Design Principles : Week 1/Exercise 1

Week 1 : 24 Aug 2021 - 30 Aug 2021
Tan Yi Yun
0345559
Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
Week 1 / Exercise 1 : Gestalt Theory and Design of Contrast


LECTURE 

Figure 1, Our first class in Microsoft Teams, Week 1 (24/8/2021)

Week 1 : 

Today we met Dr. Jinchi in Microsoft Teams. She gave us a general briefing about this module and some important things we need to know before we kickstart the projects. She reminded us to watch the recorded lecture videos before every class. She also mentioned that we need to show our progress on a weekly basis. It is because the process of design is very important. We shall not just producing a final work at the end of the day. The journey of our design should be showed in our e-Portfolio. 

"Design is not just about drawing. It is about how you solve a problem through visuals." As per what Dr. Jinchi said, designers should apply design principles to approach problem-solving.

Then, she briefed us about the Module Information Booklet. As week 2 will be public holiday, we were expected to show our progress of Exercise 1 on week 3. 

Lecture Notes

  • Lecture 1.1 : Introduction
There are 7 elements of design : 

a) Point - It the simplest element of design, used as repetitive mark forms a line.

b) Line - Lines can be active or static, aggressive or passive, sensual or mechanical. They can indicate directions, define boundaries of shapes, imply volumes and suggest motion or emotion.

c) Shape - Shape becomes visible when a line encloses an area or an apparent change in value, colour or texture. There are 2 general category of shapes : geometric (regular) and organic (irregular).

d) Form - 3D area is called a form. When form encloses space, the space is called volume. Form is a major element in sculpture and architecture.

e) Texture - Texture refers to the tactile qualities of surfaces or to the visual representation of those qualities. There are 2 categories of texture : actual (experienced by touch) and simulated/implied created to look like the real texture).

f) Space - Space is the indefinable, general receptacle of all things : the seemingly empty space around us. The actual space of each picture's surface is defined by its edges. In graphic design, space can be defined as positive (filled space) or negative (empty space).

g) Colour - It is the light wavelengths that the human eye receives and processes from a reflected source. 
Hue : Colours of spectrum. 
Value : Lightness or darkness from white to black. 
Tint : Pure Hue + White
Tone : Pure Hue + Grey
Shade : Pure Hue + Black
Intensity : Saturation/ Chroma, refers to the purity of a hue
Figure 2, Elements of Design, Week 1 (25/8/2021)


Also, 11 principles of design :

a) Contrast - It is created by visually reinforcing something we want the viewer to pay attention to. This is often used to train the viewer’s eyes on the center of interest, or a focal point – the area of interest the viewer’s eye naturally, instinctively skips to. 

b) Balance - It is the distribution of interest or visual weight in a work. A balanced work will have all the elements arranged such that the work will have a sense of visual equilibrium or stability. It can be symmetrical, asymmetrical, or radial. 

c) Emphasis - It is the part of the design that catches the viewer's attention. Usually the artist will make one area stand out by contrasting it with other areas. The area could be different in size, color, texture, and shape.

d) Rules of Third - The rule of thirds is a composition guideline that places your subject in the left or right third of an image, leaving the other two thirds more open. While there are other forms of composition, the rule of thirds generally leads to compelling and well-composed shots.

e) Repetition/ Pattern/ Rhythm - Repetition of elements in regular or cyclic fashion creates interest. Repetition strengthens a design by tying together individual elements and bringing a sense of consistency. It can create rhythm (regular, alternating, flowing, random, progressive) and patterns. 

f) Movement - It is a visual flow through the composition. In some works, movement is implied by the use of static elements to suggest motion and direct a viewer’s eye along a path through the work. In a still image, aspects such as lines, diagonals, unbalanced elements, placement, and orientation can play the role of active elements. In others, movement can be real, giving some elements the ability to be moved or move on their own.

g) Hierarchy - Hierarchy is the control of visual information in an arrangement or presentation to imply importance. Hierarchy influences the order in which the human eye perceives what it sees. 

h) Alignment - It helps create a sharp, ordered appearance for ultimately better designs by ensuring your various elements have a pleasing connection with each other. Center, right, or left-aligned text is the most common, but you can also align text to other objects in your graphic.

i) Harmony - It brings together a composition with similar, related elements (adjacent colors, similar shapes, etc.). Harmonious elements have a logical relationship, connection, alignment, or progression. They work together and complement each other

j) Unity - It is created by using harmonious similarity and repetition, continuance, proximity, and alignment. It is the visual linking of various elements of the work. This allows the disparate elements and principles to create a unified whole that can be greater than the sum of its parts

k) Proportion - It is the relationship of two or more elements in a design and how they compare with one another. Proportion is said to be harmonious when a correct relationship exists between the elements with respect to size or quantity. Good proportion adds harmony, symmetry, or balance among the parts of a design.

Figure 3.1, Principles of Design 1, Week 1 (25/8/2021)

Figure 3.2, Principles of Design 2, Week 1 (25/8/2021)

  • Lecture 1.2 : Gestalt Theory and Contrast
a) Contrast - Contrast is the juxtaposition of strongly dissimilar elements. Without contrast, visual experience will be monotonous. Contrast can provide visual interest, emphasis a point and express content. 

Figure 4, Contrast, Week 1 (25/8/2021)


b) Gestalt Theory - Gestalt Principles are principles of human perception that describe how humans group similar elements, recognize patterns and simplify complex images when we perceive objects. Designers use the principles to organize content on websites and other interfaces so it is aesthetically pleasing and easy to understand.

b i) Principle of Similarity - The human eye tends to perceive similar elements in a design as a complete picture, shape or group, even if those elements are separated. 

b ii) Principle of Continuation - The human eye follows the paths, lines, and curves of a design, and prefers to see a continuous flow of visual elements rather than separated objects.

b iii) Principle of Closure - The human eye prefers to see complete shapes. If the visual elements are not complete, the user can perceive a complete shape by filling in missing visual information.

b iv) Principle of Proximity - The process of ensuring related design elements are placed together. Any unrelated item, should be spaced apart. Close proximity indicates that items are connected or have a relationship to each other and become one visual unit which helps to organise or give structure a layout.

b v) Principle of Figure/Ground - Objects are instinctively perceived as being either in the foreground or the background. They either stand out prominently in the front (the figure) or recede into the back (the ground).

b vi) Principle of Symmetry & Order - Elements that are symmetrical to each other tend to be perceived as a unified group. Similar to the law of similarity, this rule suggests that objects that are symmetrical with each other will be more likely to be grouped together than objects not symmetrical with each other.

Figure 5, Gestalt Theory, Week 1 (25/8/2021)

INSTRUCTION


EXERCISE 1 : Gestalt & Contrast

We are required to produce 2 designs in this exercise : one for gestalt theory and one for contrast. For materials, we are allowed to use any materials of our choice, but do consider its suitability to best express the idea. 

Gestalt Theory

Visual research

The visual research were carried out when I was watching the lecture video, but it wasn't sufficient. I delved deeper to get more inspirations from Pinterest and created a mood board for easy reference. 
Figure 6.1, Moodboard 1, Week 1 (31/8/2021)

I like the figure-ground ideas here (Figure 6.1). Although the shapes are simple, strong gestalt theory is being applied here. Sometimes minimalist designs speak directly.  

In Figure 6.2, the cola cola image shows principle of closure. The arrangement of spoon and fork indicates a coca cola in middle. The other two shows principle of figure-ground. The picture at the right is an artwork by M.C. Escher, wisely use the negative space to create birds, which really amazed me. 

Figure 6.2, Moodboard 2, Week 1 (31/8/2021)

At this point, I have some idea in my mind. I wanted to combine two animals that shows principle of figure ground. "Horse" came into my mind, which is a digital artwork I am currently working on, at the same time it is my Chinese zodiac. So, I have came across with these horse drawings: 

Figure 6.3, Horse inspirations, Week 1 (31/8/2021)
The horse mane leave quite amount of space, as shown in Figure 6.3. Hence, I think a fish would fit in that negative space. I asked myself, "What kind of fish?" Then, I was inspired by looking at one of the seniors' blog, Arthalia Teja. I love the red and black patterns on koi fish's body, so I decided to use in my design.

Idea Exploration

I seldom encounter a design with a combination of horse and fish (They existed, but just not common). They might seem unrelated to each other, but in the field of art, anything can be combined to form a new idea. Rather than saying horse and fish are "not-related", why don't we say they complement each other in this case? Horse can run, fish can swim, if there is a creature with both abilities, I'm sure it will be so cool! That's probably the reason why I want to use horse and koi fish in my design, normally I draw them separately but never think of combining them. Now, this exercise gives me a chance to create this art —— “Horse and Koi".

Figure 6.4, Rough sketch, Week 2 (2/9/2021)

I think figure-ground was not shown clearly in my rough sketch, so I changed the colour of the horse into black.
Figure 6.4, Second attempt, Week 2 (2/9/2021)


After my idea is being approved, I did some refinement before it is ready to submit.


Contrast

Visual research

I started to look for human figure with strong contrast because I like how the simple lines and shapes can form the contour of the facial features. 
Figure 6.5, Contrast in human figure, Week 2 (2/9/2021)
I also got inspired by this kind of split images. In Figure 6.6, the picture at the right shows yin and yang symbol, which I think is pretty interesting.
Figure 6.6, Split contrast, Week 2 (2/9/2021)


Next, I continued my exploration in the logo design. Famous brand logos like Nike and Adidas display a great contrast in Figure 6.7. 
Figure 6.7, Contrast in logos, Week 2 (2/9/2021)

Other than that, I also came across these pictures in Pinterest (refer to Figure 6.8 and 6.9). The light and shadow create a regular spacing or gap in between, forming perspective and space. 
Figure 6.8, Contrast in lighting, Week 2 (2/9/2021)
            
Figure 6.9, Contrast in lighting, Week 2 (2/9/2021)


Idea Exploration
I started off with something "simple" —— the split contrast. I choose rose as the subject. However, the results did not seem appealing. 

Figure 7.1, First attempt, Week 2 (2/9/2021)

After my first attempt, I tried to use black and white lines to form contrast. Black and white will automatically show contrast,  but the design below does not express a solid contrast, hence it is not suitable to use.

Figure 7.2, Second attempt, Week 2 (5/9/2021)

I decided to use the lighting effect in my design (as per what have shown in Figure 6.8 and 6.9). I played with perspective to enlarge the shadow to make a contrast between small cat and large shadow. Unfortunately, Ms, Jinchi said my design is too common. She had seen this design before, so she suggested me to come out with a new design. 

Figure 7.3, Third attempt, Week 2 (5/9/2021)

Well, I think it is reasonable because I believe I can do better than this. I started to ask myself again, what make things contrast? I didn't want to add colour in this exercise, black and white should be enough. I thought of rock and balloon/feather, because one is heavy and hard, another one is light and soft. Also, life versus death. I decided to go with something more organic and curvy. I think plant is more suitable to represent life and death (other living things like human or animals will be more complicated). With that idea, I grabbed my pencil and started sketching.

Figure 7.4, Rough sketch, Week 3 (10/9/2021) 

I digitized my sketch using Adobe Photoshop, and named this artwork as "A pot of life and death".

Figure 7.5, Fourth attempt, Week 3 (12/9/2021)




Final outcome - Gestalt Theory (Principle of Figure/Ground)



PDF submission - Gestalt Theory, "Horse and Koi", Week 4 (14/9/2021)


Horse and Koi , one is mammal while another one is fish, one lives on land and the other one lives in water. They are different, in terms of size, shape, habitats, food... but these do not stop them from being friends. It is interesting to imagine the friendship between the little koi fish and the strong, spirited horse. Both are my favourite animals and I love the idea of combining both of them in my artwork. 

Final outcome - Contrast

PDF submission - Contrast, "A pot of life and death", Week 4 (14/9/2021)


Life and death, the inseparable concepts that everyone will encounter. Especially during this pandemic, we witness how fragile human lives are. Instead of using real human, plants are the best to represent life and death in a more calming manner. Black and white contrast are being applied in this artwork, as white resembles life and black resembles death.



FEEDBACK

Week 3 : 

Dr. Jinchi suggested me to provide the reasons / concepts of all the designs. For contrast, I were advised to explore more, but at the same time not over-exploration due to the limited time given.

Week 4 : 

Dr. Jinchi said my fourth contrast idea is much better than the previous one! Just need a bit refinement and then should be ready for submission. 


REFLECTION

This exercise definitely helped me to foster my understanding of the gestalt theory and contrast. Other than learning from the lecture class, I also did further research on the subject matter. Artworks from the Internet, seniors' blog and peers' works also helped me in brainstorming ideas. In the process, I did struggled to express the principle of contrast. After I carried out more and more research and experiment, I managed to come out with a better design. I was able to see my improvement through every tryouts.