Tag: Principle

Project 3 Zine

April 20, 2016 / Zhang Longfei / 0 Comments

Concept

The intention of Zine project is to seek my own identity through the essence of Chinese culture – Food. We have developed a complicated custom, which is deeply based on food and determines our social behavior. It also rooted people to the soil they live on, as it is capable to produce abundant food. Especially during Chinese New Year, the reunion dinner calls every Chinese to return home and celebrate a brand new year with plentiful food.

To make the layout more interesting, I introduced elements like lines, and shapes. It also balances with and unifies the photographs and text. And all the elements are offset for the reason of dynamic composition.

FINAL LAYOUT

Back & Cover

IFC & PG 1

PG 2 & PG 3

PG 4 & IBC

A2 back poster

PROCESS

Initial development

Brain Storming

Initial Layout sketches on paper

Mock-up tryout

Tryouts of different layouts on mock-ups

Full spread of A4 mock up

Test Print

Test Print on black&white

Test print on color

Final mock-up with color

Color and Mateial Testing

Color testing on different scales and materials

Takeaway

In this project, I have learned a new software InDesign for the first time. I also had a chance to try different ways of creating a booklet, which is an enjoyable experience. What’s more, I’m quite interested in playing with images and typography to make a lively and dynamic composition.

Week 1 Journal: Learning style

February 10, 2016 / Zhang Longfei / 0 Comments

Visual-Spatial/Musical

I believe I learn best through visuals-spatial and Musical method. Because people tends to be lazy and imageries and sound enable to stimulate our brain directly, so that I can remember and learn things faster.

EGO

November 9, 2015 / Zhang Longfei / 0 Comments

For Ego project, I decided to pursue the style of digital images college. Each single element in the compositions is carefully selected and has its meaning and symbolism. And in each composition, maximal 3 colors will be applied to portray the atmosphere and mood.

Reference

Concept Development

Test print in small scale

Final print in a0 size

THAT’S ME

EQUATION

Aggressive

Though born in a semi-free society, I am more aware of social issues which occurred not only in China, but throughout the world. Imageries like high-rise Shanghai buildings, Tankman in Tiananmen Square protest of 1989 and artist Ai Weiwei represent my aggressive concerns towards what has happened in China. Panda also symbolises my hometown where panda lives. And analogous color scheme in this context, including red, yellow and orange, signify passion and revolution.

Open

After moving to Singapore, I was fully exposed to western culture and art, like Pop culture. I started to become more acceptable and open to unfamiliar things. Cool blue and violet color scheme gives a mystical atmosphere.

That’s me

ME myself is a mixture and influence of east and west. Panda is the main character in this series as the self portray.

BETTER ME

EQUATION

Hardworking

One of my strength is hardworking. I will put beyond 100% effort in what I’m doing and push myself into higher levels. Computers, pencil box and tablet represent my usual work place. Coffee signifies the long duration of working hours that I spend normally. Monochromatic beige color scheme creates a sense of calm , determination and softness.

Stressed

After realising the whole calendar is completely occupied by works, I alway feel stressed and frustrated. the symptoms of Insomnia and phobia attacks me. Bottle of sleeping pills containing different kinds of software icons explains the reason why I can’t sleep. On the bottle is the label of a calendar with marks anywhere, which indicates bad time management. Behind are the scribbles saying ‘All work and no play make Jack a dull boy’ from the famous psychological horror movie The Shining, which depicts a man becomes a psychopath and tries to kill his family in a hotel after getting too much stress from his work.

Cool colors like violet, red and blue convey a very cold and uncomfortable mood.

Better me

It would be better if I can balance between life and work and have a much more healthier lifestyle. That’s why, in the composition, there’s a visual harmony fusing working tools and natural forms. Trees have been formed by software icons and birds are from the twitter logo. The panda is cruising around and seems to enjoy his life there.

Complementary color scheme of red and green creates thought the strongest contrast but also the strongest relationship.

IDEAL ME

EQUATION

Confident

I want to be more confident in many areas, as sometimes I feel less comfortable expressing my ideas and thoughts. I used Renaissance works like Michelangelo’s David as the main subject and Vitruvian Man by Leonardo Da Vinci as the background. Both works indicates the concept of a universal man, a man can do all things if he will.

Green as the dominate color in triadic color scheme portrays the mood of liveness.

Wisdom

Be knowledgable and creative. I believe creativity is based on your capacity of knowledge. The more you learn, the quicker and deeper idea you can get. The story of God creating and enlightening Adam represents my eager of gaining knowledge. Apple, owl, books and so on signify the concept of wisdom.

Beige as the dominate color in triadic color scheme portrays a sense of knowledge and calm.

Ideal Me

As a whole, Triadic color scheme of green, beige and violet creates a high degree contrast but at the same time retrains color harmony. It creates a sense of depth and richness.

The combination of owls wings and David symbolise an ideal me with confidence and wisdom. And the geometric shapes, applied in this series, like square, circle and triangle, indicated my desire to pursue perfection in different fields.

ME IN FIVE YEARS

equation

Married

After 5 years, I picture myself getting married with another half. The wedding will be as simple as it shows.

color scheme of aquamarine and light red best convey the minimalism in mood and style of the wedding.

Professional

After graduating from school, I also want to be a specialist in typography and UI design, creating decent works for advertising and motion graphics. An myself wedding invitation card is an example of indicating my speciality direction and interest.

Me in 5 years

In 5 years time, I hope I can have my own family and house and do what I like. The 3D typographic building and trees portrays my plan in 5 years.

Warm color, red, green and yellows portray a mood of happiness and harmony.

Color Scheme

October 19, 2015 / Zhang Longfei / 0 Comments

In color theory, a color scheme is the choice of colors used in design for a range of media. Color schemes are used to create style and appeal. Colors that create an aesthetic feeling when used together will commonly accompany each other in color schemes.

Complementary colors

The complementary colors are pairs of colors which, when combined, cancel each other out. This means that when combined, they produce a grey-scale color like white or black. When placed next to each other, they create the strongest contrast for those particular two colors.

Analogous colors

(also called Dominance Harmony) color scheme are groups of colors that are adjacent to each other on the color wheel, with one being the dominant color, which tends to be a primary or secondary color, and two on either side complementing, which tend to be tertiary.

The term analogous refers to the having analogy, or corresponding to something in particular. An analogous color scheme creates a rich, monochromatic look. It’s best used with either warm or cool colors, creating a look that has a certain temperature as well as proper color harmony. While this is true, the scheme also lacks contrast and is less vibrant than complementary schemes.

Split-complementary

(also called Compound Harmony) color scheme is a variation of the complementary color scheme. In addition to the base color, it uses the two “Analogous” colors adjacent to its complement. Split-complementary color scheme has the same strong visual contrast as the complementary color scheme, but has less pressure.

Triadic colors

The triadic color scheme uses three colors equally spaced around the color wheel. The easiest way to place them on the wheel is by using a triangle of equal sides. Triadic color schemes tend to be quite vibrant, even when using pale or unsaturated versions of hues, offers a higher degree of contrast while at the same time retains the color harmony. This scheme is very popular among artists because it offers strong visual contrast while retaining balance, and color richness. The triadic scheme is not as contrasting as the complementary scheme, but it is easier to accomplish balance and harmony with these colors.

Tetradic colors

The tetradic (double complementary) colors scheme is the richest of all the schemes because it uses four colors arranged into two complementary color pairs. This scheme is hard to harmonize and requires a color to be dominant or subdue the colors.; if all four colors are used in equal amounts, the scheme may look unbalanced.

Rectangle

The rectangle color scheme uses four colors arranged into two complementary pairs and offers plenty of possibilities for variation. Rectangle color schemes work best when one color is dominant.

Square

The square color scheme is similar to the rectangle, but with all four colors spaced evenly around the color circle. Square color schemes works best when all colors are evenly balanced.

Color

October 11, 2015 / Zhang Longfei / 0 Comments

RED – LUST

Orange – hopeful

YELLOW – FRESH

Yellow Green – relaxed

Turquoise – Scary

Violet – Infatuated

Blue – lonely

NURSERY RHYME

October 6, 2015 / Zhang Longfei / 0 Comments

Final

HUMPTY DUMPTY HAD A GREAT FALL.

Solution:

Frame 1 humorously resembles a scene from movie ‘Matrix’ , while bringing contrast to convey a depth and creating a downwards movement by repeating the subjects.

In Frame 2, the repeated trees are arranged around a central point, directing along different scales, to create a swirling movement towards the main character.

SKETCH DEVELOPMENT

Frame 1

HUMPTY DUMPTY HAD A GREAT FALL.

Frame 2

HUMPTY DUMPTY HAD A GREAT FALL.

ALL THE KING’S HORSES AND ALL THE KING’S MEN.

SOLUTION:

In Frame 1, horses and knights are arranged in radial balance from small to big size, which gives a distinct focal point to King’s throne.

Frame 2 and 3 demonstrate repetition and patterns in a random way. Different subjects are contrasted in size, position and rotation, bringing dynamism into the layout.

SKETCH DEVELOPMENT

Frame 1

ALL THE KING’S HORSES AND ALL THE KING’S MEN.

FRAME 2

ALL THE KING’S HORSES AND ALL THE KING’S MEN.

FRAME 3

ALL THE KING’S HORSES AND ALL THE KING’S MEN.

GOULDN’T PUT HUMPTY TOGETHER AGAIN.

SOLUTION:

The main subject is broken into pieces, creating various shapes. Harmoniously all shapes unites into a brand-new piece, which creates a sense of completeness.

SKETCH DEVELOPMENT

Frame 1

GOULDN’T PUT HUMPTY TOGETHER AGAIN.

Frame 2

GOULDN’T PUT HUMPTY TOGETHER AGAIN.

Frame 3

GOULDN’T PUT HUMPTY TOGETHER AGAIN.

THE COW JUMPED OVER THE MOON.

SOLUTION:

Frame 1 and 2 depicts a cow orbiting a plate, contrasted by different size, in an asymmetrical layout.

Frame 3 demonstrates cows riding on the moon and flying to the sky in an symmetrical way, while contrasted by reversing color.

SKETCH DEVELOPMENT

Frame 1

THE COW JUMPED OVER THE MOON.

Frame 2

THE COW JUMPED OVER THE MOON.

Frame 3

THE COW JUMPED OVER THE MOON.

THERE WAS AN OLD WOMAN WHO LIVED IN A SHOE.

Solution:

Frame 1 demonstrates a flow of shoes flying towards a woman, who is in the upper third of layout. And white space casts on the main elements as if the light is shining through a open door, which makes the composition more cinematic.

Sketch Development

Frame 1

THERE WAS AN OLD WOMAN WHO LIVED IN A SHOE.

SHE HAD SO MANY CHILDREN SHE DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO DO.

Solution:

Frame 1 and 2 are exploring different spatial composition.

Frame 1 depicts a direction from bottom to top and mimic the explosion from a small point to the entire filled up space. It demonstrates contrast by silhouetting out a woman figure.

Frame 2 depicts a flow from far to deep space, creating a silhouette of a lady shoe to indicate where they live. Finally the flow ends at where the woman stands, portraying a progressive problem to her.

Sketch Development

Frame 1

SHE HAD SO MANY CHILDREN SHE DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO DO.

Frame 2

SHE HAD SO MANY CHILDREN SHE DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO DO.

THEN WHIPPED THEM ALL SOUNDLY AND PUT THEM TO BED.

Solution:

In Frame 1, Baby is threatened by pointed wood sticks and away from his toy.

SKETCH DEVELOPMENT

Frame 1

THEN WHIPPED THEM ALL SOUNDLY AND PUT THEM TO BED.

Principles of Design

September 21, 2015 / Zhang Longfei / 0 Comments

Principles of Design

The principles of design describe the ways that artists use the elements of art in a work of art.

Balance

Balance is the distribution of the visual weight of objects, colors, texture, and space. If the design was a scale, these elements should be balanced to make a design feel stable.

In symmetrical balance, the elements used on one side of the design are similar to those on the other side;

In asymmetrical balance, the sides are different but still look balanced.

In radial balance, the elements are arranged around a central point and may be similar.

Emphasis

Emphasis 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, shape, etc.

Movement

Movement is the path the viewer’s eye takes through the work of art, often to focal areas. Such movement can be directed along lines, edges, shape, and color within the work of art.

Pattern

Pattern is the repeating of an object or symbol all over the work of art.

Repetition

Repetition works with pattern to make the work of art seem active. The repetition of elements of design creates unity within the work of art.

Proportion

Proportion is the feeling of unity created when all parts (sizes, amounts, or number) relate well with each other. When drawing the human figure, proportion can refer to the size of the head compared to the rest of the body.

Rhythm

Rhythm is created when one or more elements of design are used repeatedly to create a feeling of organized movement. Rhythm creates a mood like music or dancing. To keep rhythm exciting and active, variety is essential.

Variety

Variety is the use of several elements of design to hold the viewer’s attention and to guide the viewer’s eye through and around the work of art.

Unity

Unity is the feeling of harmony between all parts of the work of art, which creates a sense of completeness.