FINAL COMPILATION
3 Feb 2025 - 17 March 2025 ( Week 1 - Week 7 )
Hsu Myat Wati | 0381660 | Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
Design Principles | Taylor's University
Final Compilation
Task 1 | EXPLORATION
3 Feb 2025 - 17 Feb 2025 ( Week 1 - Week 3 )
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Source link - https://www.instagram.com |
Title - 희란국 연가 ( Heeran Love Song )
Artist - DADACHYO
Year - 2019
Size - A4 (210 × 297 mm)
Medium - Digital illustration/novel cover
Design Principles I found in the artwork
The design is asymmetrically balanced as the girl's face is off-center and it is balanced by the placement of the spreading objects. The soft pastel tones of the girl's skin and clothing contrast with her dark hair and bright color objects. The emphasis is on the girl's face, especially her glowing, vacant eyes contrasting with the warmth of her surrounding. The flowing hair and fabric create a sense of movement, guiding the viewer's eye through the composition. The knife, wilted flowers, and pearls symbolizes violence, tragedy, sorrow and wealth. Every element feels carefully placed which creates a harmonious scene.
Task 2 | VISUAL ANALYSIS AND IDEATION
17 Feb 2025 - 3 March 2025 ( Week 3 - Week 5 )
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| Fig 1.2 ( Week 2 | 12 Feb 2025 ) Cover of Korean Historical Novel named "Heerangug Yeonga" | "Heeran Love Song" |
Source link - https://www.instagram.com
Title - 희란국 연가 ( Heeran Love Song )
Artist - DADACHYO
Year - 2019
Size - A4 (210 × 297 mm)
Medium - Digital illustration/novel cover
Observation:
It is an image of a beautiful blind girl who seems like a daughter of a high-class family of ancient time. I observe that she is wearing an elegant pink hanbok (Korean traditional dress) and lying on the floor, placing her head on one side. At the bottom right corner, I notice the broken pieces of jewelry, a golden dagger, the withering flowers, and dying butterflies spreading on the floor. Finally, I spot the name of the novel written in Korean at the top right corner. It is written vertically and surround by the same but living flowers as the ones on the floor. I am also aware that remaining informations are written at the bottom left of the image. (120 words)
Analysis:
The cover achieves asymmetrical balance with the girl's off-center face, countered by the strategic placement of surrounding objects. The novel's title, prominently positioned among the flowers, establishes a clear hierarchy. Soft pastel tones in the girl's skin and clothing contrast with her dark hair and the vibrant colors of nearby objects. The bright flowers in the top right corner reflect onto her rosy cheeks, making her face appear more lively. This draws emphasis to her glowing, vacant eyes, which contrast with the warmth of her surroundings. Following her gaze, the continuous wavy flow of her hair and clothing naturally guides the viewer toward the author's and illustrator’s names, aligned on the left. The movement created by her hair and fabric further connects key elements in the composition. Symbolic details, such as a dagger, wilted flowers, and pearls, reinforce themes of violence, tragedy, sorrow, and wealth. Finally, the careful arrangement of these elements, combined with an analogous color scheme, unifies the composition into a visually harmonious and meaningful scene. (167 words)
Interpretation:
This is the cover artwork of the 2019 Korean historical fantasy novel named "Heeran Love Song". I find the illustration style reflects the 2019 "Newtro"('New'+'Retro') trend, where modern interpretations of vintage styles became popular in South Korea. Many contemporary Korean artists began incorporating traditional motifs and themes into their digital artworks, reflecting a blend of historical and modern influences. Also, it was the time of a surge in historical fantasy dramas and literature in South Korea, blending traditional settings with supernatural elements. This cover art not only reflects classical Asian art but also showcases the dreamlike atmosphere of a modern fantasy story. (102 words)
Task 3 | DEVELOPMENT AND DESIGN
3 March 2025 - 17 March 2025 ( Week 5 - Week 7 )
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| Fig 1.3 - 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 a bit more downward 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. I also decided to keep the background clean as I wanted the focus only on the girl. (122 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)
| Fig 1.4 - Hsu Myat Wati_Final outcome(2)_Task 3 ( Week 7 | 18 March 2025 ) |
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.
FINAL COMBINED PDF
Reflections
What have I learned in this module?
I learned quite a lot by completing all the tasks in this module. Firstly, I've got a clear and deeper understanding of design principles. In the past, I just knew the definition of each principle and never properly pointed them out or used them in my own design. Now, I can identify the design principles applied in others' work, and I can apply them appropriately in my own design as well. The ability to describe them in my own way improves my critical thinking skills and enhances my design thinking process.
What did I enjoy the most?
I enjoyed researching and finding new design information that I'd never learned before. Exploring many professional artists' art/design work is also fascinating and inspiring to create my own unique design. The lecturer's feedback is very beneficial throughout the whole journey. Also, it really opened my eyes to listen to my other classmates getting feedback. I got to study their ways and perspective of defining and creating an artwork. It was such a valuable experience to see my classmates update their work every week due to the lecturer's feedback and how their work improved over time.
What did I not enjoy the most?
Since it was a short semester, I did not get much time to explore more external sources. Besides, I think I would enjoy it more if more lectures and experiences were shared by our lecturers in this module. Other than that, I enjoyed everything about this module.
What have I learned about myself through this module?
I learned that I should interpret a design by taking a closer look at the visual aesthetic of a design first to see its real value rather than going straight to the history or meaning behind it. I also realized how important the step-by-step process is when creating a design. I used to draw or create anything just the way I wanted without starting from the fundamentals. So, I usually just ended up creating something unorganized without any meaning. I learned to think out of the box rather than staying in my comfort zone and limiting my creation. Finally, I realized that there are no boundaries when it comes to creativity.
What has changed and what has not in my learning journey?
I feel like my creativity and design-thinking skills have somewhat improved after this module. My technical skills are also improving because of the advanced learning systems of this program. At first, it was a bit frustrating to deal with the unfamiliar formatting of the blog but once I got used to it, I found it to be convenient and organized to use. I'm still struggling with time management while prioritizing each task. Nevertheless, I am trying my best to arrange my schedule as efficiently as possible.
What are my aspirations?
I aspired to apply all the design principles that I learned in this module to my future art/design work and see my work improved every time. I've decided to learn from my own mistakes and take them as an advantage to come up with better and unique creations.
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