Bryant's NM2208 Learning Journal

Assignment 7 - A Retrospective.

2007-04-19T01:16:00.000+08:00

Children's Story Book

The longest and most tedious assignment of all, the production of a story book incorporates all that have been learnt and taught in the previous assignments. In addition to considerations such as usage of colour, medium of print, and layout and structure organisation, I also learnt that it is important to do some market and field research first before plunging into an assignment.

Besides, it is also important to do research on the printing company one is about to engage for a print job, just in case the vendor is an amateur and produces work of a sub-standard.

More importantly, it is vital to keep relations among group members amicable, so as the allow each other to enjoy the working and production. Understanding, initiative, and cooperation are substantial characterristics one must have in order to work pleasnatly and effectively.

* On an ending note, I am delighted to acknowledge myself that my Photoshop and Free hand skills have indeed improved!

Assignment 6 - A Retrospective.

2007-04-19T01:10:00.000+08:00

Design Analysis

In the midst of evaluating and scrutinising other's posters and their design, I have learnt that having a structure within a poster is of considerable importance. A structure will make the poster appear neat and organised, and this aspect will in turn influence how the viewer will look at the poster and interpret and read the information displayed.

In addition, it is also crucial to have some negative space in the poster. One that uses all available space will turn out aesthetically unpleasant, for it will appear largely cluttered and cramped, with information overloading and unorganised. Such a poster will not be able to capture view's attention, much less retain it.

Assignment 5 - A Retrospective.

2007-04-19T01:04:00.000+08:00

Love Greeting Card

This assignment focuses on the concept of colours and how one uses and utilise them to bring out a desired effect and ambience. In the context of love, I realised that one do not have to use the cliched pink or red to do the job. Instead, one could also experiment with colours that are calm and serene such as sky blue or lush green.

In addition, I too learnt that using complemetary colours scheme produces a very soothing effect, and if one wishes to bring out a certain contrast within a picture, using colours which differs in tone and intensity will do the job nicely.

Assignment 4 - A Retrospective.

2007-04-19T00:51:00.000+08:00

Poster Design

This assignment showcased the importance of knowing the agenda of your objective and also on what medium is it going to be presented. In this instance, the information will be displayed in a poster, hence there are specific requirements to be considered, such a feasibility of read, size of text, image portrayed, usage of colours, size of art piece etc.

Besides, another thing I gathered from this assignment is the printing material. An art work that is printed on different types of paper will inevitably produce different results. Hence, it is instrumental to consider where your art work is going to be placed and what are the intended effects desired when one is choosing what material to print on.

Assignment 3 - A Retrospective.

2007-04-19T00:33:00.000+08:00

Visual Story

This assignment taught me to look at things from different perspective and viewpoints. To combat rigidity and inflexibility, I took photos from different angles and experimented with a first person and third person viewpoint so as to have a few variation in the photos.

In addition, it is of paramount importance to consider what are in your pictures, for every detail counts. Besides, one has to be wary of the presence of a frame and border when taking photos, for viewing an image from a camera's perspective and from a human eye is a stark contrast. Therefore, essential aspects of the photo must be considered to be inserted into the frame, for the border is apt at effectvely severing all other dimensions to the picture.

Assignment 2 - A Retrospective.

2007-04-19T00:21:00.000+08:00

Abstraction & Representation - 'Making Images Talk'

In assignment 2, I learnt that certain images or symbols are able to effectively represent a certain object or item. In other words, upon visualising a few strokes or lines that depicts a vague picture, people are able to pin point what that object or item is.

(In the context of my assignment piece, a circle with the number 12 atop it effectively tells people that my sketch is of a watch/clock)

However it is to be noted that such representation are subject to one's country or culture, for different cultures have varied values or beliefs that influence their perspectives of looking and judging things.

Assignment 1 - A Retrospective.

2007-04-19T00:11:00.000+08:00

Me Myself & I

In assignment 1, I realised the importance of sticking to and following instructions, and that should there be a grey area that needs clarification, it is best to clear my doubts so as to prevent my workpiece from being invalid due to a failure to adhere to required specifications.

Assignment 1 also demanded from me alot of creativity and at the same time it highlighted to me the importance of knowing how to use software such as Photoshop and Freehand to re-create my ideas in digital format. With such expertise at hand, one can easily express an idea by manipulating and exploiting the diverse capabilities of such softwares, and in the event of doing so, one may also stumble upon a new idea or concept that may come to you should a person rely only on a sketch book and the conventional pencil.

Update of Assignment 1

2007-04-18T23:37:00.000+08:00

'Me Myself & I'

After colouring the pictures for assignment 7 (children's story book), I realised I do enjoy colouring! Being amazed at the versatility of colour pencils, I decided to portray my liking for them by using them to design my name.

To show colour pencil's versatility, in terms of its ability to shade and colour in different tones with its different colours, I arranged them to form my name, and for letters with curves such as 'B' and 'R', I curved and bended the pencils to suit the alphabets.

First of all, I drew the pencils out on my sketch book, and thereafter I scanned them in. Opening the file in Macromedia Freehand, I use the pen tool to trace the pencils and from there I filled them with colour.

Finally, I opened the coloured piece in Photoshop to fill in the words 'My name is...' and 'and I like colour pencils!'

In addition, I also experimented with using emboss in Freehand to further accentuate the pencils. The embossment will allow the work to appear more sophisticated.

To bring about a sense of liveliness and vibrancy, I used the font Space Pontiff for the headings. The font has a unique style that complements the colour pencil concept, and it able to effectively portray the fun and dynamic nature colour pencils have in them.

* Please note that colour of workpiece appears distorted upon uploading. Refer to portfolio for actual masterpiece.

On the left is another variation that I tried out for assignment 1. It uses a different coloured background (gradient with orange & yellow) to bring out the vibrancy and vivaciousness of colour pencils.

Assignment 7 - First Product Print

2007-04-15T02:43:00.000+08:00

After 1st Print:

Our first print job was erroneous and not acceptable at all. As seen from the picture, the positioning of the picture with the text was badly aligned. The whole page layout was not proportionate as the print was positioned too high up on the top if the page. Almost all pages had this problem, and this made the pages in the book to look badly arranged.

Besides, the edges of the book was not cropped and cut properly. The were frays and snippets straying out from the pages of the book and on the whole, the book looks badly cut and is highly unaccpetable. Children will definitely not find such a book an interesting read due to the asthetically poor looking material.

With such a result, we decided to reprint the book, and we will be more vary and specific this time.

*It is important to ensure that a print goes smoothly without hitches for if met with problems, deadlines would not be met and resources such as time and money would be wasted.

Assignment 7 - Specifications.3

2007-04-15T01:54:00.000+08:00

Page Layout & Others :

Initially we wanted the text positioned at the bottom of every page in the book. Such a structure would bring about a sense of continunity and also consistency.

However, such a idea may not be deemed creative and innovative to incorporate into a children's book. Hence we decided to vary the text positioning by placing them either at the bottom, between 2 pictures, or placing them at the top and bottom margins with the picture in between.

*Refer to the pictures for examples

The varied text layout on the different pages will present some form of creativity and in turn makes the book more visually attractive to young readers. In addition, the random placing of the text prevents the book from being too rigid and appearing too uninteresting.

It is important to take into consideration the target audience of the book and also the genre and nature of the content. Because this project is a children's story book, it is viable to allow for such a structure.

Besides the layout, we also chose to give our book a print with matt finishing. This is because a glossy finish would not be appropriate for it may cause glare and unnecessary reflections when reading due to its shiny surface. Although it may be asthetically nice to look at, glossy pages in a book is not a suitable idea.

With regards to the binding of the book, we decided on using glue to bind the pages together. Such a binding method will give the book a spine, after all the pages are glued on the sides together. This will allow the book to be more hardy for children.

* Please note that colour of the pictures appeared distorted upon uploading onto blog.

Assignment 7 - Specifications.2

2007-04-12T01:51:00.000+08:00

Colour Scheme:

With regards to the colour scheme, we decided to use palette colours, as these colours are pleasant to the eye. In addition, palette colours would be compatible and consistent with our intended theme as it also resembles handwork and pencil craft.

To further bring out the essence of a handmade gift, we decided to use colour pencils to colour our drawings and pictures. Children will be able to relate to colour pencils more than sophisticated colouring methods, for colour pencils are often used in schools for artwork and colouring.

As seen from the pictures, colour pencils are similar to that of school children’s art work, and hence, such an alikeness and resemblance may strike a cord with the young reader and in turn this aspect of the book may intrigue him or her to read on.

Colour pencils are also adequate colouring materials for they are capable to showing different colour tones and shades, and this aspect of the colouring style will not risk looking too simplified or basic.

To make the coloured pictures look more distinct, we will use black felt-tip marker to outline the drawings. Doing so will better accentuate the colouring the drawings on the page.

* Colouring in lighter shades from the beginning allows one to add toning and shading to the picture simply by just colouring the desired area in a darker tone. The original light shade will allow the darken colouring to be seen.

Assignment - Specifications

2007-04-12T01:34:00.000+08:00

Grid Layout:

We feel that the dimensions of the book size (7 x 8.5inches) will be appropriate for children of ages 6 – 9 (Primary 1 – 3). This measurement is neither too big nor small, and hence it will be easy to bring around.

With regards to the bleed or the margin surrounding the perimeter of the storybook, we feel that leaving such a space is instrumental in providing for a more comforting read and also to bring across sufficient breathing space for the content of the book, in a bid not to risk being too cluttered. The space and margin allocated will prevent the content from looking too cramped, and readers will be less inclined to put the book down due to excessive cluttering of information and details.

The text of within the story will be positioned at the bottom of the page, below the pictorial. This structure will allow the reader to recognize the consistency within the book and provide for easy readership.

With regards to the font for the title, we decided to use 'Sketchy' as it has a look that fits the theme as it resembles a person’s doodling. In addition, the font is unique and it differs from other fonts in the sense that the sketchy nature largely mirrors that of someone’s illustrations, with intricate toning and shading patterns within the font itself. Therefore, this font best represents a hand-made product, which is what we seek to achieve as our storybook theme. In order to combat the natural light tone of the font, shadows will be utilized in order to make the title appear more distinct.

As for the body text, we were undecided between the choices of Kristen ITC, Lucida Sans and Garamond. After much thought and debate, we decided that Kristen ITC shall be used as the font style for the body text. It will also be an a font size of 14, so as to facilitate in better reading quality due to the larger word print.

Reasons for choosing Kristen ITC are because the font resembles the handwriting of a child. Since we wish to create a handmade gift concept, this font best suits the theme. The variations within the text makes the words look fanciful and in turn may induce children and attract their attention to read.

In addition, the font also gives a soft and comfortable feel due largely to its curved and smooth edges and endings. We wish to avoid fonts which appear too rigid and stiff, for such formal definite fonts might inevitably put young children off. Besides, Kristen ITC has an adequate dark tone which is neither too heavy nor thick in its alphabets, which will aid in easy reading.

Assignment 7 - Storyline

2007-04-12T01:21:00.000+08:00

Our Finalised Story:

* The Lucky Charm * Story Outline:

Page 1 – Tommy

This is Tommy. Tommy never has any good luck. Instead, Tommy thinks bad luck follows him everywhere he goes. Tommy loves to have fun, but no one wants to make friends with an unlucky boy.

Page 2 – Tommy’s ill luck

On Monday, Tommy wet his seat and got his pants soaked. On Tuesday, he tripped and fell flat on his face. Tommy lost his homework on Wednesday, and got a big scolding from his teacher. Yesterday, Tommy had his shirt stained with orange juice when someone spilled his drink on him.

Page 3 – Tommy – The butt of all jokes

And today, Tommy slipped and fell when he stepped on a banana skin. All these bad luck and embarrassing situations had made Tommy the butt of all jokes among his friends. His friends teased and laughed at him everyday in school! Oh boy, poor Tommy!

Page 4 – Tommy’s frustration

“Why do all these things happen to me? Why can’t I be like my friends?” Tommy wonders. He wishes he can be like his friends, having fun and playing games all day without unlucky things happening to him.

Page 5 – Fairies and their talk

That night, Tommy could not get to sleep. While fumbling in bed, Tommy suddenly heard whisperings and soft voices murmuring in the distance. “Let’s keep the good luck charm in the garden!” a small voice exclaimed. “Yes, yes!” squealed the other. “Fairies!” Tommy uttered silently to himself as he watched from his bed in amazement how the fairies buried the lucky charm in the garden. Before long, Tommy dozed off into deep sleep.

Page 6 – The Search for the good luck charm

The very next morning, Tommy sprang out of his bed and went straight to the garden to search for the lucky charm the fairies were talking about last night. “The good luck charm will help me make new friends!” Tommy yelled excitedly. With his spade in hand, Tommy started to search for the charm that would change his life.

Page 7 – A change of luck

After digging furiously for an hour, Tommy finally found the good luck charm. “YES!” cried Tommy. “Now I will have good luck!” With a wide smile on his face, Tommy is delighted and thinks happily of all the fun he is going to have, and all the new friends he is going to make!

Page 8 – Revelation

All this while, Tommy did not know that his string of bad luck was actually a result of Billy’s mischievous pranks! Billy the school prankster was the one playing tricks on him all along! Pouring water on his seat, tripping him, stealing his homework, and laying a banana skin on the floor, Billy was determined to make life difficult for Tommy.

Page 9 – Billy’s bad luck streak

However, now that Tommy has his good luck charm, Billy seems to have run into his own share of bad luck! Losing his homework, falling down in school, wetting his seat and staining his shirt, Billy appears to be eating his own desserts and being punished for his mischief! Oh dear, poor Billy!

Page 10 – An offer of help

Seeing that Billy is down with bad luck, Tommy wondered if he should give Billy his good luck charm to help him. But Tommy was also worried that his bad luck would return once he no longer had the charm. After much thought, Tommy’s heart of gold finally decided that Billy needed the charm more than he did now.

Page 11 – Billy’s confession

Surprised that Tommy wanted to help by offering his precious good luck charm to him, Billy felt terrible about his pranks. “I’m so sorry, Tommy. I was the one who played tricks on you all this while!” Billy sobbed. Never did Billy expect Tommy to give up his treasured charm just to help him overcome his ill luck.

Page 12 – New found friends

“It’s ok, Billy. If you promise not to play anymore pranks on me or on the others, we can still be friends.” Tommy said forgivingly. “I will not play pranks on you or anyone else anymore!” replied Billy earnestly. The good-natured and gracious Tommy made Billy determined to turn over a new leaf.

Page 13 – Best friends till the end

Thereafter, Billy no longer played tricks on Tommy or on anyone else. With Tommy’s good luck charm, Billy did not have any more bad luck! From then on, the two boys became the best of friends.

“The only way to have a friend is to be one.”

* THE END *

Assignment 7 - Updates

2007-04-12T00:34:00.000+08:00

Updated Story:

For a child to better appreaciate and relate to a particular story, we decided to write a story which is similar to a local context. The story will also ideally be based on familar issues and subjects that a child born in Singapore will understand effortlessly.

Therefore to adhere to such a story outline, we created a protagonist named Tommy, and he will go to school and face friendship problems, just like any other kid. Our story line revolves around how Tommy is frustrated by being hit with a bad luck streak. His ill luck had made his the butt of all jokes among this friends. He wishes he could have fun all day and not meet with unfortunate incidents.

In addition, we decided to portray Tommy as a plump character, for being plump would not catergorise him in the mainstream and therefore it would be more likely for him to have less friends. However, we have a lesson behind it, for in spite of being plump, Tommy does have a big heart of gold. He will be our tool in teaching a moral about friendship in the story.

Due to our easy to understand storyline, we used simple sketches throughout the book as the pictorials.

The book comprise of 12 story pages and the target audience would be aged 6 and below (Primary 1 and below). The main setting of the story, which revolves around a school, will allow the child to relate to the plot and the story on the whole better.

All in all, we developed a theme for our project, which will be of a child presenting a hand-made gift to a friend in recognition and acknowledge of their friendship. Therefore, our sketches and drawings plus storyline will fit in nicely with the theme. The project will resemble that of a child's handi-craft.

After brainstorming and coming up with all sorts of fanciful stories, we decided that such a story as Tommy's would best be appropriate to bring a moral to the story. Furthermore, the localised setting and familiar themes will allow the child to better relate to it, which in turn will faciliate in bringing his/her understanding of the story to a higher level.

Assignment 7 - Children's Story Book

2007-04-11T02:19:00.000+08:00

Final Assignment - Group Project

Draft 1 - 'The Lost Toy'

Our very first idea of a story revolved around how a young boy lost his favourite toy and went on a search for it in his house. This story touches on how a boy braves his fears and overcomes them in order to retrieve what he wants. Moerover, it will also focus the warmth and intimate mother-child relationship, for in the story, the main character will often seek solance and comfort in his mother's arms, and his mother constantly provides him with a sense of security.

To complement the story and make it attractive to young children, we decided to incorporate simple sketches which is in line with a adopt a cute and adorable theme. In doing so, we decided to give the protagonist, Tommy, a dinosaur as his favourtite toy. The soft toy will be named Spikey to give it an extra cute boost.

In addition, we also planned to make the book more unique and interactive by including 2 pop-ups. These special pages will be on the center fold, and the child will be able to help Tommy in his search for his favourite toy by lifting toilet seats and opening drawers.

* However, after presenting the story to the class during tutorials, we decided to improve and make the story more sophisticated so as to fit the target age group of 6 to 9 years old (Primary 1-3). Our story was deemed to simple given the short and extremely simple story line. Furthermore, it was mentioned that pop-ups are mostly used in books catered for younger children, and not very appropriate for a primary school child.

* Hence I learnt that it is instrumental to do some field research before starting on an assignment as to tackling it by the horns. Upon enquiry from a young child, we realised that children today read very sophisticated books which are thick with dense content.

Assignment 6 ~ Design Analysis

2007-04-11T01:43:00.000+08:00

(Group Work)

In designing a poster, there are several pertinent issues to address which will very well affect how the poster will turn out. To name a few, one has to consider the layout and structure (in terms of how the information is to be positioned), the colour scheme, the fonts to be used, and also what pictures are to be inserted. Our design analysis will be based on the above few criterion.

Design Analysis 1: NTU X-Physique

* Bad Design Critique

* Poster appears too cluttered on the whole. There seems to be information everywhere, and there is an absence of breathing space. Viewers may be inclined to feel claustrophobic and uncomfortable looking at such an information intense poster.

* No main focus on the poster. Many items competing for attention. E.g. the headings, magnifying glass, club symbol, sponsors, background. The lack of clarity fails to grab and retain a viewer's attention.

* The words in the tagline are positioned too closely to each other (XTREME.XCITING.XPERIENCE IT) . Might be mistaken for one word, hence results in miscommunication and misunderstanding and failure to convey intended message.

* Lack of continuity and unity within the content of the poster. (Use of many different fonts breaks up the poster)

* Poster is strenuous to look at. It tires the audience by presenting too much content within the poster. The lack of organization is also a demerit point.

*There is no intended visual flow. Viewer will not know which part of the poster to proceed to when reading it.

* Background and the foreground are competing with each other. There is a lack of contrast in the colours.

*The four corners of the poster are occupied with items that may lead the audience’s attention out of it. (Does not contain the attention within the poster)

Design Analysis 2: NUS Biathlon 2007

*Good Design Critique

* The use of analogous colours (colours that are adjacent to each other on the colour wheel) create a soothing effect, which is easy on the eye.

*Choice of colours are light and appears to have a ‘cooling’ effect. Viewers will feel comfortable looking at it.

*Use of warm colours against the cool backdrop effectively brings out the intended focus in the poster.

*Words are appropriately positioned and spaced. There is clarity in the message. There is no excessive cluttering of information.

*Use of sub-headings to present information highlights the organisation present within the context of the poster. Good structure within the content of the poster allows for easy readability and ease of obtaining information.

* There is a designated visual flow (from top to down) for the audience to follow. Minimise and reduce the chances of the viewer being thrown off course or get distracted by surrounding content.

* Adequate spacing of items (picture, text, logos etc.) in the poster allows the viewer to ‘breathe’ while looking at it, at the same time creating a pleasant viewing experience. In turn, important information (E.g. event date and venue) can easily be retrieved from the poster.

* Proper spacing within the poster will also infer that viewers will be less inclined to lose their focus. Being less cluttered, the poster will be able to better retain a viewer’s attention and interest.

* Font size, colour and type are generally of a similar style, hence there is a sense of unity and continuity within the poster. Viewers will thus be able to associate the font style with information to be read.

`All in all, I learnt that it is of paramount important to work on a structure within a poster, for doing so will help in facilitating your audience to formulate a designated visual flow. With such an aid, the information contained within the poster can be easily relayed without confusion and miscommunications.

Updates to Assignment 5 - Love Greeting Card

2007-04-08T00:52:00.000+08:00

* Feedback from tutorial:

Classmates in tutorial mentioned that the first draft is too wordy for a card to be attractive. Furthermore, the previous effort portrays a rathre bleak and morbid picture of love, due to its dark tones and rough texture.

Therefore, in a second attempt, I divided the poem on the cover into two, and I placed the second half of it on the inside of the card.

Morover, I removed one of the love quotes from the back of the card so as to show more breathing space. A less cluttered card is more appealing than one packed with information and details. Besides, I reduced the size of the logo (Cupid Pte. Ltd.) for the old one is deemed to be too big and occupied too much of space.

The words in the poem are in red, as a form of contrast to the soft pink tone of the background and also the red symbolises the heat and passionate nature of love itself.

In a bid to show the tenderness of love, I used the cloud effect in photoshop as the background. This time, the card is in shades of soft pink with a complementing peach coloured heart. In addtion to adding soft and comforting colours, I also reduced the card to A5 size. The card will therefore be folded into half. This small makeup of a care can be seen as a cute feature, for small cards are often better received and better liked than a big one.

I also made changes to the fonts on the second attempt. In this case, I used a curvy font type to show the intricacies of love. The cursive nature of the font is also widely used in most love cards.

Lastly, the inside of the card is kept simple and largely plain so as to allow people to write their messages.

Assignment 5 - Love Greeting Card

2007-04-08T00:33:00.000+08:00

* Visual Principles - Part 2 - Colour

Upon thinking of love, one would automatically conjure up an image of a heart. In order to be a little more unconventional and innovative, I decided to create a heart in a slightly differerent manner.

As you can see from the right, I developed a heart which is not symmetrical. This somehow makes the card a little unqiue and special, for the overused symmetrical heart is a tad too boring and cliched.

Another motivation for using such a shaped heart is to show a heart that is beating. In other words, the unequal sides of the heart is to show its life and energy, while simulating movement.

Hence with this image in mind, I set out to create a card, and one that advocates love as it theme.

Using the custom shape tool in photoshop, I created a card with abstract shapes to complement the unique heart. To suit the theme of advocating love, I input a love poem on the cover. The poem is etched in a font with soft edges and smooth ends so as to portray love as affectionate and endearing.

In addition, I too added texture to the card by giving it a somewhat rough feel to the card.

Furthermore, I too added small heart shaped objects to the borders of the card to add to the design and also at the same time they serve as mini borders marking the boundaries of the card.

*Note that the card is in A4 size and is to be folded into half

*Colour of the card is distorted upon uploading. Original colour is dark red and pink.

Assignment 4 - Updates

2007-04-07T23:59:00.000+08:00

* Changes to 'SAVE YOUR EYESIGHT'

In order to be less rigid in terms of word placing within the poster, I decided to move the 2 sentences to occupy 2 sides of the poster. This structure is more innovative than the first draft.

In addition, I made changes to the tagline before the main message. The old one risks throwing the viewer out of the poster due to its long sentence while phrased in just 2 lines. To resolve this, I center-aligned the tagline and at the same time divided them into 3 sentences, so they appear more equally spreaded out.

This structure is much better thant the first draft as it takes into account how words should be structured and placed so as to enhance viewership.

In addition to changing the word placement, I also made changes to the bottom portion of the poster.

The previous draft has a fair colour at the bottom, and as such, it is not very effective in bringing out the main message. Hence, in the final draft, I darkened the whole of the bottom portion, so that the red message is able to be contrasted sharply against the now black background.

Assignment 4 - Update

2007-04-07T23:25:00.000+08:00

After presentation in tutorial, I received feedback that the two sentences in red are too big for tag lines in a poster. Hence, in a new effort, I reduced the wordings to a smaller size. In addition, I also tweaked the colour settings of the background, which is the photograph of the tree canopy.

Due to printing constraints, CMYK settings do not allow the poster to show the green essence of the tree in the background, hence the print out appears dull and listless. In order to combat this issue, I adjusted the colour settings in Photoshop to 'Overlay'. This setting manages to invoke the green and lush nature of the tree in the background, and this in turn also makes the poster brighter and eye-catching.

*Note that blog is unable to display poster in true colour, hence the distortion

In addition to a poster on saving trees, I decided to do another on saving eyesight, after gaining some inspiration from wearing my spectacles. In order to get started, I decided to show my glasses in the poster and hence I experimented with some photos to use as the background.

I wanted to show that a myopic person is very dependent on his glasses in order to see, and hence, I wish to input the message of saving one's eyesight. To show this, I decided to portray a subject holding or putting on his glasses.

In this instance, I wish to tell a message and also use a structure that is viewed from top to bottom. Thus, I chose a vertical picture (left) and once again, I believed a poster should have minimal words and therefore, I chose to input catchy and thought-provoking lines into it.

In the poster, I highlighted

the importance and value of one's eyesight, and to sum it up, I incorporated a scare tactic with provokes people to take care of their eyesight, lest they find themselves needing to wear spectacles.

For the 2 sentences on the top of the poster, I used white colour wordings to contrast it with the black background. To draw more attention to it, I added red stroke to the words.

With regards to the main caption or main message, I had them input in red wordings, for red is a bright colour against the dull and monotonous background, and this will effectively gather people's attention.

This poster has a rather serious tone to it, for it speaks of losing one's eyesight. Hence, the dull and dark nature of the photograph is justified in this sense.

*Note that colour of poster is tweaked and altered upon uploading onto blog.

Assignment 4 - Poster Design

2007-04-07T22:46:00.000+08:00

Visual Principles - Part 1

While brainstorming for ideas for my poster, I decided to take my bike out for a ride in a bid to acquire some inspirations. Not long into my journey, I stumbled on some beautiful trees in my neighnourhood and decided to do a posters on trees.

Yes, "SAVE TREES"

The canopy of a tree is a breathtaking sight, and I went on to collect more along my journey. Finally, I decided to use the vertical shot of a tree trunk with its canopy.

I decided that a vertical poster would be more catching than a horizontal one, for in this context, I can show more of the tree in a vertical structure and also the tree is able to show its majestic and magnificent build.

With regards to the theme of the poster, I decided to use catchy and though-provoking lines in order to grasp the attention of passer-bys and viewers. Instead of just a poster when people will simply view and go, I want a poster that will induce the viewer to think about the message that I'm putting in the poster. In this instance, I wish to bring out the message of saving trees, so to do that, I first highlighted the importance of trees in our society and what benefits trees brings to our community.

Thereafter, I will input an impactful message which directly targets at the main objective behind the poster, which is to deter people from wasting paper.

The two thought-provoking sentences are etched in red with a white border in order to bring out the contrast against

the green canopy. Red is also useful in drawing attention to a particular poster.

In addition to the main message of 'SAVE TREES', I decided to invoke thought by questioning people about what they have done in return for what trees what benefitted us.

Furthermore, I instigated viewers to think about their actions which may bring harm to trees, and in this instance, I urged people to save paper, but by re-phrasing the sentence in a more instrusive way.

The poster is able to show the beauty of trees and at the same time carries a heavy message within. It does not have lengthy messgaes or chunky paragraphs which may turn viewers off and lose their attention and focus.

Therefore, I believe short and succinct messages will do the job of capturing viewer's attention and retaining it, due to its thought-provoking nature.

*Note that colour of poster may appear wayward from actual piece.

Assignment 3 - Thoughts

2007-02-24T00:24:00.000+08:00

Classroom Activity

To capture and input an image within a frame poses some limitations to consider:

It is important to be aware of a boundary - the frame. Hence, it is essential to put what is intended in the picture and extract unnecessary elements within the picture to make it distinct in relaying its meaning.

The camera and the human eye have different perspectives. Therefore it is necessary to consider this aspect when taking photographs so as to avoid missing or accidentally cutting out a main subject.

(Missing out on such a subject would render the image meaningless or even bring about a misconstrued logic.)

The picture above shows a boy chasing after his ball, which had bounced onto the road, before an approaching vehicle. The picture is not effective as it by itself already tells a complete story. There is sense of anticipation nor intrigue on the audiences' part, for the image seems to tell everything.

* A more effective picture would be to hide or partially display a subject would would be essential in injecting meaning to the picture.

In this context, the focus can be zoomed in onto the child onto the road or just show the tip of an approaching car on the border of the frame.

*Audiences are intelligent. They have a mind and can think on their own.

Hence, creating an incomplete image may very well be more effective than showing the whole picture.

Assignment 3

2007-02-23T21:58:00.000+08:00

Representational Techniques II

The assignments seem to get more interesting with each passing week. One thing is, it's rather fun doing them. Downside however, its not easy. Tsk.

Taking pictures are a fun thing to do, but taking GOOD pictures is another thing altogether. In undertaking this assignment, I seek to play with different perspectives and angles and explore what effects they bring about.

My 1st picture shows me as the main subject. To further imply that I should be the focus, I utilised the dodge tool in Photoshop to lighten and blurred the surroundings and background, leaving me and a particular subtle subject in focus with fresh and bright colours. I've kept the other subject small in the picture as a way to convey the message that I am not aware of his presence.

(The second subject is the guy in the blue cap, if you haven't already noticed.)

The 2nd picture shows me getting up from my seat and leaving the eatery. This time, the shot is taken from the side of the second subject, in a bid to bring out his existence. I made the subject tilt his head to face me, to tell the audience that he is taking note of me. Once again I used the dodge tool to slightly render the background into a lighter shade.

In my 3rd picture, the subject leaves his seat and his location suggests he is intending to tail me. Again, his attention is on me, while I am still oblivious to his presence and his attention on me.

In the 4th picture, I decided to take a step back and use a shot that zooms out from the 2 of us as the main subject. In this image, it is still obvious that I am being tailed through the crowds. To allow the audience to focus on the 2 of us, I used the dodge tool again to lighten the back ground. The fact that I am in black and the stalker is in white helps in bringing out this effect.

In the 5th frame, the audience sees me entering the gents, still unaware of the stalker's presence. I left the stalker out of this picture so as to create a form of suspense. This will induce the audience to guess if I am still being tailed. Furthermore, the fact that I am entering a toilet, which is a confined area, helps in building up tension in the plot.

My 6th image returns the stalker back into the picture. In this frame, the stalker is seen peering into the toilet. His suspicious stance would bring about an air of mysteriousness about him and the audience will be coerced into guessing his motive and intention of tailing me. This helps in building up the climax and enhances the plot of the story.

The stalker and I are the only subjects in my 7th frame. The picture shows the stalker approaching me and about to tap me on the shoulder. Still, I am unaware of his presence, for I am shown relieving myself, oblivious to the surroundings. At this point in time, the audience will be anticipating the next frame. The climax of the plot starts to emerge.

The 8th frame depicts me turning in shock to discover that I am being approached in the toilet while relieving myself. Here, the audience can visualise me reeling in shock and disgust upon seeing the mysterious guy in the cap behind me. Again, the audience is left wondering what will happen in the next picture.

With my fist in the air ready to land a punch, the 9th frame tells of my reaction to being approached while relieving myself in the toilet. Here, the audience will be leaded to think that the stalker have some ulterior motive for following me, hence my aggressive stance in the picture. To further play on the violent about to erupt in this frame, the picture is taken from a low angle, in a bid to land the focus on me towering over the stalker.

My final picture, the 10th frame,

reveals the intention and motive of the stalker. The image depicts the stalker with an arm up fending himself from my impending punch while stretching out the other hand, with my wallet. Hence upon seeing this, the audience will get the plot of the story and see the twist at the very end of the 10 pictures. The face of the mysterious stalker is also finally revealed in the last frame. The cap had been a decoy in misleading the audience into thinking that the stalker is a bad character in the plot.

* To avoid having boring pictures, try

playing with different angles and perspectives while taking photographs so as to effectively bring out different essences in the pictures.

(I had loads of fun doing this project, even though I had to risk looking retarded while in a public place! Thanks for your help and enthusiasm, Clarence and Ambrose.)

Assignment 2 - Final Symbol

2007-02-23T21:36:00.000+08:00

I chose this as my final symbol for at the very next stage the image will start to lose its meaning. This image still hold resemblance of a watch, for there is an indication of time (12), plus the presence of the strap and circular interface gives it a clear distinction that it is a watch.

Without having to input explanation, the audience or viewer will know instinctively that the image is a watch. Therefore, having the required specifications make the image an effective sumbol.

Assignment 2

2007-02-23T21:05:00.000+08:00

From a realistic Emporio Armani timepiece, I simplified and made abstract the concept of a watch in 5 stages.

The first change I made to the watch is to remove the most important thing; that is, the instrument that tells the time. I extract the hour and minute hands together with the brand label and also the date indicator. As a result, the watch have been relegated to just a brandless timepiece.

Moving on, I simplified the interface of the watch by removing some elements of the intricate design. The end result leaves just the numericals without the roman numbers and the other circles within the interface.

Next, I removed more details from the watch by simplifying the interface. I decide to leave just four numbers to indicate that it is a watch with a simple design.

The next step results in just the number 12 in the interface with the strap and strap holder in place.

Lastly, I removed the strap from the watch and concluded with just a cirlce and a 12 at the top.

Assignment 2 - Thoughts

2007-02-23T20:34:00.000+08:00

Representational Techniques

To bring about immediate association to an object or concept just by a glimpse of the image highlights several pointers to mind:

The image must be of common understanding to the community. In other words, there must be a common agreement by the people that such a symbol or characteristic is symbolic or representative of a particular idea. E.g $ = Money

The image presented must be commonly and strongly associated with what it intends to portray. E.g. A pair of long ears = Rabbit

A designer have to ensure that his representation of a particular concept must be unique or accepted by his intended target audience. If there is a case of miscommunication or misunderstanding with regards to the design, the intended or desired effect from the audience will not be achieved.

I experimented with several objects to see how I can simplify and yet maintain the essence of the subject. A handphone might prove too simple to simplify, given that phones nowadays are getting smaller. A bicycle is just to complex to sketch, a house is already rather simplified, and I decided to choose the watch. It is not difficult to draw and a watch is also a rather common object, hence it will be a safe option to work with.

Update on Assignment 1

2007-02-21T01:55:00.000+08:00

I had some thoughts about the first assignment after the presentation in class. The assignment requires you to design your name in such a way that it shows, or is representative of what you like or hate. The issue brought up in class was that many people had pictures incorporated into their designs and the pictures are necessary in order to depict the whole picture. In other words, if the picture is removed from the sketch, the name alone would not imply nor symbolise anything.

This issue only dawned on me when I attempted to improve on my first assignment. I decided to shelve my Adidas and running designs and come up with 2 new ones depicting my hate for mosquitoes. Here they are:

The first sketch shows an insecticide aerosol spraying can with my name as the killing or exterminating element that would kill the mosquito. To depict my hatred for mozzies, I inserted arrow heads into the design of my name. The arrows are also positioned facing the insect, and the lines following the arrowhead indicate swift movement towards it. Besides being portrayed as deadly, the arrowheads also brings about the notion of the devil. In this context, my name is the devil to be feared, for I am out to destroy the insect. To show that the mosquito had succumbed to my arrows, I drew circles to signify it as suffering from dizzy spells about to knock it out.

My second sketch is also a pictorial of how I hate mosquitoes. In this context, my name is the burning element that is burning the insect to death. In other words, the flames are feeding off my name to bring about the combustion that is burning the pest. To further enforce the message that I hate mosquitoes, a circle with a line across it is inserted. This sign is used universally to show a "No" Message. For example, a circle with a dash and a cigarette means "No Smoking."

* A lesson learnt is that when one uses complex and intricate drawings, one may face difficulties in transferring them into computer graphic files or prototypes, for small and fine details are very tedious and difficult to show.

In this case, the insect will prove to be a daunting task to reproduce using computer software.

Assignment 1 - Part 2 - Continued

2007-02-21T01:11:00.000+08:00

There you go. My two prototypes. These are 2 things that I like and am able to present them in drawings. The first one, Adidas, I believe, is very distinct and sharp in the sense that once you look at the logo, you know it refers to the Sports giant Adidas. I inserted my name below the logo to show my liking for it. (I drew the logo out! I never copy and paste ok!) To further complement the design, I decide to design my name by using the trademark 3 stripes. However due to my limited photoshop skills, I had to shortchange myself and settle for one with 2 lines. The original Adidas logo had the words in small letters. In a bid to prevent an attempt at copying wholesale, I decided to insert my name in capitals instead. In this way, my name is able to stand out.

(However during presentation, I received comments about copyright infringements. It may not be wise to copy their logo and just insert my name. I guess it would be a safer option to go with another design.)

For the second design, I attempted to show motion. I decided to use dashes and lines to represent movement and speed. To create such an effect, I opened up Paintbrush and drew the lines using the Pen tool, after which I copied and paste them in Photoshop.

To further imply in my design that movement is involved, I slant and italicised the letters. The slanting of the alphabets gives a motion feel to the design, just like how a person leans forward when running or sprinting. Sweat droplets are also included into the prototype so as to bring about a more human feel to it. I added some gradient to the colour and toning of the letters to give it a more sleek look. By incorporating subtle human elements, I have managed to humanise my design.

* I learnt that it is of paramount importance to follow guidelines and instructions provided in presenting a project.

For instance, this assignment required us to present on A5 size paper, with the words "My name is..." and "And I like..." and the top left and bottom right corners respectively. Failure to conform to such requirements would render the project invalid.

Assignment 1 - Part 2

2007-02-21T00:49:00.000+08:00

Okay this week was real panicky. No joke. When asked to develop our chosen sketches into digital format or using software to render in a prototype, I must admit I was at a total loss. I seriously have VERY limited photoshop skills. And the fact that my tutorial is on Monday didn't make things better. It just made me realise I don't have time to waste.

- Anyway, the 2 of my chosen sketches are here:

YES I know they are very simple, but I cannot afford to create a more complex or at least a more interesting design! I remember getting frustrated at this point in time. People who lack such photoediting or application software skills are definitely at a disadvantage. I recall dreading presenting my work for fear of being marked down. Any guy with some photoshop skills can easily reproduce my work in like under 15 minutes.
But to me, getting this assignment done is a real feat I never thought I could have completed. Thank goodness for my kind-hearted sunshine friend who took time out to provide pointers for me, if not I would not have anything to present in class. Geez. (",)

I made a pact with myself to improve on and amass more photoshop skills!

* I learnt that A5 is half of A4! Heh.

Assignment 1

2007-02-20T23:58:00.000+08:00

I realised I cannot draw very well when I got started on this assignment. I found myself looking around at the others scribbling away furiously while I tried hard to visualise my thoughts.
Come to think of it, when one is asked to produce something on the spot, one would often meet with a blockage of the mind. Tsk.

* Besides this, there were several issues that struck me. I felt constrained by what I know how to draw. That is, I can only design my name to what I can sketch. Hence if I have complex and abstract ideas, I may have to shelve them for my drawing skills would not allow me to present them on paper. Attempting to do so would put me at risk of producing spastic scribbles that might prove impossible to comprehend.

* On another note, what I draw may relate only to me, for I am drawing from personal anecdotes and experiences. The audience or viewer, may not grasp what my sketch is portraying. A certain term or concept may mean one thing to me, but another to a third party. This is one limitation to grapple with when it comes to designing.

(!) (Just a useful pointer that people won't usually think of doing.)
When you're doing sketches, use a HB pencil instead of a 2B. If you need to erase and finetune your drawings, the light shade of the HB pencil would be much friendlier on your paper than the heavier 2B.
HB do not leave unsightly marks on your sketch books too, that is if you don't draw with too much pressure.
After you decide to finalise your drawing, use a 2B to go over to darken and give adequate toning to the sketch.

Let's Get Started!

2007-02-20T23:43:00.000+08:00

After seeing all the updates on the other's blog, somehow I feel the need to do mine up too. Heh. Its abit too empty. Tsk. Blogging is just not my thing, though I do like to write (or type, rather). Let's begin with my thoughts of the module so far.

.1. The lecturer speaks too fast. Really. Haha.. Sometimes he goes off in a whizz and when he
ends, I have no idea what was just said. I believe many share the same sentiments. But well,
it is fun though. Haha..

.2. Okay I must admit I took this module PARTLY because its a non-examinable one. And I
heard its fun. But BOY! I didn't expect it to be sooo heavy. Tsk tsk. I see myself cooped up at
home during the weekends cracking my brain on how to do my next assignment
EVERYWEEK. Its abit too intensive for my liking. But well, I'm surviving. For now.

.3. I envy those people who have their tutorials later in the week. My Monday tutorial devours
my weekends! Not that I go out to play often, but I need a break from my 5 DAY WEEK!

.4. The lecturer speaks too fast.
(And the module link in IVLE is useless. Haha. Cute.)

My First Time.

2007-02-05T20:42:00.001+08:00

Tsk.
This is actually the second blog I created for this particular purpose. (Learning Journal for NM2208) I came up with one just 2 days back and couldn't remember BOTH my username and password. Tsk.

Well, here it is. My 'first' blog. Haha.. Look like I'd have to dedicate some time to keep stuff in here updated. And it'd need some getting used to. Will post again sometime soon. I hope. Heh.

* I'm officially a blogger! (",)