DESIGN PRINCIPLES - EXERCISES

                                                                                                                                                                      

In Week 01, I watched all the lecture videos which are 

• Design Principles blog
• Lec 1.1 Intro Elements & Principles of  Design
• Lec 1.2 Contrast & Gestalt Theory
• Lec 2 Balance & Emphasis 
• Lec 3 Repetition & Movement 
• Lec 4 Harmony & Unity
• Lec 5 Symbol, Word & Image 

According to the module assignment briefs, I have selected 2 design principles from the list and will create 1 design for each principle.

The design principles that I chose were Contrast and Emphasis. Below are the individual posts for each design.

                                                                                                                                                                      

CONTRAST

1. RECAP LECTURE NOTES.

The juxtaposition of different elements creates contrast. Contrast can provide visual interest and can guide the viewer’s eye to a focal point. The visual experience would be boring without contrast. Contrast exists in movies, web design, posters, interior design, etc. Contrast can be applied by using different colors, shapes, positions and lighting.

2. DESIGN PROCESS.

2.1 VISUAL REFERENCES.

Below are the designs that inspired me.

Figure 1.1 Inspiration. (credits: Pinterest)

2.2 IDEA EXPLORATION.

I got some inspiration from Pinterest as above (Figure 1.1). I plan to create a top view of sea waves and two boats on that. Using torn paper effect on the boat wake to create contrast. Below is my sketch for it.

Figure 1.2 Sketch. (Contrast)

I use curve lines to create the sea waves and color them with different shades of blue color. The sea waves will be in the background and two boats will be in the foreground. The torn paper effect is used on the boat wake and the picture of plastics and marine life will paste on the boat wake too. It creates a design of the boats ripping the paper and shows the truth behind the beautiful appearance.

Figure 1.3 First version. (Contrast)

After receiving feedback from Dr. Charles Sharma Naidu Achu Naidu on my first design (Figure 1.3), he suggested me to change the color of the boats as it is a bit too bright. So, I did try to change the color of the boats and it comes out as below.

Figure 1.4 Improve version. (Contrast)

I also try to change the boats with new designs and colors.

Figure 1.5 Boats with a new design. (Contrast)

However, I still feel that the first version design (Figure 1.3) is the best to show the design principle, contrast.

2.3 FINAL OUTCOME.

Figure 1.6 Final outcome // The Hidden Truth. (Contrast)

This is my final outcome for design principles, contrast. As mentioned above, I decide to use the first version design (Figure 1.3) as my final and I did add some details to it to make the torn paper effect and boats more realistic and 3D. I named this design as The Hidden Truth which shows the current situation of the ocean and marine life. The boats had ripped truth under the beautiful appearance of the sea. The red color boats catched the viewer's attention and showed the contrast. 

2.4 LECTURER'S FEEDBACK.

On week 2, I showed my first version design of contrast (Figure 1.3) to Dr. Charles Sharma Naidu Achu Naidu. He said that the design is great but also suggested me to improve some areas. 

He suggested me to change the color of the boats as the color is too bright so that the viewer will focus on the boats instead of the boat wake.

                                                                                                                                                                      

EMPHASIS

1. RECAP LECTURE NOTES.

Emphasis is used to catch the viewer's attention and focus on the design work. Emphasis can be created by using shape, value, color, etc.

2. DESIGN PROCESS.

2.1 VISUAL REFERENCES.

Below are the designs that inspired me.

Figure 2.1 Inspiration. (credits: Pinterest)

2.2 IDEA EXPLORATION.

I got some inspiration from Pinterest as above. I plan to draw the desert as the background (line art drawing) and a rectangle on it that contain colors. Below is my sketch for it.

Figure 2.2 First sketch. (Emphasis)

After receiving the feedback from Dr. Charles Sharma Naidu Achu Naidu, he said that the design is good just that I have to justify why emphasize that area. So, I try to sketch a new design that changed the view inside the rectangle into green grass and blue sky which represent two environments with different weather. 

Figure 2.3 Second sketch. (Emphasis)

In the end, I decide to use the first sketch (Figure 2.2) as I think it is more catching my attention to focus on the design. 

                                                                                                                                                                      

2.3 FINAL OUTCOME.

Figure 2.4 Final outcome // Painter. (Emphasis)

This is my final outcome of design principles, emphasis which is the advanced version of Figure 2.2. I did redraw the design of the sun and desert. I added more lines on the desert to make it look more 3D and a girl in the middle which is painting the desert into colors. This perfectly explained why that area is in color and the others are not. I named this design as Painter. Everyone is a painter, we mix the color by our own way and paint our lives upon the canvas of reality.

                                                                                                                                                                      

2.4 LECTURER'S FEEDBACK.

On week 2, I showed the first sketch of emphasis (Figure 2.2) to Dr. Charles Sharma Naidu Achu Naidu. He said that the design is fine but also suggested me to have more research. He advised me to think what's the purpose of the rectangle that contains colors and to justify why is that area emphasized.

3. REFLECTION.

This exercise gave me very different experiences compared to the foundation as this is more toward independent learning, I need to watch the lesson videos by myself before lecture classes started. Besides, this is my first time creating a blog, and I have no idea on how to create a blog. I used 2-3 days to explore how to create the blog, change the design of the blog, create a label, etc. 

For me, it was a bit stressful at the beginning of this exercise. This is because the design for each design principles can be anything so that I have no direction on where to start and how to proceed. But luckily, after my research, I found the design that I wanted to create.

All in all, I learned a lot from this exercise. I managed my time better as I plan all the activities daily to ensure I watched all the lesson videos, write down my process in the blog and also spend time on creating a design. I learned how the create a blog. Beside that, I learned the way to identify and apply design principles to a design.

REFERENCES.

Figure 1.1 - https://pin.it/3xaqF33

                  https://pin.it/1If9xxW

                  https://pin.it/1TTrRbi

Figure 2.1 - https://pin.it/3QKYmbb

                   https://pin.it/2Wphg3P

                   https://pin.it/7L61wvk