided to include emphasis by using shades of grey for the wastes gathered around the outer part and different uses of bright color in the middle part for the ocean, sea creatures and a man in the boat. This artwork also consists repetition by using the same elements and shapes. In addition, movement is added to make it look natural and not stiff.
Based on the UNSDG goal #14 which is Life Below Water, this artwork conveys a message that marine pollution has become something crucial and also deadly for our planet. I simply choose this goal because it is upsetting to see people dump things into the ocean without any care. I decided to use this as my reasoning to create this piece.
Based on multiple research, the current efforts to protect the marine environments have not reach the criteria. Instead of viewing the vast ocean of blues, we would see nothing but dull greys of wastes and toxic substances scattered throughout the ocean life. Not only will we endanger our lives, this will also destroy the living habitats of the aquatic creatures.
Based on multiple research, the current efforts to protect the marine environments have not reach the criteria. Instead of viewing the vast ocean of blues, we would see nothing but dull greys of wastes and toxic substances scattered throughout the ocean life. Not only will we endanger our lives, this will also destroy the living habitats of the aquatic creatures.
Therefore, this design shows that it is up to us humanity to clear the mess that we made from the beginning. Even if we start small, little by little we will form a clear beautiful path to see the blues once again and the ocean will be protected. Just like the blue, clear water, hope will continue to dance like a symphony and is the one thing that can help us get through the darkest of times. Hence, I named this piece "Hope We Shall Make".
Feedbacks
Week 11: A lot of progress is not shown in this week. I was told to start working on my visual analysis.
Week 12: My lecturer told me that my visual analysis was good but a few minor changes was needed. I was told to add the number of my UNSDG goal into my explanation, include another visual contrast between the fonts and the dark background in analysis and the name of the authors in my interpretation. I should also start working on my sketches.
Week 13: My lecturer told me that it was good to explore and show different concepts and ideas of sketches and thus my efforts were not wasted.
Based on my first sketch, the idea on the message was not as strong as the other four sketches. Therefore, it was better to focus on the other choices as my final design. She advised me to disregard the first idea.
Fig. 6.1 Sketch #1
Week 12: My lecturer told me that my visual analysis was good but a few minor changes was needed. I was told to add the number of my UNSDG goal into my explanation, include another visual contrast between the fonts and the dark background in analysis and the name of the authors in my interpretation. I should also start working on my sketches.
Week 13: My lecturer told me that it was good to explore and show different concepts and ideas of sketches and thus my efforts were not wasted.
Based on my first sketch, the idea on the message was not as strong as the other four sketches. Therefore, it was better to focus on the other choices as my final design. She advised me to disregard the first idea.
Fig. 6.1 Sketch #1
For my second sketch, my lecturer told me it had a brilliant concept to it and I was given a choice whether to continue to complete it and brought out its full potential. It also had a mixture of symbolic to it.
Fig. 6.2 Sketch #2
In my sketch #3, if I decided to go with this idea, my lecturer told me that it is better to make the size and the lines of the water slightly thinner to accentuate that emphasis so that it can tell the difference between the sea creatures and the mess of garbage. This sketch had a subtle symbolic but it had a more visual impact to it. She brought out a fun idea that I could make this into a mousepad or table mats in the future.
Fig. 6.3 Sketch #3
For sketch #4, the clock at the bottom felt quite insignificant to the sketch although it is symbolic.
Fig. 6.4 Sketch #4
For sketch #5, it is also quite symbolic but there were some improvements that could be made if I decided to go for this idea.
Fig. 6.5 Sketch #5
Week 14: The emphasis is very strong and can finally be seen with colors. My lecturer agreed with me that I should make some changes to the water because the lines are too solid and rigid. She also suggested that maybe I could add some break lines in between that correlate with the objects on the water. This could also be made into a poster.
Fig. 6.5 Progress #2
Reflection
I am quite sad that this journey has finally come to an end. This is something that I would do again in the future or go back into the past to experience it all over again. The classes have been really fun and productive because the sharing session help me to gain insights not just for this module but for this whole semester. My lecturer is very thoughtful and kind which makes everything even more exciting. The journey has not always been smooth sailing but through mistakes I was able to learn from them.
Fig. 6.2 Sketch #2
In my sketch #3, if I decided to go with this idea, my lecturer told me that it is better to make the size and the lines of the water slightly thinner to accentuate that emphasis so that it can tell the difference between the sea creatures and the mess of garbage. This sketch had a subtle symbolic but it had a more visual impact to it. She brought out a fun idea that I could make this into a mousepad or table mats in the future.
Fig. 6.3 Sketch #3
For sketch #4, the clock at the bottom felt quite insignificant to the sketch although it is symbolic.
Fig. 6.4 Sketch #4
For sketch #5, it is also quite symbolic but there were some improvements that could be made if I decided to go for this idea.
Fig. 6.5 Sketch #5
Week 14: The emphasis is very strong and can finally be seen with colors. My lecturer agreed with me that I should make some changes to the water because the lines are too solid and rigid. She also suggested that maybe I could add some break lines in between that correlate with the objects on the water. This could also be made into a poster.
Fig. 6.5 Progress #2
Reflection
Overall, I think this final assignment is my most favorite. Although it is slightly hard to imagine what kind of message I wish to convey through this goal, I am able to overcome this problem by taking my lecturer's advice to draw not one or two but a few sketches to explore the range of my ideas and to not limit my choices. This certainly helps me give me time and space to think about what kind of design principles and symbolic meanings that I can add to each sketches.
I think this journey has been very meaningful as I am able to be more aware and gain more knowledge about the crisis we have to face in this world through the UNSDG goals. Not only am I be able to practice my skills on design principles, this gives me full determination to make the best piece I could make in order to spread the important message. I believe that contributing myself to creating something fun and exciting would help to attract people's attention.
I think this journey has been very meaningful as I am able to be more aware and gain more knowledge about the crisis we have to face in this world through the UNSDG goals. Not only am I be able to practice my skills on design principles, this gives me full determination to make the best piece I could make in order to spread the important message. I believe that contributing myself to creating something fun and exciting would help to attract people's attention.
I am quite sad that this journey has finally come to an end. This is something that I would do again in the future or go back into the past to experience it all over again. The classes have been really fun and productive because the sharing session help me to gain insights not just for this module but for this whole semester. My lecturer is very thoughtful and kind which makes everything even more exciting. The journey has not always been smooth sailing but through mistakes I was able to learn from them.
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