Design Principles Project 2 (2025/02/17)

 17/02/2025 - 17/02/2025(Week 3 - Week 5)

YANGYANG/ 0363575

Design Principles / Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media  / Taylor's University

Task 2 

Visual analysis and Ideation

LISTS

- Lectures

- Instructions

- Design

- Feedback

- Reflections

Lectures

W4：Harmony & Unity

• Harmony - Harmony means choosing elements that share common characteristics. Harmony means that all elements of the design work together, they may fit into the same theme, colour palette, aesthetic style or mood.

alwaysforlove

Painter

• Unity - is the repeated use of certain elements, such as colours, shapes or materials, in a design to make the whole look more harmonious and coherent.

Jade illustrates

Painter

• Scale refers to the size of an element in relation to the whole or its environment, affecting the visual hierarchy and sense of space.

• Proportion is concerned with the relationship of size within an element to ensure harmony and aesthetics in a design. Proper use of both enhances visual balance and makes a design more coherent and unified.

Clair Zhou

Painter

W5：Symbol, Word & Image

Symbols are used to represent symbols, shapes or objects of other things, and in design symbols can convey a lot of information.

• Image symbols - A simplified picture associated with an image.

Website

• Abstract symbols - can look like the objects they represent, but with less detail.

Website

• Arbitrary symbols - Arbitrary symbols bear no resemblance whatsoever to the objects or ideas they represent.

Website

• Words and images - Imagery plays a crucial role in both print and digital design, helping users connect with a concept or brand. Selecting relevant images enhances the effectiveness of a design. Additionally, the right choice of words, typeface, and placement contributes to visual hierarchy and balance, strengthening the overall message. Typography, as the design and arrangement of text, further enhances communication within a design.

Website

Task 2 : Visual analysis and ideation

Instructions:

Design:

The image uses the techniques of emphasis and contrast, using the bright fluorescent green colour to draw out the relationship between the background and the figure, and to emphasise the visual centre of the image, so that the viewer can better notice the main subject of the image and the message that the artist is trying to convey.

This picture also uses Symmetry and Order, the hair colour of the weasel and the main character in the picture are similar, the artist also purposely chose a similar expression and a little bit of bright red colour in the eyes as a unity, so that the existence of this animal not only does not stand out, but also adds more vivid and vitality to the picture, at the same time the weasel's fur also makes the picture more uniform in terms of colours.

The direction of the figure leaning forward is opposite to the direction of the weasel, and the direction of the arm follows the direction of the weasel to emphasise the continuity of the picture and to make the front and back levels of the picture more obvious. The cross line formed by the figure and the weasel achieves a Radial Balance in the picture, which makes the viewer feel more comfortable and balanced, and the layout of the picture looks more comfortable and balanced. The layout of the picture also looks more complete.

The flying hair of the character and the curvature of the pendant on the bracelet in the picture add a sense of movement to the picture, which does not make the picture rigid and does not make the character's expression too abrupt. At the same time, the thin and messy hair can also help the character's main body to blend into the background behind him, so that even if it is drawn on a simple background, it can also achieve a very good effect of setting off the background, and it looks very natural and not too abrupt.

Recommendation: 

In this design, I have enhanced the contrast to make the colours and images more striking and ensure they stand out more vividly. In addition, the black and white relationships in the images are more pronounced and visually striking.

In this design, I created a new layer and added geometric patterns as foreground decoration to enhance the depth and richness of the composition. In addition, by using a unified colour scheme, I ensured that the overall visual effect was balanced and harmonious.

In this design, I used a positive negative layer to suppress the darker parts of the dark side to create a better light effect, and painted some of the projections and occlusions on the exposed face with a divine colour to give more dimension to the image as well as to make the distinction between the hair and the face more pronounced.

Idea 1

In this draft I have unified the colours of the character's eyes and the background, and added layers by using the arm over the face, the bright green in the background relates to the shape of the snake wrapped around the character's arm.

Idea 2

In this draft I have used bright red and shapes that seem to explode the paint to highlight the contrast of the figureheads and also to direct the viewer's centre of vision so that the viewer is able to notice the subject of the image more quickly.

Idea 3

In this draft, I used the golden ratio and background colour blocks to help the viewer quickly identify the visual centre, and added unity to the image by designing the hand movements and head tilts on the same diagonal.

Feedbcak:

With Mr.Anwar's advice I was able to clarify the use of some design techniques that I had been using unconsciously while drawing, and he gave me some advice on the choices to be made in the three drafts, so that I could know more clearly how I could improve on what I had already done, and have a clearer and more precise idea of what I wanted to do with the design.

Reflection:

In completing this assignment, I have gained a clearer and deeper understanding of design principles. Not only did I gain theoretical knowledge, but I had the opportunity to confront these concepts in a practical application which further solidified my grasp of them. In the process of completing the three drafts, I realised that I had significantly improved my ability to make quick, confident decisions about composition and the composition of character poses and backgrounds.

Additionally, having internalised the design principles, I was able to construct compositions that were not only visually appealing, but also more cohesive and engaging to the viewer. I became more aware of how elements interact in a composition and how intentional placement guides the viewer's eye through the work. This newfound awareness has allowed me to create images that are more balanced, harmonious, and effective in conveying the intended message. Overall, this assignment was a valuable learning experience that helped me bridge the gap between theory and practice while refining my artistic decision-making skills.