Design Principles - Final Compilation & Reflection

 6/2/2024 - 21/3/2024  ( Week 1 - Week 7 ) 

Ho Winnie / 0364866 

Design Principles / Bachelor's of Design Honors In Creative Media

Design Principles Final Compilation & Reflection 

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INDEX

Project 1 : Exploration 

Project 2 : Visual Analysis 

Project 3 : Design 

PDF Compilation of all blog posts 

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SUBMISSIONS

Project 1 : Exploration 

8/2/2024 - 22/2/2024  ( Week 2 - Week 3  )

UNSDG Goal & Artwork :

Out of the 17 United Nation Sustainable Development Goals ( UNSDG ) , I have chosen Number 5 which is Gender Equality. I chose this goal as since young i believe that females and males both deserve equal standing in the society. Just like in the technology industry, I have seen girls being discriminated as being not as capable as males to thrive in the technology sector and i attend talks and seminars by some very strong females who can thrive just as well even though it is a male populated industry. This makes me more inclined to pick goal 5 and do my part in helping to achieve gender equality in the near future. 

A Brief Description of Goal 5 ( Gender Equality ) : 

Ending discrimination against women is more than just a human right and it is vital to build a sustainable future. Empowering women can help economic growth and development. United Nations has been actively promoting gender equality and more girls has been getting academic attention and education over the past 20 years. Even though there are still a large number of women treated with discrimination such as exploitation , unpaid care , sexual violence and unfair treatment in work spaces there are more women in the labor market than ever now. 

Everyone deserves equal treatment, it is vital to empower women with technology , equal rights and encouraging more women leaders to help achieve greater gender equality. 

Artwork chosen representing Gender Equality : 

Fig 5.4 " Equality " by Shepard Fairey , 2007 , Week 2 (2/12/2024) 

Title of Artwork : "Power & Equality" 

Designer's Name : Shepard Fairey 

Year : 2007 

Medium : Digital Print 

Reason Why I Chose This Artwork : 149 words

This piece of artwork has a perfect visual representation of equality as its central message sends a bold statement across as "power and equality". It is prominently shown as a women is perceived in the middle and the concept of equality is related to fight for women's rights

This artwork implicitly supports women's rights and fighting stereotypes. Bold typography and colors such as red and blue are being used as well to evoke a sense of unity and balance. The concept of equality and power - equal rights and opportunities is always shown throughout the design as well as the promotion of female rights. It evokes a sense of power and stability as it uses Michelle Obama as their icon and symbol, she is a strong icon for female empowerment and she is placed in the middle focal point , symbolizing a tree that is deeply rooted down to the ground. 

Design Principles Used In "Equality" by Shepard Fairey : 

1) Contrast - Bold vibrant colors like red and blue were placed against a more muted tone background, creating color contrast. 

2) Emphasis - The designer used central focal positioning to emphasize key elements such as Michelle Obama as a strong icon representing woman empowerment. Her head was put in the central circle and her body mimics a tree being rooted to the ground, symbolizing stability. 

3) Balance - The elements were distributed symmetrically through the design , achieving visual balance. 

4) Repetition - Repetitive shapes were used to fill up the negative spaces around the central icon, helping to draw the viewer's attention to the center point. 

5) Harmony and Unity - The design elements all work hand in hand to convey the message of gender equality. 

6) Symbols - Michelle Obama is used as an icon and symbol representing gender equality as she is an iconic figure in helping women empowerment. Additionally, peace symbol is also observed in the design, implementing that with her as the focal point , peace and action can be brought when it comes to achieving gender equality. 

7) Word and Image - Visual elements were paired with textural messages such as "power and equality" , "embrace justice" were used to create a powerful synergy between the message and artwork. Serif font was used and they are often perceived as more stable due to how it is designed - the presence of small strokes at the ends of a character creates a sense of solidity and structure. The careful selection of type of font and font size works to bring out stability and power in this design. 

Project 2 : Visual Analysis 

22/2/2024 - 7/3/2024 ( Week 3 - Week 5 ) 

Below is a detailed visual analysis of my chosen artwork split into 3 parts : Observation , Research and Interpretation. 

 

Observation : 

This piece of artwork is designed in a portrait format that combines text and imagery in a framed layout. Bold typography and colors can be observed , placing a strong emphasis on the message of power and equality. The dominant colors observed here are black, red and green. At the centre focal point, a woman’s face is depicted in a style of an early 20th century artwork and her expression is calm and determined. 

Surrounding the portrait are floral designs and decorative elements that add an ornamental quality to the artwork. Overall the arrangement of the elements follow a symmetrical layout

(101 words)

Analysis : 

The design is symmetrically balanced with both sides of the elements bringing the viewer’s eyes to the centre. Bold vibrant colors like red and blue were placed against a more muted tone background, creating color contrast. The main emphasis is the woman in the centre and the designer used central focal positioning to emphasize her as a strong icon representing woman empowerment. Her head was put in the central and her body mimics a tree being rooted to the ground, symbolizing stability. Repetitive floral shapes were used as halos around the icon , visualising her as a holy being . Visual elements were paired with textural messages such as "power and equality" were used to create a powerful synergy and brings unity.  Serif font was used and they are perceived as more stable due to their design. There is visual hierarchy and proportion where we first see the head and text in the centre followed by the words around it.

( 159 words )

Interpretation : 

The poster was created in 2007 and is associated with promoting gender equality and social justice for a campaign by The Art of Elysium organization which uses art to empower individuals. This style of arts reflects the art movement known as Russian Constructivism and old Soviet propaganda posters. 

As this artwork advocates for gender equality and social justice, the design elements are reminiscent of vintage propaganda, which suggests inspiration from previous historical movements. This is designed in a bold contrasting style which signifies a sense of urgency and importance from the viewers to consider the message of justice and equality.

( 100 words )

Extra Practice : 

I did a second visual analysis based on an artwork related to gender equality. I realized that doing another analysis can enhance a designer's writing skills.

Observation : 

This piece of artwork is designed in a landscape mural format that utilizes a vivid and diverse range of colors, predominantly blues, pinks and yellows to bring about a lively and energetic feeling. The central focus here is a woman’s face that appears serene and is surrounded by swirling patterns and waves. The artist blended in mix of realism and abstraction as the face is designed with hints of realism and capturing human’s feelings and emotions while the elements surrounding it are more abstract. 

Overall the mural is a compelling blend of realism and abstraction with strong use of colors with detailed patterning. 

Analysis : 

This design uses color contrast as cool and warm colors are being put together to create harmony. The left side of the mural used a darker color scheme as it illustrates the daily struggle of gender inequality. The right side used a bright color scheme as celebration for women and girls. The main emphasis here is the woman in the middle with one side of her hands tied and the other side of her hands opened wide. The face is surrounded by swirling patterns of hair which creates a wave-like movement in the mural art. The surrounding patterns especially at the hands are filled with henna inspired patterns to symbolise cultural influence on it. Symbolism is portrayed strongly here as the presence of hands and gaze symbolises human connection while the flowing hair symbolises the wave of life. There is visual hierarchy as well where the perspective is predominantly frontal and focus viewer’s attention on face and hands. Unity is brought along by the central human figure being surrounded with abstract elements creating a harmonious and integrated whole.

Interpretation : 

This piece of mural was created in 2016 by artist Joel Bergner and 26 other college students from Sophia College in Mumbai. It was created in conjunction with Kala Ghoda Arts Festival. The artist’s style of art reflects the psychedelic artstyle which utilises bright colors, fluid forms and and intricate patterns. 

Psychedelic art is known for their hallucinatory imagery and vibrancy where swirling movements are often used inside. This artwork is designed to bring awareness on gender equality and illustrate the struggles women faced. This large scale, public nature of the artwork combined with bold colors and forms creates an impactful and unique visual experience, bringing across the message of gender equality clearly. 

Project 3 : Design 

Below documents my work in full ( Research , Moodboard , Sketches , Final Artwork , Rationale & Design Principles ) : 

 

Fig 1.1 HO WINNIE_BALANCE IN BLOSSOM_TASK3

Title of Artwork : "Balance in Blossom : A Geisha's Equality" 

Designer's Name : Ho Winnie

Year : 2024 

Medium : Digital Print 

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PDF Compilation of all blog posts ( Final + Project 1,2,3 ) : 

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REFLECTION

1) What have I learnt from this module?

From Task 1 , I realized the importance of each design principle and how it is commonly used in all artworks we come across. Design principles complements each other to bring out a message from each design works. Prior to studying in depth to each principle, I did not realize how much of an effect they can bring to a design. Now, I am much more aware about utilizing design principles in my future artworks. 

In addition, being exposed to UNSDG Goal is a good experience and it was an eye opener to discover so many meaningful artworks relating to them. As each of us only had to choose one artwork relating to one goal, me and my friends often asked each other what goal we picked and which artwork we chose. It was fun and a learning experience at the same time as we get exposed to each other's artwork and provided our own opinions on it. 

From Task 2 , I particularly enjoyed this task as i am someone who is very expressive in words and knowing how important articulation is in design challenges normal perceptions that design is just the visual outcome. 

Through this task, i explored different ways in understanding design decisions made by the artists and how writing communicates their idea across. This task also touched on practicing our task 1 which is to identify and explore design principles. After feedback sessions with Dr Charles, I honed my writing skills and understood how to better let audiences better understand the rationales behind my explanation. 

From Task 3 , I learnt how to combined the skills from the previous tasks and use them in the final design. I used several design principles in my design and altered them time to time following Dr Charles's feedback. It was crucial to be able to link my artwork back to the original UNSDG Goal I chose in the beginning. 

2) What did I enjoy the most?

For me, I felt that Task 2 - Visual Analysis was my favorite as I get to look into many artworks and decipher the meaning and design principles behind them.  The goal i chose was Gender Equality and there were many different takes on how each artist perceive how to achieve gender equality. 

I read through different articles and came across artworks from different mediums such as street art, digital illustrations and 3D models. There were many methods in portraying the artwork and the rationales behind each of them is very meaningful. All artworks displayed design principles behind them and it was crucial to learn how to identify them. 

3) What did I not enjoy the most?

I felt that my final design for task 3 has many intricate details that I took a long time planning and drawing out. It was difficult to make the design symmetrical as well , I used many guidelines to ensure that the elements are distributed evenly. As the submission week was close to another module, it was tough to balance all my work at one go and the many altercations took me lots of effort to adjust things one by one because when i shift one element , i need to adjust other elements to make them symmetrical. 

4) What have I learnt about myself through this module?

I find that I am someone who likes to read and analyze pictures a lot, through this module I subconsciously will stop by art galleries and decipher what design principles the artist used in the artwork. Through this module, it has taught and strengthen my hobby on stopping by art galleries or art presentations. 

I also find that I am someone who wants to explain myself as clearly as possible hence why I chose to do slides for some tasks even though it is not a hard requirement. I find myself writing , researching and analyzing each project, especially the final project where I went and read about the heavy gender inequality in Japan. 

5) What has changed and what has not in my learning journey? 

Prior to learning design principles, I did not think much in depth about it before starting any design works. Right now, before I start ideating for any artwork, I will consider what types of design principles I will utilize in my artwork as design principles is the base and fundamental of any artwork. 

Design principles also changed my perspective of viewing people's artwork too, I will now look into what type of principles are used and how it links back to the rationale. 

6) What could be improved in this module?

Overall, I felt that this is a great module for any design students be it whether they are in their first semester or further semesters. It really builds the basics for designing and perhaps it could be make compulsory for all first semester students. 

For task 1 exploration, lecturers can consider letting students create their own visual representation of the design principles. It does not necessary have to be a digital artwork, it can even include photography as this will upskill the student's observation skills in everyday life. Being observant of surrounding artworks can help a student get more inspiration and also better understand design principles.