Design Principle/ Final Project: Visual Analysis
Design principle Final Project : Visual analysis
Riko Matsuyama (0351470)
Bachelor of design in creative media
Brief
What is visual analysis ? 🧐
Is a method of understanding design that focuses on the visual.
Visual analysis is a critical part of visual literacy, a skill that helps people read and critically interpret images, whether in a museum, on social media, in entertainment, advertising, or the news.
• In its strictest definition - a description and explanation of visual structure for its own sake.
• The purpose of visual analysis can also 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. This is an easy example using Anpanman of famous mascot in Japan.
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Fig2 : example |
How does visual analysis work? 🧐
• Phase 1: Observation
• Phase 2: Analysis
• Phase 3: Interpretation
Phase 1: Observation
Observation means closely looking at and identifying the visual elements of a design, trying to describe them carefully and accurately in your own words. The observation phase is about looking, thinking, and finding good language to communicate what you notice.
Phase 2: Analysis
Analysis requires you to think about your observations and try to make statements about the work based on the evidence of your observations. How your eye is led through the work and why?
Phase 3: Interpretation
In this final phase, your observations, description, and analysis of the work are fused with facts about the design work (and in some cases the designer) and historical context that you find in trustworthy published sources. What is the meaning of the design? What was the purpose for it to be created?
Why writing is a valuable design skill? 🧐
Great writing helps us imagine future scenarios.
Design is not just how something looks, but it how it functions in a variety of probable scenarios. Writing enables us to explore these scenarios over time, and for different people.
At times, design is a conceptual practice, and writing helps us make sense of the complexity. It helps us frame (and reframe) issues, deconstruct obstacles, and tease out patterns in the chaos.
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Fig3 : design school |
Writing helps us articulate designs so that they can be evaluated by different audiences. The written word helps ideas spread quickly, to inform, persuade, or entertain a large and distributed audience.
Great writing doesn’t automatically produce great designs.
As a design skill, however, writing can help us craft effective content, think through complex scenarios, and communicate our ideas with clarity.
I cannot find the youtube video from blogger
The teacher showed us these videos as a reference for the project. I like videos like this. I have never known that there are allusions and symbolism in various scenes like this. Very well managed and thoughtful, I was impressed. And all the images were beautiful. I liked listening to music like the Marvel series, but I've never seen a movie, even though I'm interested in it. When I saw this video, I felt like I would definitely see it someday. this is just my impression.
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Fig6 : H.R. Giger artwork1 |
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Fig7 : H.R. Giger artwork2 |
These are works made by H.R. Giger. The teacher introduced us in class. These also contain various design elements that need to be analyzed. The first impression is eerie and strange, but when I look at it, I feel it is very beautiful and mysterious.There is something very attractive. Also, I like complex art works that need to be seen from end to end.
Instraction
Visual analysis
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Fig8-9 : Mike Perry artworks |
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Fig10-11 : Mike Perry artwork |
These arts are drawn by Mike Perry.
This work title is " Broad city mushrooms episode"
However, the title is not listed on the above official site, and I am not sure
because the title was found on another site.
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Fig12 : main artwork, visual analysis |
1 Observation
What do you feel when you see this work? I'm colorful and bright! I felt that. However, I tried to watch this clearly, the number of colors is used was not so much. The colors used are yellow, blue, pink, green, and orange. The important thing is how to combine them. And because there are many contrasting colors (eg pink and blue), your eyes may flicker.
And a big part of this work is perspective. The perspective gave me the illusion of being sucked into the center's sun. There are probably mountains on the right and left side that alternate between orange and pink. And when viewed as a whole, it has a tropical atmosphere because of used colors.
It is a work with attractive visual elements. In the foreground, you can see a floating car and a person walking in the water. Is this a city where floods have occurred, or is this a city of everyday life? There is also one pig that is moving on a vehicle. A naked woman is taking a break on the water. It looks realistic at first glance, but it is an unrealistic and interesting work. And although it looks complicated, the vivid color gives a sense of unity.
2 Analysis
The first thing I thought was that many curves were used. Mountain, nature, water wave, shadow, and people's clothes. I think that you can bring out individuality and fun by making a straight line a curve. And all his works have many curves. Texture is a material that adds texture to a flat graphic to raise it to a higher level of design. And it can give an impression different from a straight line such as "softness" or "dynamic feeling". The impression changes depending on the combination with other conditions such as the length, size, thickness, amount, color, etc of the line.
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Fig13 : texture |
And perspective is used with the central sun as the fulcrum. As a result, water seems to be sucked into something like a dam in the front.The bright color randomness of the mountains on the left and right creates a unique view of the world.
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Fig14 : perspective |
It used Asymmetrical balance. Asymmetrical balance means that the two halves of the work of art are different, however, try to create balance.
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Fig15 : asymmetrical balance |
Color contrast is also often used. Pink and orange seaweed (?) In the blue sea. A green tree between the mountains of pink and orange. Red and green half tower. Yellow and green striped building. And the brown female in it is very noticeable. Also, by drawing the appearance of the waves of the sea, you can also see the elements of the movement of the design.
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Fig16 : characters |
And there are some interesting features.
Many inanimate objects have eyes. If you look at it, it will be a cute and friendly work.
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Fig17 : animals |
On the contrary, the creatures are also written in detail, and you probably won't notice them unless you look closely. His playfulness is interesting. Is there any reason why everyone turns their backs?
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Fig18 : track gas |
And this would be truck gas. It represents something that is not originally in shape. And because it uses white, it stands out in the whole work.
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Fig19 : 2 people |
The last are two people in the center. They look like the main characters in this work. The right side has a drink in his hand and the left side is pointing at something. I'm not sure, but they probably came out of the yellow car. And while the car is heading towards you, all the other creatures are heading towards the sun.
3 Interpretation
Mike Perry is an Emmy winning artist that makes paintings, animation, sculptures, books, public art installations, monographs, exhibitions, drawings, silkscreens, and more.
His use of color, pattern, and form, at times child-like, expresses a joyful spirit and a reverence for the bliss that is inherent in the human experience. He is continually exercising his faith in the transformative power of making things. His work can be considered love notes to the abstract, unknowable future that is all possibility in the present.
His creative purpose is to conjure that feeling of soul-soaring wonder you have when you stare into distant galaxies on a dark night, when you go on long journeys into the imagination, when you ponder what it is that this life is all about.
Mike explained that with art, like with cartoons, there is a moment in time when reality starts drifting away. They get deeper into the building of a world, which in its essence, just reflects humanity on a different level. “What I love about these is when people see things that are unrelated to me. That gives me joy. That is my language communicating in ways that I don’t understand,” he says. Thus, his work speaks to the beholder through a personal layer.
I like complex art works that need to be seen from end to end. And his work is imaginative. There are many interesting things that make the viewer feel cheerful and laugh.
Visual Analysis (Visual Research)
When I think about what to draw, I would like to draw something with a story like this Mike Perry's work. In Chinese New Year holiday, I had a cold for 3 days. It was so hard to my body condition, and I felt very sick. I didn't have an appetite, so I lost a little weight. And thanks to sleeping a lot, I recovered. I had a dream at that time, so I will think based on that. I try to draw my idea sketch.
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Fig20 : idea sketch1 |
When I dream, I often fly without wings in the sky. I can fry if I move my legs and arms so speedy. Like when riding a bicycle. This is very interesting. And maybe because I had a headache, I made a noise in my dream. I heard a loud trumpet and a cat barking.
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Fig21 : sky |
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Fig22 : cats image |
Cats were also flying around me. I don't have a cat, so it's a little strange, but my dream is that my classmates who aren't my elementary school friends suddenly appear, I have kids, and I'm fighting monsters, so I don't know what's going on.
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Fig23 : effect |
I used this to show how I was suffering from sounds and headaches.
But, I had a lot of fun when I was flying.
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Fig24 : idea sketch2 |
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Fig25 : Idea sketch2 color ver |
↓
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Fig26 : final idea sketch |
When I draw me (person) , I referred to his other works.
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Fig27 : me (person) |
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Fig28 : process |
This is a little different from perspective, but I like the role of the sun in the work I analyzed, so I tried to resemble the atmosphere of his work.
I think the lines that represent the brilliance of the sun have a big impact on the work.
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Fig29 : a radial pattern |
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Fig30 : process |
Curves and vivid colors are used on clothes to represent pop art.
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Fig31 : color of background |
The contrast between the red sun and the blue clouds. The blue gradient represents the texture of the clouds. And I used a lot of curves for my clothes and for the purple moody effect around my face.
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Fig32 : clouds |
Add trumpet notes. My facial expression looks a little distorted, because of noisy sounds.
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Fig33 : notes |
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Fig34 : my facial expression |
Actually, my hair color is not right brown, but if I put in dark color, I cannot see the notes so, I changed my hair color. This one looks better in the work.
I put eyes in the same shape as humans in cats to make them even more cute.
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Fig35 : cat's face |
By using the opposite colors of red, blue and green, we can see the work clearly.
Many contrasts are also used in Mike Perry's work.
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Fig36 : color contrast |
After all is done, I will make the moving work.
The teacher recommended it in the previous project 2, but I couldn't do it, so I'll try it.
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Fig37 : process |
The background red, yellow, and orange are arranged irregularly, so shift them one by one.
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Fig38 : layers |
I will play it one by one like a flip book. Then it will be a moving work.
And this represents the glare of the sun.
I also tried to create a gif, but I chose youtube because the image quality deteriorated.
However, I'm flying in my dreams, so I thought about another pattern that moving my hands and legs as well as the background.
I changed the background several times in the three body patterns and connected them.
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Fig39 : legs and hands movement |
Teacher said, very good, nice and harmonious.
Contrast is impotent, how each is also unique. And Then overall composition and hierarchy.
In your work, it maybe the sleeping girl - 1. then the happy and active girl - 2
This animation can be a longer loop in YouTube video with music. You can try that.
So I tried to make a longer loop in YouTube video with music. I prepared 3 scenes.
1st is Am I having a cold? The scene I think 2nd is scene to sleep in bed 3rd is a scene to start dreaming
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Fig40 : scene1.2.3 |
Create some scenes and finally, connect them. And introduce music.
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Fig41 : process |
1st, 2nd and 3rd scene is calm music that I choose.
I noticed a cold, but the music shows a calm appearance. This is usually used as a working bgm.
In the main last scene, I used some musics. Music that shows how I fly in the sky, trumpet music and cat.
I heard the noise of the trumpet in my dreams, but I couldn't find the suitable music,
so I decided to play it normally.
Finally, I added a cat sound effect. I reproduced my dream as much as possible.
So the music is messed up. But It was a little fun when I heard it through.
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Fig42 : add sounds |
「A little funny dream」
Final outcome (YouTube video)
Fig43 : final outcome (PDF)
Reflection
I did the final project. It was difficult to decide the first work to analyze. I like Norman Rockwell and Mike Perry, but I found Mike's work easier to analyze for this project. It was good to know the goodness and attraction of his work again through this opportunity.
Since there were many elements I wanted to include, I made the size of the work vertically long. It was my first time creating it in this form, but it was fresh and interesting. I'm glad I was able to make a video artwork that I couldn't do last time. When making a video, I like the moment when I connect the images at the very end and see what I made.
It was also fun to choose music. I was able to lower the volume when the timing of the scene changed, emphasize what sound I heard the most, and devise music. I once again felt that the people who make animations and movies are wonderful. I thought it would be difficult to make a video that was less than a minute, but the movie lasts about two hours.
And I think I could apply the result of analyzing his work to my own work. I want to continue to develop my good points about the project.I will write in detail in the next blog, so the points that should be reflected need improvement. This is the first time for me to do this like, analyzing work at first, and then we make our own artwork and it was a very fun project.
References
Fig8-11 : Mike Perry Studio
Video1 : 1st scene background music
Video2 : last scene background music
Video3 : Last scene background music
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