Design Principles - Exercises

31/08/2022 - 21/09/2022 (Week 1 - Week 4)

Ahmad Firas Bin Ahmad Fisal | 0345121

Design Principles (GCD60804) | Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media

Exercises: Elements and Principles of Design

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LECTURES

In the first 2 weeks, I've watched all of the provided recorded lecture videos of:

1. Gestalt Theory 

2. Contrast

3. Emphasis

4. Balance

5. Repetition

6. Movement

7. Harmony & Unity

8. Symbol

9. Word and Image

According to the Module Information Booklet briefing, we were tasked to select 5 Design Principles and create 1 Design for each of the chosen principles.

The design principles that I've chosen are:

- Gestalt Theory (Closure)

- Emphasis (Focal Point)

- Contrast

- Harmony & Unity 

- Movement

Week 1: Wednesday - 31/08/2022

Since it was a public holiday, I've decided to go through the materials for Topic 1 on my own and pace to acquaint myself with the Principles, Theory, etc. It was well-explained in the video that Principles of Design shouldn't be ignored because, without those, our product becomes ineffective. They are mandatory components that could capture the eyes and soul of a viewer.

Week 2: Wednesday - 07/09/2022

Our lecturer checked our blogs and give remarks on what we should improve on and gave us a reminder to ensure that the blog is up and ready. Our checkpoint for the end of the week is to at least have 2-3 designs ready so that we could formally receive our feedback for them next week. We were also advised to watch all of the Design Principles recorded lecture videos provided in the Teams's class file.

Week 3: Wednesday - 14/09/2022

Since almost everyone has at least 2 designs ready for the week, a round of feedback was made by our lecturer to further evaluate and educate us on design principles. Pieces of advice were given to everyone regarding the blog and also the formatting to ensure that it's readable for viewers. It was a positive feedback session for me because I was given the chance to further reflect on my artworks with the critiques given by our lecturer. 3 other designs are to be made ready for this coming week for it to be evaluated and submitted before the deadline.

Week 4: Wednesday - 21/09/2022

We had our second to last feedback session for both our designs and also our portfolio to ensure that it is ready for submission next week. I had been given decent feedback for almost all of my selected principles. Only left with amendments for the Movement principle. We were also briefed for the next assignment that will start from Week 5 onwards.

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INSTRUCTIONS

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1. Create 1 Design for each chosen principle.

2. Choose suitable materials to best express our ideas and document them in the blog.

3. A short description of the selected design principle.

4. Must have complete design processes;

        - Visual References (Designs that have inspired your own)

        - Idea Exploration and Description

        - Final Design in JPEG and a Short Rationale

        - Document the feedback received from the lecturer

        - Reflection on the particular week

Submission: Submit blog link and JPEG images of each final design on TEAMS.

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1. GESTALT THEORY (CLOSURE)

Lecture Notes: 

Figure 1.1 - Gestalt Theory

Figure 1.2 - Gestalt Theory Infographic

On top of our lecture video in class, these are the ones from my additional reading to understand these Principles/Theories in a detailed manner. I've decided to centre my design for this theory with a focus on the Closure theory of the Gestalt Principles.

Closure is when our brain immediately makes visual images to form a connection when looking at incomplete shapes. Our brain prefers looking at complete shapes or familiar visual elements.

Article Reference:  
https://blog.optimalworkshop.com/understanding-the-gestalt-principles-of-perception-for-ux/

Visual References: 

Figure 1.3 - Animal Icons by George Bokhua

Figure 1.4 - Alphabets by Max Ostermeier

Idea Exploration: 

Figure 1.5 - Sketches (Multiple variations)

As annotated, more ideas came as I start to sketch. Firstly, it was just a simple sketch of the word 'Love' and was trying to figure out how to implement the concept of Closure to the word itself. That is when the second sketch came to mind, a gap made on the 'heart' shape would make viewers make a mental image that it was derived from a full heart shape before it's been cut off to create those gaps.

Figure 1.6 - Digitalisation of the Artwork (Attempt #1)

After my digitalisation phase, this is what I came out with and I was satisfied with it until I look at the letter 'E'. Upon our feedback session with our lecturer, it is then further confirmed that it's better for the 'love' shape in the space of the letter 'E' to be changed with a refined idea to further support the 'heartbreak' theme that is well present with the letter 'O'

Final Outcome (JPEG) with Rationale (50-150 words):

Figure 1.7 - Finale Outcome for the Gestalt Theory (Closure)

I decided to go with a 'heartbreak' concept from the heart shape because I was able to combine those gaps mentally, to create a complete 'heart' shape in our mind without having to physically draw them on the artwork. It is just a perception of the brain that further proves this Closure theory from The Gestalt Principle. 

Additionally, the water graphics that can be seen in the letter 'E' region is to complement the theme of the artwork with teardrops representing an emotion that is usually associated with heartbreaks.

Feedback: 

[Week 3] Sketches have a clear direction with the provided description all around it, a good practice to keep in mind when doing any design work. Try to incorporate the dark and 'heartbreak' theme by changing the love in the negative space of the letter 'e' to a teardrop shape or maybe put the teardrops outside of a normal 'e' lettering to further highlight a broken heart. 

Another good practice I did was to put credit to the visual references used but a suggestion made by the lecturer is to embed the artist's name with the source link for a better experience for the viewers to check out the original artwork at its original source.

[Week 4] Much better illustration with the water illustration which goes well with the emotional theme going on.

Reflection:

At first, it was rather difficult for me to understand Gestalt Principles because I couldn't imagine how each of the theories would look after decoding it from a design or artwork. Attempting the art itself and countless amount of critiques on what I can find on Pinterest really helps the process of understanding the Principles better. I find Closure the most unique one because of how our brain works seamlessly with an artwork. We are able to create mental images of things that are not complete due to the familiarity we have previously with those particular incomplete shapes.

2. EMPHASIS (FOCAL POINT)

Lecture Notes: 

Emphasis is a strategy to draw the viewer's attention to a specific element. We could see Emphasis being used in most fields of design so much that we tend to disregard its importance of it. However, the aim is to create a focal point in the design which is the eye-catching part of the work we do. It could be manipulated by using lines, shapes, colours, textures, sizes and many more. In the context of Interaction Design, this principle is used to drive our attention to buttons like the purchase button, sign-up button, etc.

Visual References: 

Figure 2.1 - Illustration by Itsuko Suzuki

Figure 2.2 - Interior Design by Lookofsky Architecture

Idea Exploration: 

Figure 2.3 - Emphasis: Focal Point (Sketch #1)

Figure 2.4 - Emphasis: Focal Point (Sketch #2)

Implementing both visual references' ideas to further my idea exploration, I've decided to use a grayscale colour scheme for my artwork with a centre of attention being directed to an object with rather contrasting colours as opposed to grayscale to capture the attention of the viewers. This is to create an emphasis on the focal point of the artwork where it is eye-catching in certain areas of the design making it more pleasing to look at.

Figure 2.5 - Digitalisation for Emphasis: Focal Point (#1)

Upon feedback, it is great but the outlines of the grey balls are a little too dark which might be a problem for viewers to focus on the coloured ball which was supposed to be a focal point. Hence, I've decided to do a digitalisation approach to the first sketch instead and have found an outcome that put an emphasis on the chosen principle/

Final Outcome (JPEG) with Rationale (50-150 words):

Figure 2.6 - Final Outcome for the Emphasis: Focal Point

I've decided to digitally draw a 'beach ball' inspired circle shape as opposed to a single-coloured normal circle shape because this creates a rather flowy dynamic with those different shades of grey to make it more visually pleasing to look at when there are different layers to it but to also make it adhere to the favoured principle which is the emphasis in the focal point. That is further portrayed by the colourful ball at the centre of the artwork which pulls your attention to it.

Feedback: 

[Week 3] The emphasis theory is strongly present there. However, to further accentuate the coloured beach ball, try to lighten the outlines of the balls and mute the grayscale further to bring out the coloured ball even further. The colours used overall are not too gaudy which is great because if it's too gaudy, it might want to fight for the centre of attention which will cause disruption to the initial emphasis intended which is to the coloured ball.

[Week 4] It is now less cluttered compared to the last attempt of the multiple beach balls which would've been a little generic illustration. The final outcome is a good attempt to not follow the generic direction of the emphasis-based artwork that we can see online. A really good shift to change the idea.

Reflection:

This particular design principle feels more natural for me to do because it is essentially what we observe in our daily life, from how product design, websites and so on that really focus on creating a focal point because the way our brain works is that we are easily attracted to things that stand out in any shape, form, and even colours. It is also important in the design perspective because when viewers view our artworks, we typically want them to focus on certain areas of the design unless we intend to do artwork with designs that are cluttered all around to visually communicate in that certain way. 

3. CONTRAST

Lecture Notes: 

Contrast refers to the arrangement of opposite elements and effects. It could be used to create variety and visual interest by implementing light and dark colours, smooth and rough textures, and large and small shapes. 

Visual References: 

Figure 3.1 - Self-portrait en face, c 1910 by Käthe Kollwitz

The artist adds contrast using the elements of line, value and shape. She also uses darker values in this artwork to show the contrast of emotions present. She uses the softness of the charcoal and the way that she uses the concept of a light source which results in a sensuous expression that is present in her self-portraiture work.

Figure 3.2 - Portraiture by Rocio Montoya

Idea Exploration: 

Figure 3.3 - Sketch for Contrast

Final Outcome (JPEG) with Rationale (50-150 words):

Figure 3.4 - Final Artwork for Contrast

This fiery character came into mind after watching a fantasy tv-show that has the involvement of elemental powers, because of that I was inspired to create a character digitally by using Procreate to jot down my sketches and ideas before completing the artwork. I guess the cuteness of the character comes from my emotions at that time of the idea exploration.

I wanted my contrast artwork to be focused on the colours used between the foreground and the background. The focal point will still be focused on the main subject of the fire character despite a strong contrast happening in the artwork as a whole. Moreover, the main subject has different intensities of the same colour creating some dynamic within the art so that it doesn't look as flat as it should've been if I were to use only a single layer with only one colour on the character.

Feedback: 

[Week 4] The fiery character is made beautifully and it is noticeably cute. It is also interesting to see how the character is made with those multi-layered bodies.

Reflection: 

At first, when the word contrast comes to mind, all I could imagine is the overly contrasted artwork or pictures that we can see from time to time on the web. However, good contrast is when you understand the fundamental of design at its core that would eventually create an emphasis on the contrast of shapes, sizes, elements, colours and many more. It is not just limited to colours as we commonly know from editing our pictures on our phones.

4. HARMONY & UNITY

Lecture Notes: 

Harmony & Unity is a principle that refers to how cohesive an artwork could be. How whole and complete it appears at the end of the process. It is not necessarily a repetition of the same element, but harmony could also be presented when a great combination of elements is there that would eventually create an excellent composition.

Visual References: 

Figure 4.1 - Flat Design Illustration from Gigantic

Figure 4.2 - Illustration by F-Fan of Design Kill Point

Idea Exploration: 

Figure 4.3 - Sketch for Harmony & Unity

Final Outcome (JPEG) with Rationale (50-150 words):

Figure 4.4 - Final Artwork for Harmony & Unity

When I was looking for my visual references, I stumbled on a flat design illustration from various artists and also recently I've been inspired by the beauty of nature ever since I watched a nature documentary on television. Water, the Sun, and the Forest is something that we can see are declining and that saddens me because I'm afraid future generations wouldn't be able to experience nature as we did anymore. That has inspired me to further my drawings for harmony and unity with my own landscape illustration showing greeneries and the world.

Before planning ahead on what to draw, I started with choosing my colour palette beforehand because I believe that a limited colour palette provides better colour harmony rather than using all of the colour hues in the colour wheel. After, the idea of the circled landscape illustration came into mind after going through Pinterest for inspiration. Based on the colour theory, analogous colours are also one of the ways to put the emphasis on the harmony principle a little better because of how the neighbouring colours complement each other.

Feedback: 

[Week 4] The artwork made successfully shows harmony and unity, with a great sketch description to show the colour palette beforehand to determine the harmony of the artwork. It was also recommended for me to include how I came about this design in the rationale to show viewers what's the description and details that would make them understand this design just by reading the rationale.

Reflection:

Harmony & Unity is the principle that could get you confused with one of the other principles such as Repetition but that will only happen if you truly limit yourself with the idea that unity could only be created by repetitively using the same element over again. However, that is not the case, harmony and unity could be created by different shapes, sizes, colours, etc.

5. MOVEMENT

Lecture Notes: 

Movement can be referred to in two ways; firstly, the artist could depict movement by using the elements and the principle of design. Secondly, they also could create a visual flow to the artwork to indicate a path to the viewer's eyes as they take a look at the artwork.

Lines, shapes and colours could be utilised by the artist to create the movement;

Diagonal, Vertical, Horizontal, Curving, Flowing, and Progressive are the movements that we could put a label on to guide us in making an artwork.

Visual References: 

Figure 5.1 - Line Art by Twenty75

Figure 5.2 - Line Art by Waltraud Rieken

Idea Exploration: 

Figure 5.3 - Sketch for Movement

Figure 5.4 - Digitalisation of Movement (#1)

Final Outcome (JPEG) with Rationale (50-150 words):

Figure 5.5 - Final Artwork for Movement

How the artwork came into mind is my recent encounter with recent news mentioning typhoons that are currently hitting Japan. The water flooding and also from my visual references to oceans and whirlpools from all around the world inspired me to do this line art that enables me to replicate the movement of a whirlpool.

Next, after our feedback session, I've decided to stay away from generic line art but instead make it an inspiration for my initial Whirpool/typhoon-inspired design. It is slightly on the abstract side of things and it could be interpreted in other ways. However, I can find movement in this design just by staring at the centre for a couple of seconds.

Personally, geometrical line art is one of the art styles that depict movement in a very simple manner. It doesn't require much art skills and the realism of the painter to give all the necessary details to show movement in the artwork. This art style strictly uses lines, curves, etc as the main elements and is constructed and aligned in a certain way that will eventually produce an illusion-like artwork that will eventually put an emphasis on the movement of the design.

Feedback: 

[Week 4] Try adding colours to the artwork to further show movement because this current design is a little generic of line art. When adding colours, try reducing the opacity of the black outlines.

Reflection:

Initially, when looking at the Movement principle, the only thing that comes to my mind is water which could only show the idea of movement in a still-form work. However, after widening my perspective and knowledge of the design principles I had finally realise that every design principle was created with those simple elements of design combined or individually. That goes to show, how an art style as simple as line art, could depict movement way better than just a photograph of water flowing.