01.02.2023 - 24.02.2023 (Week 3 - Week 7)
Angela Valery | 0348374
Design Principles | Bachelor of Mass Communication
Final Project - Visual Analysis
Instructions
Figure 1 - Refer to page 7
TASK
1. Pick one goal from United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG).
2. Select an art/design work that revolves around the goal of your choice.
3. Explain in about 50 words, why I chose that design and how it's related to UNSDG goal.
4. Write a 300-350 word visual analysis of the selected design
FINAL PROJECT | VISUAL ANALYSIS
Recap:
Visual Analysis is a method of understanding design that focuses on the visual elements and principles. Aims to recognise the choices that a designer made in creating the design, as well as to better understand how the formal properties of a design communicate ideas, content, or meaning.
Figure 2 - Millennium Burial Mound by Julie Heffernan, 2012, https://www.artworksforchange.org/portfolio/julie-heffernan/
I chose a surrealism artwork by Julie Heffernan and connects it to UNSDG number 13 which is about Climate Action. I love that the painting has a very mysterious story behind so many visual elements that are used. Hence, it drags me to want to know more about the artwork and find a way to create such a mysterious artwork myself with a meaningful story or message hidden inside.
Phase 1 - Observation:
By the overall look, Millennium Burial Mound by Julie Heffernan has a very detailed composition and a realistic texture all over the painting. The colours are warm, even the greens and blues at the background as the leaves on the trees, the land and the sky. Many visual elements are used, especially at the bottom right where there are so many rocks, signboards and different kinds of animal. The combination of elements inside the painting is quite complicated especially with the noticeable gold temple appeared at the background. The texts on the signboards are not written very clear, most of the looks messy and broken. (105 words)
Phase 2 - Analysis:
In the Millennium Burial Mound painting by Julie Heffernan, I noticed a very harmonious composition with warm tone colours that unites all the elements together in one frame. Julie uses repetition a lot around the painting, such as for the leaves on the tree and at the background where the bushes are spreading, the lines on the golden temple on the right behind the repetitive rocks, signboards and wild animals at the bottom right corner. I notice that the golden temple behind the rocks are placed within the line of rule of thirds, which added an asymmetrical balance to the painting and have most of the dominant elements on the right side. This gives a lesser focal point to the left side and added a depth with the empty space. (130 words)
Phase 3 - Interpretation:
According to The Brooklyn Rail (2017), the painting, with its depiction of wild beasts as the protagonists, symbolizes the consequences of humanity's actions and the impact of environmental degradation on the natural world. This painting can be seen as a call to action, reminding us of the importance of preserving the natural world and the consequences of our actions. By highlighting the consequences of neglecting the environment, "Self-Portrait as Millennium Burial Mound" serves as a warning of the impending ecological disaster and a reminder of the need to restore balance and harmony with the natural world. (70 words)
Visual References:
Figure 3.1 (Left) - Recover by David Ambarzumjan
Figure 3.2 (Middle) - Sharks In Montmartre by David Ambarzumjan
Figure 3.3 (Right) - Zebra Crossing by David Ambarzumjan
These three artworks are all made by David Ambarzumjan, a well-known oil painter on Instagram for his unique painting style where he overlay his painting with a brushstroke shape that traverse time. Also, the contrasting colours made his painting look more vibrant and show two opposite stories between the life in the city and nature.
Figure 3.4 (Left) - Deer by Robin Wood
Figure 3.5 (Middle) - Polar Bear by Robin Wood
Figure 3.6 (Right) - Capuchin by Robin Wood
Robin Wood digital illustrations has caught my attention while searching for inspirations on Pinterest. The way he combine different images into one shape of an animal is very interesting for me an at the same time it gives the effect of the Gestalt Theory. I always find it fun to play around with images and and combine it in a frame.
Figure 3.7 (Left) - Graphic design by Victor Moatti
Figure 3.8 (Middle) - Virgo by Jekaterina Budryte
Figure 3.9 (Right) - Graphic design by Victor Moatti
After looking at so many artworks on the internet, I'm interested on a futuristic graphic design which uses gradient to create an illusion of depth. I love how clean the lines were made and how smooth the gradient colours are. It's simple yet very beautiful.
Figure 3.10 - Reflect Inwards by Gabrielle Salonga
Figure 3.11 - Gravity Pt.1 by Anxo Vizcaíno
These are the visual illustrations that caught my eye and help me with my second and third sketch. I really like the thought of putting clear dark wall between a stair going to a brighter side of the world. It makes imagine a situation where animals can go home to the wild through the stairs and live in a different world from human in the city. On the other side, the second illustration inspires me to create a design where a human hand and an animal hand are trying to reach out to each other, trying to live together in peace.
Idea Exploration:
Figure 4.1 - Idea exploration 1
For my first idea exploration, I sketched out two scenarios side to side of a lion being happy in nature and sad in the city. I thought of designing a very simple idea showing two different opposite situations where it can changes how the animal feels. Obviously a wild animal will feel better in the nature as it is their home. Meanwhile, the city side is meant to show the lost of the animal's home that is what's keep on happening right now. I'm planning to design a very dirty and matted fur on the lion as if it is homeless to create a difference between the lion on the nature side.
Figure 4.2 - Idea exploration 2
Next, I searched for more inspirations on Pinterest and I found this really cool futuristic illustration which inspires me to draw my second idea exploration. From the inspiration, I imagine two different situation just like my first idea exploration that shows nature and city. I put a stairs in the middle to the nature and animals are queuing to get in. While the sides where it looks darker is where the cities are filling the frame, This design is meant to show that animals wants to have and to be in their home. Although the reality now is that infrastructures are keep on developing and filling the earth, decreasing nature. The water reflection at the bottom is actually to give a dreamy feels to the design, showing uncertainty of the future for the world.
Figure 4.3 - Idea exploration 3
I found another really cool futuristic illustration which inspires me to create one like it. And again I drew two different situations which shows a city and a nature. However, this design is very simple without many details filling in the frame. A human hand on the left side coming out of a city frame is trying to reach out to the bear hand on the right side coming out of a nature frame is showing that they wanted to be living together without harming each other.
Design Progress:
Figure 5.1 - Tracing a city Figure 5.2 - Tracing the Twin Tower Figure 5.3 - Tracing the KL Tower
I started off with tracing out the outlines of buildings images I found on the internet and find the perfect placement for the Twin Tower and KL Tower to be around the smaller buildings in front of them. I thought of using these two towers to include a bit of Malaysia vibe in the design to give a more detail about the area that I want to talk about which according to the internet, Malaysia has the potential to submerged and the sea-level rise might impact the country's industrial zones.
Figure 5.4 - Positioning the buildings and towers Figure 5.5 - Colouring the buildings and towers Figure 5.6 - Add yellow for details
After finalising the city, I continue to colour the buildings with lightpen to give a glow effect and make it look as if the city is shining like how it usually looks like at night. I only used four colours which are pink, blue, purple and yellow to keep it in tune and give out a futuristic look.
Figure 5.7 - Final draft
I don't really like how the colours came out using the lightpen, I think it was too messy and wouldn't fit with the nature part in the middle if I use the same colouring techniques. So, I tried to take off all the colours and put a blue gradient on the bottom which turns out better in my opinion.
Figure 5.8 - Recolouring the city Figure 5.9 - Colouring the nature Figure 5.10 - Adjust the moon and clouds
After receiving some feedbacks from Dr. Jinchi, I tried to put colours in everything and tried another method of colouring which is using gradient. The outcome turns out to be more than I expected, although at the end I'm not sure how to colour the Orang Utan and its banana with gradient, so I keep the colour flat. Then, I follow the feedback I received to turn the stairs view into frontal instead of diagonal.
Figure 5.11 - Add some Orang Utan Figure 5.12 - Change the stairs view
Other Visual References:
Figure 6.1 - Digital illustration by Dustin Bui
Figure 6.2 - Twin Tower from Décideurs Magazine
Figure 6.3 - KL Tower by Sue & Renesh
REFERENCES
Julie Heffernan - https://www.julieheffernan.net/publications
Brooklyn Rail - https://brooklynrail.org/2017/06/criticspage/Contemporary-History-Painting
Artworks For Change - https://www.artworksforchange.org/portfolio/julie-heffernan/
David Ambarzumjan - https://pin.it/3XiZesT
David Ambarzumjan - https://pin.it/7oR8jua
David Ambarzumjan - https://pin.it/3JTidJZ
Robin Wood - https://pin.it/5MiJFkJ
Robin Wood - https://pin.it/5PT7tlS
Robin Wood - https://pin.it/3Qru44T
Victor Moatti - https://pin.it/4Yosl9F
Jekaterina Budryte - https://pin.it/43LCILj
Victor Moatti - https://pin.it/6mvKJwg
Gabrielle Salonga - https://pin.it/htKOVJH
Anxo Vizcaino - https://pin.it/Nwgjry9
Dustin Bui - https://pin.it/3Ua66BO
Décideurs Magazine - https://www.leadersleague.com/fr/news/trowers-hamlins-achieves-malaysia-first
Sue & Renesh - https://pin.it/3fxni2B
Final Design: Panoramic View of Two World
Rationale:
According to Dr Milton Lum (2022), Malaysia has a potential of becoming submerged by the year of 2040 and the sea-level rise might impact Malaysia's industrial zone by 2060. This design is to represent the climate change that is predicted to be happening in Malaysia. Goal number 13 (Climate Action) of UNSDG which I picked for this design is meant to take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. I believe that we can still save our earth from climate change that could destroy our home. In this design, I mostly used balance and repetition principles for the overall look to make it as neat as possible without adding much details on the colour. The colours turns out to be harmonious and united in some ways; futuristic and natural.
Feedback:
The colour scheme is quite good and the buildings are well-made. However, it would be better to put fill in colours to the objects with a natural colour instead of leaving it empty inside, making it look unfinished with just outlines. Or if I want something simple and keep a minimum colour used, it will be better to colour some elements with bright colour (e.g. colour the moon and plane with yellow). Also, remove some details of the building on the middle as it look a bit like curtain and change the stairs perspective into front view instead of diagonal. A dark layer on top of the city side is used to give a dominancy on the nature, showing emphasis to focus on the beautiful nature.
Reflection:
From this design, I learned different techniques on colouring especially on gradient. It was so fun and the outcome is actually really nice, it makes me want to use it more on my upcoming design. I also learned that it is important to check on the details such as the stair which was facing diagonal while the elements on the background are facing to the front.
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