Project 3 “Speedy Recovery” – Final

After the second rounds of feedback, I mainly worked on tweaking the graphic elements e.g. the position to keep the mechanism secure, the colour to ensure proper contrast in printing, text kerning, placement and size to ensure higher readability. For the paper stock, I went with a slightly textured, matte card as I like how the paper created a warmer and more homely feel to the design, (hopefully) making the viewer feel more at home and happy.

front

back

inside (fully extended)

outside (fully extended)

Opening mechanism:

Hope your day goes swimmingly!! // another mod down wew #viscomm #popupcard

A video posted by Amy (@mtsfie) on Nov 6, 2016 at 6:50pm PST

Project 3 “Speedy Recovery” – Brainstorming and Development

Brainstorming and Development

After the initial visual research, I tried to branch out on the third concept as I felt that it was the one that most suited the brief.

I brainstormed out 2 ideas based on the mechanism of the pop up card: planets and oceans – as both were interesting landscapes that had elements that could be stacked against each other.

Based on these 2 ideas, I made 2 prototypes to try out the visual effect. I made a half-sized model to measure and check dimensions, then created the illustration draft based on those measurements.

Prototype for initial measurements

The initial prototype for measurements was especially important as the illustrations had to stay within those boundaries, especially when folded together so as not to leak out of the card. At the same time, the different layers (I decided on 2) had to be balanced with each other propotionally so each had enough space to contain the illustrations but was also different enough that the stacking effect would be obvious.

After confirming the dimensions, I created the mini prototype with illustrations for each concept.

01: Planets

02: Oceans

After feedback from class critique, it was felt that the second concept (oceans) fitted the brief better. However, while creating the prototype, I realised that the connectors were too small and thus made the pop-up very flimsy. Smaller parts such as the steam from the whale’s blowhole and the dolphin were also very fragile. Thus there was a need to revise the design to make it more secure.

Further feedback was also given that there could be a stronger narrative in the card to create better flow. Also, as I mainly focused on the mechanism itself, I now had to think about the placement of text and narrative.

After the first trial, I edited the design, and added in the required body copy, sample text and logo. I tried to create some form of narrative as well in the form of an additional caption (hope your day goes swimmingly!) to tie in with the brief and the little fishes to aid the viewer in the reading order.

Project 3 “Speedy Recovery” – Visual Research and Moodboard

Initial development/ research

To start off the project, I went to research on various ways of creating pop-up cards- I knew some basic ways of creating pop up cards like the v-fold or the internal stand method but I wanted to experiment to try to find new ways of creating them.

Out of the many that I saw, I found a few that I thought could be developed and shaped to fit the project – in streamlining down the possible mechanisms, I mainly prioritized the ability for it to be contained on one piece of paper (to stay within the brief and cut costs) and the adaptability of the mechanism to fit with the get well soon concept.

(full moodboard can be found here: https://www.pinterest.com/fiefyefoefum/popup/)

01: Interlocking folds

Personally I liked this concept as the mechanism and assembly was simple, only needing symmetrical die-cut shapes, but the final product could be something that was interactive and interesting. The idea of interlocking hands/ hearts/ things could also be very easily adapted to create the concept of giving care, fitting well with the brief.

02: Blooming Flower Bouquet

I picked this concept mainly for the element of surprise – I liked how the flower bouquet emerged out from the card to surprise the viewer as he/she opens it, giving more interactivity and interest to the card. However, this mechanism requires more than one piece of paper, and is harder to assemble.

03: Stacked scenery

I loved the quirkiness of this design – the multiple layer allowed for more complex images, thus this technique could be applied to different scenes. At the same time, the entire card could be contained within one piece of paper.

Project 2 “Combating Zika Outbreak” – Final

After the second round of edits, feedback was given that:

hierarchy/ negative space needed to be stronger
smaller text/ text did not have to be so huge to show emphasis
sweet spot of placement – the placement of the text was a little awkward and clunky
placement of mosquito bite – not very realistic

Feedback was also given that the image still looked too sexualised, despite the cropping.

Thus, I made some changes to the layout and central image to create the final:

The central image was changed into something more neutral, although the same treatment was applied to it.

The placement of the main slogan was changed as well, leading vertically along the neck of the female down to the mosquito bite, to create some kind of flow of reading for the eyes (instead of being a static horizontal block).

The secondary slogan and extra information were kept to the right of the poster (but not flush left) to continue on the reading flow from the mosquito bite, but still ensures that the text is easily readable.

Project 2 “Combating Zika Outbreak” – Initial thumbnails + development

After the initial brainstorming, I chose a few ideas to develop into draft pieces:

Hit By The Bullseye

This piece hones on the idea of the mosquito bite looking like a bullseye – marking the victim as a target for Zika infection.

Personally though, I found this concept to be a bit too overdone and too direct, which might defeat the purpose of the poster as people will tend to skip over it.

ZIKA – Not a Love Bite

For this poster concept, I tried to go for a more interesting/ provocative route – love bite referring to the mosquito bite but feedback from the class was that the concept was too sexualised and might not convey the intended meaning well.

Suggestions were given to focus on other parts of the body (e.g. the neck) to put more focus on the mosquito bite.

Human Slurpee

Personally this was my favourite out of the three – I liked the slogan as I feel that it was the most original out of the three.

However, feedback was that the image of the slurpee was not obvious enough to convey that the poster was about Zika – the viewer had to look closely to the smaller tagline at the bottom to find out.

Hence, the central image could be clarified to serve the message better.

Revisions

After the first session, I made some revisions on the last 2 concepts based on my peers’ feedback:

This was a variation of the “love bite” concept, but I tried to focus on the mosquito bites on the neck to simulate hickies/ focus on the bites to make it less sexual. I did a few variations on colour/ layout as well:

I also applied the same treatment onto the image of a man to create the “guy” version:

For the “human slurpee” concept, I tried to change the image of a slurpee cup to something a little more direct – a blood bag! I also tried to juxtapose the image of a mosquito head to make the reference more obvious. For this concept, I mainly experimented with the relative size and placement of both the image and the text as the combined image of the mosquito sucking on the blood bag became very long in shape and quite clunky to manipulate.

Project 2 “Combating Zika Outbreak” – Visual Research and Moodboard

Aim: Create awareness and call to fight Zika

Task 1A: Visual Research

For the initial brainstorming, I looked at a variety of health communication posters and awareness campaigns, ranging from the old vintage ones to the modern, current campaigns.

(Full moodboard is here!)

I like this poster because of its

Poster/Illustrative style
Visually interesting graphics
Usage of typography to drive the message home
Captivating slogan

I like this campaign because of its:

Use of publicly recognizable symbols to generate interest and rapport
Interesting manipulating of graphics to echo the message, with provocative slogan
Simple and clean layout

I like this poster because of its:

Juxtaposition of imagery (candy/ icecream to depict wounds) – generates shock
Simple, effective layout
Interesting, thought provocative slogan

I like this campaign because of its:

Interesting imagery – not too direct but metaphorical to generate interest
Clean colour palette
Clear and effective layout

Also something a little bit more out of the way but I liked this infographic that I found:

I like the illustrative style present in the infographic that makes the serious topic more approachable and human, instead of being too clinical and distant. The use of the handwritten typeface and textures also add a handmade touch to the illustration, making it more personal and human.

Task 1B: Slogan and Moodboard

After doing some research on both health awareness campaigns, I thought of three main points from which one can raise awareness about Zika:

Zika as a mosquito transmitted disease – preventing mosquito breeding in homes
Zika as being potentially harmful to fetuses – dangers of Zika during pregnancy
Zika as a sexually transmitted disease – importance of adequate protection

Thus, I thought of 4 potential slogans for the Zika awareness campaign:

Sex – Hand touching naked torso (Too hetero-normative?)

Zika – Not a Love Bite (could refer to mosquito bite (point 1) or sex (point 3))

Mosquito “kissing” unborn child in pregnant mother?

Zika – Kiss of Death (for pregnant mothers (point 2))
Zika – Breed to Bleed (raising awareness against mosquito breeding (point 1))

Mosquito in pet enclosure – for sale in pet shop Surrounded by breeding sources

Zika – Breeding an exotic pet? (raising awareness against mosquito breeding (point 1))

Reflection – Art Nouveau and Orientalism

Out of the many different aspects of the Art Nouveau movement that we covered in class, one detail that stood out to me was the introduction of Japanese art and oriental elements into (up till then) a primarily Euro-centric narrative of graphic design history, and how it drastically changed the aesthetics and graphic elements for graphic design of that time.

Orientalism was not really new to art – in works from the Renaissance and Baroque era, there were already Oriental subjects present: from figures in Middle Eastern dress to scenes of Turkish, Greek, African and even Egyptian cultures, to suit the patrons with a more exotic palette. However, what really stood out to me in Art Nouveau was that artists did not merely copy (or attempt to imagine) Oriental subjects, but instead assimilated uniquely Japanese styles of expression to create a new approach to their work.

With the Meiji Restoration, the opening of Japan’s ports to Europe caused a large influx of Japanese art, culture and crafts into Europe. Among those, woodblock prints such as those from the likes of Hokusai proved to be the most popular and influential, with its flat, linear style and blocky colours greatly influencing the poster artists of the time (e.g. Beardsley and Toulouse-Lautrec).

To me, this was really interesting as it was the first time we see Asian art being put on the same level as its European counterparts. With the very Euro-centric narrative of graphic design, it is easy to toss aside Asian-style art and graphics as mere craft, with little to no individual aesthetic sense. Thus, it is fascinating to see Japanese work being appreciated and mimicked to the point where it helped to direct an entire art movement with styles and ideas entirely foreign to its origin.

Reflection – The Industrial Revolution

It was interesting to learn about the industrial revolution at a more in depth level – previously, I studied history but focused more on modern world history (1900-) and I could not help but see similarities between the industrial revolution and what later happened (again) with the industrialisation and urbanization in the States in the 1920s. Once again, with the advancements in technology and production, the worker is alienated from the fruits of his labour and is delegated to a disposable role in the spirit of mass production to satisfy the growing demand for cheap consumer goods.

Perhaps that is why even with the ever improving technology and means of production, many traditions and handicraft skills still live on – despite their relative inefficiency, the ability to return to the tactile nature of the raw materials, to feel, touch and work with the crafts is something that humans crave; the authenticity of the handicraft is something we all need in the coldly productive and competent era of the machine.

And perhaps that was what William Morris was trying to achieve – in the Victorian period where everything was loud and excessive, he yearned for a return to the simplicity of the medieval ages where things were carefully and preciously made by hand, and handicraft was at its peak.

It is ironic though, that in his pursuit for this utopia, William Morris recreated the assembly line, albeit in another form – while the workshops he created to make his work were meant to cultivate the camaraderie of the collective and the artist guild in spirit, his top down control of the work meant that any kind of autonomy held by them was probably lost.

Project 1 “Therapeutic Graphics” – Further Exploration and Final

After getting feedback from the class, I decided to do more research on the kinds of landscapes that could inspire me to create new forms of therapeutic art.

I turned to Japanese woodblock prints, both traditional (e.g. Hokusai) and modern as I felt that the clean shapes and natural forms depicted in the prints suited the style of my work.

While both styles of Japanese woodblock prints often derived inspiration and subject matter from scenes in nature, he more modern woodblock print works were even more simplistic in style than the traditional ones and often reduced the landscape into simple silhouettes.

There were also a lot of overlapping shapes and colours to create texture. Hence, emulating that, I created my piece based on the idea of depicting one of the 4 seasons, spring.

Spring – Field of Flowers

For this piece, I chose to depict spring as I wanted to explore a series based on the 4 seasons, and I felt that spring fitted the purple colour scheme the most. I played around with the various opacities and colour combinations to create variation in the work while still maintaining the clean cut shapes similar to the style of the woodblock prints.

I also explored an alternative composition (Summer) to explore the possibility of developing the format of the work into a series.

Summer – Dunes of Sand

Project 1 “Therapeutic Graphics” – Initial Colour and Composition

After the initial experimentation with abstract compositions, I was dissatisfied with what I came up with and hence decided to branch into more narrative-based compositions.

I came up with a basic composition of a character within an imaginary landscape to create a dreamy atmosphere that the viewer could immerse within. To frame the image, I used the idea of a window-within-a-window by creating a porthole frame – to give the experience of peering out from a vessel (e.g. a submarine) to see new lands.

For the colour palettes, I picked colours from various nature photographs to compose a variety of colour palettes. Then I superimposed that colour palettes on the composition to test out the mood each colour palette could create.

Colour Palette

(From top) Earth/Forest

Sky

Woods

Sunset

Colour Composition 1 (Earth/ Forest)

Colour Composition 02 (Sky)

Colour Composition 03 (Woods)

Colour Composition 04 (Sunset)

Based on the critique from the class, most of them liked the second colour palette (sky) and thought it to be the most dreamy (and thus the most therapeutic). In contrast, many people found the presence of the figure slightly disturbing and to hold pretty negative connotations with regards to the viewer and the hospital environment – something that I didn’t really notice until I was done with the work.

Hence, I decided to

Branch out on purple/ blue colour scheme
Do up a more general landscape (without the character)

(to be continued in next post!)