DESIGN PRINCIPLES / EXERCISE 3

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Angelyn Valencia / 0349573
Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
Design Principles
Exercises

Shortcuts:

LECTURES

Lecture 4 : Harmony & Unity

Week 3: Tuesday, 07/08/2021

Harmony
  • Harmony is the sense that all of the elements of your design fit together
  • involves the selection of elements that share a common trait
  • becomes monotonous without variety
    • Variety is a slight difference in elements to avoid a boring composition
Figure 1.1 Harmony in design

Unity
  • Refers to the repetition of particular elements throughout design to pull the look together
  • Occurs when elements are composed in such a way that they are balanced and oneness, creating a theme.
Figure 1.2 Unity in Design


Scale and Proportion 
  • Both are design elements that have to do with size
  • Scale is the size of one object in relation to the other objects in design or artwork.
  • Proportion refers to the size of the parts of an object in relation to the other parts of the same object
        Scale :
    • Refers to the size and dimension of figures and forms relative to a specific unit of measure.
    • Can be determined in two ways : actual measurement & visual estimate
    • Also used to specify or illustrate details based and relative sizes of objects
    • substantial deviation from a normal scale relationship can create dramatic results and visual interest
Figure 1.3 Scaling in Illustration


  • Proportion
    • relationship of two or more elements in a composition and how they compare to one another with respect to size, color, quantity, degree, setting, ie ratio
    • is said to be harmonious when a correct relationship exists between the elements with respect to size or quantity
    • The effective use of proportion in design often result in harmony and unity
Figure 1.4 Good Proportion in Design

LECTURE 5 : Symbol, Word & Image
Week 3: Tuesday, 07/08/2021

Symbols
  • Were used since the beginning of civilization
  • Commercially used to indicate a brand in a form of logo or icon
  • Timeless concept and values
  • Used to remind us of etiquette and rules
  • A sign, shape or object that is used to represent something else
  • In design, symbols can provide or convey information, equivalent to one or more sentences of text, or even a whole story
  • Figurative Representation
    • Visuals
    • Graphic Symbols
      • Pictorial Symbols
        • Image related and simplified pictures
        • Helps in educational materials – enabling learners to see visually
Figure 1.5 Example of Pictorial Symbol

      • Abstract Symbols
        • Most likely they look like objects they represent but less details
        • Brands also use abstract symbols for their logos
Figure 1.6 Example of Abstract Symbol
Figure 1.7 Example of Abstract Symbol as Brand Logo


      • Arbitrary Symbols
        • Have no resemblance to the object or ideas
        • Invented with the meaning constructed. Many are based on geometric shapes and colors
        • We have to learn the symbols


Figure 1.8 Example of Arbitrary Symbol for hospital
Words & Image
  • Important to use suitable and relevant images when designing because imagery is a vital part of design
  • Choosing the right words to pair with imagery is important to deepen the meaning of the design
  • Composition will result in visual hierarchy and balance
  • Typography is the design and arrangement of text
Figure 1.9 Example of Good pairing of Words & Image

The Bird and sun represents life, reflecting the purpose of the book. Typeface is handwritten style, suitable for the book topic.

INSTRUCTION

EXERCISES

Exercise 3

1. Unity
Figure 2.1 Visual Research
I chose unity for my first design because I not only want to make apply unity in design, but also create a meaningful design that also screams unity. After I watched the lecture video and understanding about unity, I decided to look for some inspirations on Pinterest. I found this design on pinterest and for me this shows unity. Even though they're not necessarily 'one' but the way the bodies are shaped and arranged filling the negative space between them, creates oneness and unity.
 
Figure 2.2 First Sketch of Unity design
Figure 2.2 shows my original sketch for my unity design. I wanted to make a body positivity design, so i drew different types of bodies together to show the acceptance of all kinds and sizes of bodies. and I grouped them together to create that sense of unity.

Figure 2.3 Progress of Unity Design
Originally, I had drawn eyes on the people but the eyes looked expressionless regardless to their body language plus it's a bit too distracting because of the many eye contacts.

Final Submission
Figure 2.4 Final Outcome of Unity 
Lastly, I decided to switch the positions of two of the girls at the back because it looked unbalanced. I also added some more elements including the text to create more sense of unity in this design.


Figure 2.5 Final Outcome in PDF
Figure 2.5 shows the final outcome of my unity design. I wanted to bring up body positivity especially on women because it's one of the biggest matter affecting mental health on women. In this design, I drew various types and sizes of bodies and grouped them together to show unity. Not only unity in design but unity in all women by together accepting all body types including their own regardless of size, shape, skin tone or even flaws.  This design's purpose is to scream the oneness of people doing the movement of body positivity and normalizing the variety rather than focusing on portraying perfection or an idealized image of the body, trying to meet the beauty standards.
 

2. Harmony
Figure 2.6 Visual Research
For my second design, I decided to do harmony because I wanted experiment and play with colors to show harmony. Again, I started out by watching the lecture video of harmony and understanding the meaning and some examples of harmony in design. When I think of harmony, I think of one particular young artist that became one of my favorite artists on the internet, Matthew Sorgie, because all of his work emphasizes in harmony especially in colors. Figure 2.6 shows one of his works that shows harmony. 

Figure 2.7 Harmony design reference
I was in a car while searching for references but I looked at the things around me in the car and decided to just take a picture of it and making it the reference for my harmony design. I've always liked to take references in real life because it feels more personal and because it's a great way to train your eye to see good references. Also most of the times, they're not perfect so it really challenges you and forces you to observe and see what needs to be fixed in order to create a better piece from the reference that was taken in real life.

Figure 2.8 Harmony design process video
Figure 2.8 shows my progress on my harmony design. I decided to add more elements because there's not much elements in the reference photo and feels empty and very scattered, not really connecting which defeats the purpose of harmony. So I added the notebook and pen, a laptop, sunglasses, and a glimpse of a leg and a shoe.
Figure 2.9 Version #1
Figure 2.10 Version #2

Figure 2.9 and Figure 2.10 shows both versions that I ended up with. I ended up with version #1 first as can be seen in figure 2.9. But I had more time and decided to experiment and make it more fun. I was torn between these two, but I think the second one got too messy and doesn't really focus on showing the harmony because the lines were too distracting. Therefore, I decided to use the first version, but I added the hand because I feel like it kinda lacks elements.

Final Submission

Figure 2.11 Final Outcome of Harmony Design

Figure 2.12 Final Outcome of Harmony Design in PDF

In this design, it's a bit more personal since I used my own reference. It's more like a piece that captures a certain moment in my own personal life. I made it from my actual point of view while sitting in the backseat of a car. In this design, I aim to create harmony in colors by using the colors as seen in figure 2.12 and also connecting all the elements inside the car.

FEEDBACK

Exercise 3: Mr Charles said my unity design works by the way all the elements are grouped together. Harmony is also good, and that my decision of using red to highlight some of the objects but still maintaining harmony is a good strategy. But don't think it's challenging enough for me. 

REFLECTION

Experience: Throughout this topic, I learned a lot. Not only from the lecture videos, but also I keep learning new things along the process of doing the exercises. The lecturer explained the topics really well and clearly so I had a good foundation and understanding about the topic before I choose what I wanted to do for my two designs. 
Observations: I see that I was able to apply some of the principles I've learned in the previous topics too even though in my two designs harmony and unity are my main focus.
Findings: I find that I really like to play with colors and creating harmony with them and I'm willing to learn more about how color combinations actually work in creating harmony because all these principles including color harmony plays a huge role in design.


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