Design Principles (Week 11-14)

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2/11/2021 - 23/11/2021 (Week 11-14)

Liew Li Wei 0338076

Bachelor of Mass Communication (Hons) Digital Media Production
Design Principles (Minor)
Final Project: Visual Analysis

LECTURE

Visual Analysis

  • Is a method of understanding design that focuses on the visual elements and principles.
  • In its strictest definition -a description and explanation of visual structure for its own sake. 
  • Visual analysis is a critical part of visual literacy, a skill that helps people read and critically interpret images, whether in a museum, on social media, in entertainment, advertising, or the news. 
  • Practicing visual analysis sharpens critical judgment skills and helps people seek out answers instead of passively receiving information. 

How does visual analysis work?

  • Phase 1: Observation
    • Observation means closely looking at and identifying the visual elements of a design, trying to describe them carefully and accurately in your own words. Do not read beforehand about the design at all. 
    • The observation phase is about looking, thinking, and finding good language to communicate what you notice. 
  • Phase 2: Analysis
    • Analysis requires you to think about your observations and try to make statements about the work based on the evidence of your observations.
    • Think about how the specific visual elements that you’ve identified combine together to create a whole, and what effect that whole has on the viewer.
    • How your eye isled through the work and why? Apply the Design Principles knowledge you have learnt throughout these weeks.
  • Phase 3: Interpretation
    • In this final phase, your observations, description, and analysis of the work are fused with facts about the design work (and in some cases the designer) and historical context that you find in trustworthy published sources.
    • What is the meaning of the design? What was the purpose for it to be created? 
 

FINAL PROJECT: VISUAL ANALYSIS

STAGE 1

Visual Research

Figure 1.1: Design by Magdiel Lopez


Figure 1.2: Design by Magdiel Lopez


Figure 1.3: Design from designwizard.com


Figure 1.4: Design from Freepik


Figure 1.5: Design from Pinterest


Figure 1.6: Design from Pinterest


Figure 1.7: Design from Pinterest


Selected Design

Figure 1.8: Surrealism by @imkarthik1997 in Pinterest

Phase 1 (Observation)

This (figure 1.8) is a portrait format design work. There are multiple visual elements combined in this design. Firstly, there are multiple whales as the main visual, floating in the sky. The image feature the sun and the cloud in the sky. Then, there's a man sitting at the edge of the wooden bridge. Other than that, rock cave is used as the border for this design. The perspective of this design is from the back of the man, inside the cave. The colour used in this design is white, bright orange, light blue, dark blue and dark brown. The white indicates the cloud; bright orange indicates the sun; light and dark blue for the sky and ocean; white and blue for whales, and dark brown for the rock cave border.

Phase 2 (Analysis)

This design is approximate symmetry. The large whale in the middle, floating in the sky, is the emphasis of the image. The repetition of the whales in the sky creates movement of whales in the sky and also a sense of unity for the design. The rule of third is also applied in the design as the man locates in the middle bottom line of rule of third's line. The direction of the man looking also creates the eye movement which lead the viewer back to the big whale in the sky. Furthermore, the positive space which is the man, the whale and the rock cave; while the negative space which is the clouds and sky, is well balanced in this design. There's also proportion in the design, creating hierarchy in the design - first we see the big whale in the middle, followed by the smaller whale at the side, then the man in small size at the edge of the wooden bridge. There's also contrast between the dark rock cave border and the bright sky.

Phase 3 (Interpretation)

This a poster created by Karthik Naidu, a 3D Artist / Game Designer. He created and shared the post to the public on 22nd of May 2019. This is a surreal photography design. The technique used in this design is called multiple exposure. Multiple exposure is the superimposition of two or more exposures to create a single image, and double exposure has a corresponding meaning in respect of two images. In this design, he superimposed a man in the rock cave, the whales, the sky and the clouds into one image. The man in the cave indicates the designer himself; the whales moving freely in the sky indicates freedom. The man looking at the whale reflects that the designer's desire to freedom. Furthermore, the borderless sky shows the limitless of things that he can do as as designer. This poster is designed in a surrealistic way to show the dream scene the designer have in mind.


STAGE 2

Design Idea

From the stage 1's visual analysis, I chose a surrealism design by @imkarthik1997. I am amazed by his design. I like his style of using the multiple exposure technique in creating a surrealism design and I am inspired by it. Therefore, I decided to create a surrealism design using the multiple exposure technique.

Visual Research

Figure 1.9: Surrealism Photography by TechRadar


Figure 1.10: Surrealism Photography by Austin Greene


Figure 1.11: Surrealism Photography from Pinterest


Figure 1.12: Surrealism Photography by @mawj162

Idea Exploration

In this design, I wanted to illustrate my peaceful inner feelings. The first thing I think about peaceful is nature. I always have the calm and peaceful mind whenever I am in nature. No technology disturbance, no noise pollution, no light pollution. Everything is so original and pure.

From my visual research, I had found some surrealism photography in blending human and nature by using double exposure technique. Therefore, I wanted to try on blending myself with the nature using the double exposure technique. The nature that I will be using is Pine Tree Forest.


Figure 1.13: A photo of myself


Figure 1.14: Pine Tree Forest from NiO Photography


Figure 1.15: Design 1 (Colour Type 1)


Figure 1.16: Design 1 (Colour Type 2)


After receiving feedback from Miss Jinchi, I decided to illustrate my daily emotion in this design by using multiple exposure technique. I will be using a few photos of mine. All these photos will have different angles and my different daily face expression. 


Figure 1.17: Curious Face of Me


Figure 1.18: Happy Face of Me


Figure 1.19: Cool Face of Me

Figure 1.20: Mad Face of Me

Figure 1.21: Happy Face of Me 2


Figure 1.22: Design 2.1 (Happy, Cool, Curious)


Figure 1.23: Design 2.2 (Happy, Cool, Mad)


Figure 1.24: Design 2.1 (Happy, Cool, Curious)


FINAL OUTCOME

Figure 1.25: Final Submission for Final Project



Rationale

The main idea for this design is to illustrate myself in different emotions (happy, calm, curious, cool, open minded, relaxing). It reflects my characteristics too. People tend to know me as a happy, cool, bad-tempered and open minded person. But other than that, I am a guy who always seeks relaxation because I like being in the state of relaxation. Therefore, I used a smiling and calm face as the emphasis of the design, then I put a curious face on the left and a cool face on the right. The colour in the design is mainly pastel colour as pastel colour evoke openness and relaxations. Furthermore, the image of me sitting in different ways emphasize on the relaxation state I am in.


FEEDBACK

Overall feedback for my past work:

Hi Li Wei, for Design Principles, here’s the overall feedback for your:
Exercises: The student shows some understanding of design principles and is able to create designs that reflect the principles. The blog has the basic required items.
Project 1 The final outcome expresses the intended message, with suitable design principles applied.
Project 2: Applied design principles knowledge, able to communicate the intended message. Has some exploration done.

Specific Feedback for this project:

Miss Jinchi suggested me to work on a more creative idea instead of blending myself with nature as it is similar to the idea of the my visual research. Miss suggested me to try on blending my own photo with different angles using the multiple exposure technique.


REFLECTION

I have some difficulties in generating idea for this project. Yet, with Miss Jinchi's guidance, I managed to come up with a final design that I am satisfied with.


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