DESIGN PRINCIPLES | TASK 3 - DEVELOPMENT AND DESIGN
3 March 2025 - 17 March 2025 ( Week 5 - Week 7 )
Hsu Myat Wati | 0381660 | Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
Design Principles | Taylor's University
Table of contents
1. LECTURES
2. INSTRUCTIONS
MIB Feb 2025:
1. A recap of Task 3 brief.
2. Select one of the 3 ideas you proposed in Task 2.
3. Develop it through color exploration, composition, typeface, positioning, etc., with design principles in mind.
4. Finalise your idea.
5. Create your final design in A4 size, JPEG format in at least 300 dpi pixel size. Label the design as <Your Name_Title of Design_Task 3>.
6. Write a 200-word rationale explaining/defending: i) the decisions made in your design, ii.) the meaning/purpose of the design, and iii) the design principles that are employed to create the design.,
7. Include feedback from your lecturer.
3. TASK 3 - DEVELOPMENT AND DESIGN
Recap:
In this task, we will choose one of our three proposed sketches from Task 2 and develop it by experimenting with colors, composition, typography, and positioning while applying design principles. Then, we will write a 200-word rationale explaining our design choices, purpose, and principles.
Selected Design from Task 1
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Source link - https://www.instagram.com |
Selected Sketch from Task 2
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| Fig 3.2 - Chosen sketch from Task 2 ( Week 5 | 7 March 2025 ) |
The reason I chose Sketch #2
Sketch #1: My lecturer finds it to be not much different from the original one.
Sketch #3: It is a bit complicated for me to finalize the idea. It can also be overwhelming for the viewers to get the message and to find the main focus of the design of this sketch.
I find sketch #2 straightforward and effective in drawing the viewers' attention and making them understand my design easily without any complicated visual elements.
Updated sketch
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| Fig 3.3 - Updated version of sketch #2 ( Week 6 | 11 March 2025 ) |
I've updated my chosen sketch based on my lecturer's feedback from week 6. I took out some visual elements to avoid making the design overwhelming and get a minimal aesthetic. I put the face right in the center and gave it a symmetrical appearance. I add a transparent blindfold as a new visual element to further enhance the depth. I also change the position of the dagger to give a sense of melancholic and horrific atmosphere.
Color exploration and compositions:
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| Fig 3.4 - Color palette from coolors ( Week 6 | 11 March 2025 ) |
I played around with the colors to finally get the dark and melancholic theme palette. Each color symbolizes different and has a deep meaning behind it.
- Deep Indigo - Symbolizes deep sadness, loneliness, and introspection.
- Burgundy - Represents pain, loss, and intense emotion.
- Warm Gray - Suggests calm resignation or numbness in the face of pain.
- Dusty Rose - Hints at faded love or lost passion.
- Pale Silver - Represents fragility and fleeting hope.
- Charcoal Black - Represents despair, emptiness, and the overwhelming weight of negative thoughts.
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| Fig 3.5 - Added base colors ( Week 6 | 13 March 2025 ) |
As the original one is the novel cover, I want all the information and text to be included in my design as well. Since there is a large white space on top, I put the title, novel author, and illustrator's name in a center-aligned position. I made the title larger and placed it at the back of the girl's head to create a sense of hierarchy between word and image.
Coloring process ( Procreate )
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| Fig 3.6 ( Week 6 | 15 March 2025 ) https://blog.naver.com/ohneuly/222379731427 |
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| Fig 3.7 ( Week 6 | 15 March 2025 ) https://x.com/HANTOGRAPH_/status/1615336077795135490 |
Final Design 1
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| Fig 3.8 - Hsu Myat Wati_Final outcome(1)_Task 3 ( Week 6 | 15 March 2025 ) |
i) Decisions made in my design
At first, I wanted to keep the eye color as the original artwork, but the color got dull when I combined it with all the colors I wanted to use. So, I changed the eye color to light grayish blue, which harmonized with the indigo background. Then, I decided to tilt the face downward a bit to capture the straight, intense look towards us. The blindfold is also added to enhance the storytelling of the cover and make it unique. I added a bit of blush to maintain her rosy cheeks, but instead, I added redness around the eyes to give a horrifying feeling. The title color is changed to deep red to match the theme. Since the remaining text is smaller, I made it black to be more readable. I also decided to keep the background clean as I wanted the focus only on the girl. ( 147 words )
ii) Meaning/purpose of my design
My chosen artwork from Task 1 has a sorrowful, soft atmosphere where the girl shows no expressions. In my final design, I want to showcase a different side of her, which we cannot see through her blindness. The theme of my design is mainly the melancholy and horror side of the character while maintaining the background of the novel. ( 59 words )
iii) Design Principles employed in my design
Symmetrical balance: I placed the girl's face in the center to balance out the visual weight. Also, the dagger in the middle enhances the symmetry of both sides of the hair flowing in opposite directions.
Contrast: I use the color of the pale skin and bright eyes to contrast sharply against the dark hair and muted background to focus more on the face. I also give the dagger a metallic shine, contrasting with the softness of the face and hair.
Emphasis: The main focus of my design is the clear eyes of the girl and her intense emotions through the eyes. The bangs are purposefully curved around the eyes to double the emphasis. Also, the pointed tip of the dagger directs straight to the horror in the eyes.
Movement: I go a little dramatic with the flowing hair strands to create a sense of motion as if the wind is blowing straight towards her face.
Rhythm: The repetitive curves and flow of the hair strands create a rhythmic pattern that guides the viewer’s eye throughout the composition. ( 177 words )
Final Design 2
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| Fig 3.9 - Hsu Myat Wati_Final outcome(2)_Task 3 ( Week 7 | 18 March 2025 ) Link - Hsu Myat Wati_Final outcome(2) |
This is the second version of my final design. This design is more clean and two-dimensional compared to the first one with the added shadows and highlights. I kept the pale face without color to make the character seem lifeless, capturing the same intense feeling as the first design. The clothing and the skin color are still brighter than the dark background, clearly maintaining the contrast and emphasizing the figure. After my lecturer's feedback from week 7, I try to add some texture to the background and change the color of the text: the novel author and illustrator's name. When I change the text color to the bright red as the flowers, it is quite hard to read because of the high contrast with the background. So, I decided to just keep it as black. Also, I gave the clothing some texture to match with the background.
Visual References
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| Fig 3.10 ( Week 6 | 15 March 2025 ) https://pin.it/7t54uJZ1f |
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| Fig 3.11 ( Week 6 | 15 March 2025 ) https://pin.it/7naEisq4e |
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| Fig 3.12 ( Week 6 | 15 March 2025 ) https://pin.it/4oQwPoKvW |
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| Fig 3.13 ( Week 6 | 15 March 2025 ) https://pin.it/3kA8fE19h |
4. FEEDBACK
Week 6 ( 10 March 2025 )
General Feedback: The updated sketches are okay. I can just go with one of them.
Specific feedback: The second sketch is a little too off-centered. The girl's face should be put a bit more to the left side to make it more balanced. Also, it would be better if I could add a hand holding a knife rather than only the knife floating in the air.
Week 7 ( 17 March 2025 )
General feedback: The design with only the base color looks more appealing. I can also do both as a final product.
Specific feedback: I can add a bit of shadow or texture to the design. The color of the text at the top is dull. I can use a brighter red that I use for the flowers to make it more readable.
5. REFLECTIONS
After completing Task 3, I realized both my strengths and weaknesses when creating my own design/artwork. In the past, I used to overlook the importance of the research process and end up creating something with no meaning or message. I now enjoy exploring different artists' artwork, their preferences, and their personal styles. They give me so much inspiration to work on my own design and help me with design thinking.
I've also never experienced going in-depth with color exploration. It teaches me a lot about how to capture the mood of the theme with different color combinations and the meaning behind each color. Honestly, coloring my sketches was the most challenging part for me. I wanted to portray my design as appealing as possible and try my best with my drawing level.
Also, creating a design with the design principles in mind makes the process so much easier and more organized. I've got to learn how a good designer follows the rules and theory of design to come up with amazing work. The feedback from the lecturer also helped me a lot to notice the areas that I can improve.
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