TASK 1: EXERCISES

30/8/2023- 4/10/2023 (Week1 - Week 6)
Ang Siu Boon (0345135)
Design Principles (Bachelor's Degree (Hons) in Computer Science)
Exercises

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CONTENTS

1. Instructions
2. Recap of Selected Design Principle
3. Design Process
• Contrast
• Balance
  
• Emphasis
4. Reflection

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INSTRUCTIONS

RECAP OF SELECTED DESIGN PRINCIPLES:

Contrast :

Figure 1.0 Contrast Research

Contrast occurs when two or more visual elements in a composition are different. In design we use contrast to generate impact, highlight importance, create exciting graphics and create visual interest and dynamics.

Balance :

Figure 1.1 Balance Research

Balance is the visual weight of elements in a composition. Balance is used to add stability, add structure, create emphasis and to create dynamics. In design, one should attempt to place visual elements in an aesthetically pleasing arrangement, or particular arrangement to fulfill a purpose or achieve a particular look and feel.

Emphasis:

Figure 1.2 Emphasis Research
 

Emphasis is the part of the design that catches the viewer's attention. Usually, the artist will contrast one region with other parts to draw attention to it. The region could vary in terms of its size, color, texture, shape. The viewer's eye moves through the piece of art, frequently to focal points.

DESIGN PROCESS

For my designs I planned to create the posters based on the latest hit movies. I researched some of the top ranking movies and went ahead to search for some reference. 

Figure 2.0 IMDb Moviemeter Chart as of SEP 10 2023

    1. CONTRAST

For 'CONTRAST', I went with 'Oppenheimer' starring Cillian Murphy. The summary of the movie was a documentary about Julius Robert Oppenheimer which was starred by Cillian on his journey to invent the atomic bomb which is a nuclear weapon that is said to "Destroy Worlds". Hence would like to contrast the fear, guilt, destruction and power.

Figure 2.1 Oppenheimer Film Poster 2023

My initial idea was to 'CONTRAST' the deadly destructive force of the atomic bomb. These are the few references that I obtained online that I will be using for the poster

Figure 2.2 Christopher Nolan Portrait as Oppenheimer

Figure 2.3 Mushroom Cloud effect of Atomic Bomb (Hiroshima, AUG 6 1945)

After several searches, I decided to use the above 2 grayscale image which could be used to portray sadness and despair as in many cultures, these 2 colors are often associated with life and death which coincidentally relate to the movie.

Figure 2.4 All layer filter effect in Photoshop

At first I had tough decisions on how I would like to portray the message. I had thoughts on combining the explosion to the tip of his cigarette, but in the end I played with the blending option in Adobe Photoshop and I finally chose the 'Overlay' filter.

Figure 2.5 Overlay filter on

As we can see I can't just use the effect and call it a day, I then created mask on the two image and used the brush tool to make things more detailed so that the image looks more natural

Figure 2.6 Adding Mask and fixing details

Adding the masks made Cillian's face more pronounced. His eyes also looked more clear as I felt his emotion of guilt of inventing the atomic in the picture which is what I intend to illustrate.

Figure 2.7 After adding mask

However, we are still not done. The theme is 'CONTRAST' which I need to add some eye-catching elements to the image. I added another layer of 'Color Dodge' to add some color onto his cigarette.

Figure 2.8 Color Dodge filter on Cigarette.

I felt that the color was not dominant enough as it is quite small since the image has a lot of details and elements. Hence, I then added the same effect onto the Mushroom Cloud.

Figure 2.9 Color Dodge filter

Figure 2.10 First Final Draft

I had some feedback from Dr. Yip, she advised me to remove the orange layer but instead remain the black white feel to the picture is enough to bring out the contrast of the poster. I added another contrast layer and did some tweaking in Photoshop

Figure 2.11 Adding Contrast Layer

EXPERIMENT

Figure 2.11 Contrast Experiment 1

Figure 2.12 Contrast Experiment 1

Lastly, with the opinions of Dr. Yip, I tweaked the contrast of the clouds, eyes, and cigarette to make the poster more contrasting.

FINAL

Figure 2.13 Final 'Contrast' Poster

Rationale : As stated in the summary. Oppenheimer was called the "father of atomic bomb", He has regretted on inventing the atomic bomb and I would like to portray the meaning in this poster. I wanted to 'CONTRAST' the amount of guilt in relationship to the destructive force of the atomic bomb which was able to kill millions of people. The color black and white which I mentioned earlier, was meant to symbolize life and death, where it is very suitable for contrasting the message to the viewer.

    2. BALANCE

For the second theme 'BALANCE', I chose the movie 'The Little Mermaid' but instead of the live-action film, I went with the animated version which in summary is about a rebellious 16 year-old mermaid who is fascinated with life on land and somehow managed to made a deal with a sea witch which turns her into a human for 3 days for a price, her voice. My idea was to create a balance poster which express the balance between the life between sea and land.

Figure 3.0 Disney The Little Mermaid Poster

I loved this shot of Ariel reaching out to the surface of the ocean wanted to be apart of human world. I felt this image had a strong meaning of wanting freedom which appealed to me to add it into my poster.

Figure 3.1 Artwork of The Little Mermaid, Ariel

I searched for a binary image of Ariel for the poster and this is what I was able to obtain

Figure 3.2 Binary image of Ariel

Since the theme is 'BALANCE' I needed a mirrored version of Ariel, but this time I wanted to give her legs like it did in the movie. So I drafted out legs for her to replace her tail. I had to experiment on Disney's character autonomy as they tend to have bigger hips.

 

Figure 3.3 Disney Princesses Autonomy

Figure 3.4 Legs for Ariel

I had to erased her tail and add the legs, I had to erase some part and make it seamless. This is the outcome of the human version of Ariel with legs.

Figure 3.5 Ariel with Legs

Figure 3.6 Mermaid and Human Ariel together

Next I added some details, colors and effect to give some live into the poster. I first decided the water color as mermaid has to be in water. Then I used the Eyedropper tool to get the color code which is #019dda and went to www.canva.com/colors/color-wheel/ to get the complementary color which is #DA3E01 for the sky color.

Figure 3.7 Canva Color Wheel

Figure 3.8 Poster with Complementary Color

I felt the poster was a bit dull and boring and I decided to add some elements into it. I decided to add a circle to give it another element for the poster. I then decided to use the circle as the sun as the sky complementary color almost resemble a sunset color.

Figure 3.9 Adding circle onto the poster

Figure 3.10 Added sunset

After I was done, I felt that the sunset has made the poster lost its balance. Then I decided to bring the circle layer to the front to make a full circle to remain the balance in the poster. And then I have done the 'BALANCE' poster

Figure 3.11 Balance First Draft

Dr. Yip said that the balance was not enough and asked me to add some elements to the poster. Firstly, she advised me to bring the mermaid version of Ariel slightly upwards. Instead I added a diagonal line connecting the edges of the poster as a guideline on the placement of the Ariels.

Figure 3.12 Line guide for Ariel placement

Next, I changed the saturation of the water waves as instructed by Dr. Yip to bring out the contrast in the poster. Dr. Yip also gave some ideas to add some elements to rebalance the wave effect such as adding mountains to the upper area. I also had some ideas in mind and I tried it out. 

Figure 3.13 Changed Saturation and Added Mountains

Figure 3.14 Added sunset elements

After trying out the advise Dr. Yip gave and my idea. I did not let my imagination stop. Instead I tried combining both ideas into my poster.

Figure 3.15 Combining both Ideas

Although Dr. Yip did not encouraged one of my ideas where I wanted to add some fishes and birds to bring out the 'BALANCE' more, I still went ahead to try them out. As there is a quote that goes "Never try, never know".

Figure 3.16 Added Birds and Fishes

My initial thought was to Dr Yip, advised to remove the fish as it doesn't always have to balance it out.

FINAL OUTCOME

Figure 3.17 Final 'Balance' Poster

Rationale : The reason I chose The Little Mermaid for this principle is quite simple. The word 'BALANCE' defines the even distribution of things. The Little Mermaid takes places in the ocean and land, which is a 'BALANCE' of nature where our earth is split into SEA and LAND/SKY. There are two lifeform in the movie which are Aquatic Vertebrate (Mermaid) and Homosapien (Human) which also brings 'BALANCE' which I wanted to depict. Thus, there is no other movie more suitable for the principle of 'BALANCE'

   2. EMPHASIS

For the last theme 'EMPHASIS', The perfect movie of choice that I picked was 'Barbie'. The story is about Barbie that was starred by Margot Robbie who was living in Barbieland which was supposed to be a perfect place for all the Barbies in the world. However, Barbie suddenly experienced an existential crisis. She then have to set on a journey to the real world in order to understand herself and discover her true purpose and soon discover the joys and perils of living among humans. I would like to emphasize the imperfections of barbie throughout the poster.

Figure 4.0 Barbie movie 2023 Poster

First I made a basic draft of the poster which would highlight the meaning of 'EMPHASIS', I created a normal pink background with a black Barbie logo.

Figure 4.1 Base Draft for Barbie Poster

Barbie is a usually a happy and vibrant word, In which adding the black logo can attract viewer's attention which is the main purpose of 'EMPHASIS'. I then continue to search online for some sample vector and add into the poster for some extra touches.

Figure 4.2 Sample Barbie Vectors

Figure 4.3 Added some elements

It is basically done, but I feel that the poster does not feel lively enough. I looked for crucial and major scene from the movie to 'EMPHASIS' the messages that they left.

Figure 4.4 Meeting Peculiar Barbie

Figure 4.5 Barbie learning about Cellulite

Figure 4.6 Kens overthrowing Barbieland

Figure 4.7 Depressed Barbie

Figure 4.8 Emotional Barbie

Figure 4.9 Meeting the founder Ruth Handler

I obtained these scenes which are major event from the movie with deep meaning and compile them into a collage. I then mask the collage with the Barbie Logo do give it some depth and live into it.

Figure 4.10 Masking Collage with Logo

The color of the collage cause to much commotion and makes it hard to perceive. Hence, I added some contrast and saturation layer to make it more faded.

Figure 4.11 Adding adjustment layer

Figure 4.12 Adjusted collage

I already love the outcome but, I added one more tiny detail which is a major quote in the story that goes “Barbie is all these woman. And all these women are Barbie.” 

EXPERIMENTS

Figure 4.13 Experiments with Background 1

Figure 4.14 Experiments with Background 2

Figure 4.15 Experiments with Background 3

Figure 4.16 Experiments with Background 4

Figure 4.17 Experiments with Background 5

Figure 4.18 Experiments with Background 6

Figure 4.19 Experiments with Background 7

Figure 4.20 Experiments with Background 8

Dr Yip then advised me to remove the background as it is quite jarring and draws away the attention from the center which will reduce the impact of Emphasis. I then retried without the background vectors.

Figure 4.21 Experiments without Background 1

Figure 4.22 Experiments without Background 2

Figure 4.23 Experiments without Background 3

Lastly, Dr Yip and I decided on the one with the most striking pink which brings out the contrast and able to emphasize the content more.

FINAL

Figure 4.24 Final 'Emphasis' Poster

Rationale : Barbie to a lot of people seems like a jolly and perfect being. If you have seen the movie Barbie, your perspective of it will change. Hence, the principle of 'EMPHASIS' is fitting for the movie Barbie. In this poster, I would like to 'EMPHASIS' on the imperfections or flaws of Barbie. The collage which are major events shows the other side of perfections where each scenes has their own deeper meaning. The quote also justify that it is alright to be imperfect in which it is the beauty and uniqueness of each women.

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REFLECTION

Designing three posters with a focus on the design principles of contrast, balance, and emphasis has been an educational and inspiring process. In terms of conception and execution, each poster presented a distinct challenge, so I'm eager to look back on the procedure.

Throughout the process of creating these posters, I discovered that a thorough comprehension of the principles is a crucial component of successful design. I was able to experiment with various design elements for each poster, which helped me effectively communicate the essence of the principle. The fact that these ideas are frequently connected also occurred to me. For instance, achieving balance can involve carefully choosing contrast, and contrasting elements can emphasize a point.

Finally, the process of creating these design principles posters has been both educational and motivating. It has emphasized the significance of these concepts in generating effective and visually appealing designs. These posters serve as both a creative presentation and a reminder of the essential ideals that underpin effective design work. They demonstrate the power of visual communication and the significance that design principles play in effectively communicating messages.