Design Principles / Task 3 Development & Design

5 / 03 / 2025 — 17 / 03 / 2025 (Week 05 — Week 07)

Kim Seoyoon / 0357755

GCD 60804 / Design Principles / Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media / Taylor's University

Task 3 / Development & Design 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LECTURES

INSTRUCTIONS

TASK 3– DEVELOPMENT & DESIGN

FEEDBACK

REFLECTION


LECTURES

WEEK 01-03 LECTURE NOTES CLICK HERE

WEEK 4 LECTURE NOTE CLICK HERE


INSTRUCTION

Module Information Booklet

Task 3– Development & Design (40%)
Timeframe: Week 5 – 7 (Deadline Week 7)

In task 3, we were instructed to create a work of design based on the ideas proposed from the previous task. We were to apply our design principle knowledge during the recreation and idea development stage, through the final design. 

From the 3 ideas proposed in task 2, we were instructed to pick one sketch and develop it through colour exploration, composition, positioning, etc. Below is the required format for the final design submission:
  • A4 size
  • JPEG format, 300 dpi pixel
  • Labelled as <Your Name_Title of Design_Task 3>
Together with the final design, we were also to write a 200-word rationale that explains:

i) Decisions made in your design
ii) Meaning and purpose of the design
iii) Design principles employed to create the design


TASK 3– Development & Design


Fig 1.1 Book review of Either/Or by Elif Batuman. DaduShin. 2022. Colour Pencil.
Chosen artwork in task 1

Week 05
1. Choosing The Idea
After week 5's feedback session on the sketch proposal, we were instructed to choose one idea from the 3 ideas that we had proposed. However, I was advised to explore further each key element in each sketch, so I decided to give some explorations and developments on the current sketch and then choose my final idea to execute on this task. 

Below are the sketches from task 2:

Fig 1.2 Sketch 1,2,3,4 , Week 4 (1/03/2025)

Things to focus on during development (Feedback from task 2):
  • In the second sketch, try lightly infusing a growing tree branch into the overlapped human figures to explore further depths and dimensions.
  • All sketches seem interesting, try to explore and extract bits of elements from each sketch to develop and connect your ideas in a more visually engaging way.
  • Try adding more contrasting/ different elements in between the repeated elements to increase visual engagement.
  • Retaining the realistic art style of the original artwork in the details (eyes, silhouette etc) can convey the intended message more strongly.
  • For the last sketch, adding a tree element could be interesting too. 

2. Development & Exploration

Exploration 1– Adding tree branches & colour experiments
For the second sketch, I took away the branch element from the first sketch and infused them into the silhouettes of human figures to enhance the idea of harmony & unity, and movement. I kept the composition of symmetrical order but at the same time made sure the contrast between the opposing sides coexists. Infusing the tree elements lightly onto the silhouette also allowed me to express the principle of closure. 


Fig 2.1 Exploration 1, Week 5 (9/03/2025)

Exploration 2– Enhancing variety

Fig 2.2 Design Reference/ Golconda by Rene Magritte, Week 4 (1/03/2025)

Sketch 2 was mainly inspired by the repeated composition of man figures in the art by Rene Magritte. However, my take on the recreation lacked its visual engagement and depth. 

Therefore, I tried to break the chain of boredom of repeated elements by adding colours and other visual elements observed from the original artwork (Fig 1.1). I also used blending mode (colour burn) on the trees and the book to increase the level of depth and volume in the design, and also to create more contrast between the tree and the protagonist.

Fig 2.3 Exploration 2, Week 5 (9/03/2025)

Exploration 3– Semi-realism approach 
For the close-up sketch, I redrew the face structures based on approaching a semi-realistic art style to fit the original style of the artwork. Extra strokes were also added to enhance the depth of the design. I also changed the silhouettes of the small human figures in the protagonist's eye to match the overall shape of other human figures being overlapped on the protagonist's face. 

Fig 2.4 Exploration 3, Week 5 (9/03/2025)

3. Final Chosen Idea
After showing my developed sketches to Mr Vinod, he commented that it would further enhance the design if I tried infusing exploration 2 and 3, implying the idea of either/ or by showing both front/ back sides of the protagonist. 

Fig 2.5 Exploration 2 & 3, Week 5 (9/03/2025)
Week 06
1. Design Progress
First, I began my final design by redrawing the protagonist with a more detailed style.

Fig 3.1 Refining Protagonist Figure, Week 6 (16/03/2025)

After refining the protagonist, I arranged it based on my sketch.

Fig 3.2 Placing protagonist in a repeated pattern, Week 6 (16/03/2025)

I added the tree elements & book elements and applied colour burn mode using the blending mode tool on Procreate. I like to use blending modes as it gives more depth by visually infusing with one another.  

Fig 3.3 Placing tree elements & applying colour burn mode, Week 6 (16/03/2025)


Fig 3.4 Placing Book element & applying colour burn mode, Week 6 (16/03/2025)

After completing the pattern, I moved on to adding the protagonist's face to the background. I also reduced some opacity to make other elements more visible while her face is slightly infused into the back of the design. 

Fig 3.5 Putting the protagonist's face into the background, Week 6 (16/03/2025)

To maintain the colours that surrounded the protagonist in the original piece, I brought back the coloured human figures from Exploration 3 (Fig 2.4) and overlapped them with the face of the protagonist. 


Fig 3.6 Before & After placing the overlapped people(coloured), Week 6 (16/03/2025)

I finalized the design by adding a hue layer on top of the white dress to comply with the rest of the colourful background. 

Fig 3.7 Adding coloured blending mode on the pattern, Week 6 (16/03/2025)

After finalizing, I was curious about how the protagonist's face would look if it was inverted in the background, so I used another blending mode to test it out. Due to the overlapped colours on white, it mimics and creates an illusion as if the face is transparent.

Fig 3.8 Additional Attempt, Week 6 (16/03/2025)

2. Design Time-lapse progress
Below is the timelapse video on the above design processes.

Fig 3.8 Time-lapse Progress Video, Week 6(16/03/2025)


Week 07 
On week 7, Mr Vinod suggested that I could submit another work where I align four different versions of my design above and make them like a polyptych. I think this was a fun idea to add on as I was unsure about which version to proceed with and I also liked the 'ghostly' energy that comes from the version without the overlapped colours. 

Fig 4.1 Post-feedback experiment, Week 7 (17/03/25)

At first, I lined up my designs next to one another, and I thought that it would add a fun surrealness to my design if I made the patterns connect to each other. 

Below is an addition to the final design submission, Parallel Decisions 2:

Fig 4.2 Another version of the final design, Week 7 (17/03/25)

Final Design

Fig 5.1 Kim Seoyoon, Parallel Decisions, Task 3 Final Design, Week 6 (16/03/2025)

Fig 5.2 Kim Seoyoon, Parallel Decisions 2, Task 3, Week 7 (17/03/25)

Kim Seoyoon_Parallel Decisions_Task 3
Digital Illustration on Procreate

Design Rationale
i) Decisions made in your design
In this final design, I decided to combine the ideas of Exploration 2 and 3 to enhance the theme of the unavoidable choice between living an ethical life or an aesthetic life. Instead of the use of repeated human figures like the original design, I replaced the human figures with the protagonist herself to draw deeper attention and focus onto the main protagonist. I intended to maintain the textures for my version of the design as I think textures play a huge role in the original piece in delivering the sentimental emotion of the protagonist.

ii) Meaning and purpose of the design
The purpose of this design was to convey the novel's storytelling while keeping the visual elements engageable towards the viewers. The repeated pattern of the protagonist symbolizes different capabilities and experiences in her life that she could lead to. These patterns are aligned parallel towards the protagonist's face, suggesting that only one of these options is allowed to be chosen just like how our hands are only able to reach out the same maximum distance at any angle. Other elements like books and trees symbolize and imply the theme of growth and self-discovery like how the tree branches out to grow and there are more pages to flip and learn in your life. 

iii) Design principles employed to create the design
In this design, I employed the principle of symmetry and repetition for the overall element layout. The idea of contrast was also used in differentiating the foreground and the background with the pattern and the protagonist's face. Contrast is also present in the weight and thickness of the lines in the following elements; the protagonist, tree, and the book all having distinct thicknesses of the lines reduces boredom in visual experiences. Emphasis is also carried out with the use of colour contrast where the protagonist in the white dress stands out from the colourful backgrounds while keeping the overall colours in unity with slight coloured shadows on the dress.

(317 words)


Fig 5.3 Parallel Decisions (PDF), Week 6 (16/03/2025)

Fig 5.4 Parallel Decisions 2 (PDF), Week 7 (17/03/25)

TO DOWNLOAD PARALLEL DECISIONS, CLICK HERE


FEEDBACK

WEEK 6
General Feedback: 
Task 3 deadline 19/03/25, complete all task 3 along with the final compilation.
Make sure to document the process of painting on the blog.

Specific Feedback: 
Try to infuse ideas 2 and 3 together by placing the protagonist's face behind the repeated patterns. 
The two human figures can be replaced with the protagonist's eye. 
When placing the face portrait on the background, try not to block out the whole area but make the background texture slightly visible.


WEEK 7
General Feedback: 
Deadline for final compilation & task 3 eportfolio is due on 19/03/25. 
Make sure to reread the brief thoroughly and compile all requirements. 

Specific Feedback: 
Overall work is good to go. Try to compile 4 versions of your work and turn them into a polyptych, and submit both the final design and the polyptych together. 

REFLECTION

Experience
Overall, task 3 was a fun and enjoyable experience. I liked the approach of mixing my existing ideas and combining them to create a complete design piece. Although I do think that the chosen original artwork was already a great design that reflects the design principles a lot that there isn't much room for improvement, the style itself inspired me a lot in working on my take on the design. During the development process of this task, I was able to explore various ideas to figure out which style and composition would best portray the new look. 

Observation
Completing the progress step by step allowed me to create a break in between and have a deeper observation of my ideas and sketches. This also helped me in guiding into the right style of illustrating that matches the original piece as well. I had a hard time choosing which sketch and its version to proceed with while working on this task, however, this rather supported me in combining the two perspectives into one focal theme and strengthened the intended idea of portraying the "either/ or" situation like the novel. 

Findings
I found that during the designing process, the explorations and experiments on different colours, compositions, and effects are never enough and there is still a lot more room to uplift my creativity. I also had fun while trying out different blending modes on the elements that create a completely different atmosphere to the design.


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