Final Project - Visual Analysis
Vanessa Kei Kurniadi
Bachelor of Design in Creative Media
Content:
1. Recap of Final Project brief
2. Visual Analysis
3. My design process
3.1 Visual reference
3.2 Idea explorations
3.3 Final outcome
3.4 Feedback given by lecturer
3.5 Reflection
1. Recap
Recap of Visual Analysis topic:
Visual analysis is a method of understanding design that focuses on visual elements and principles. Its purpose is to be able to recognize the choices that a designer made in creating a design, as well as to better understand how the formal properties of a design communicate ideas, contents, or meaning.
Visual analysis has 3 phase:
-Observation
Looking, thinking, and finding good language to communicate what we notice. Closely looking at and identifying the visual elements of a design, trying to describe them carefully and accurately in our own words.
-Analysis
Requires us to think about our observations and try to make statements about the work based on the evidence of our observations. Think about how the specific visual elements that you've identified combined together to create a whole, and what effect that whole has on the viewer.
"How were your eyes led through the work and why?" Apply the design principles we have learnt throughout these weeks.
-Interpretations
In this final phase, our observations, description, and analysis of the work are fused with facts about the design work (and in some cases the designer) and historical context that we find in trustworthy published sources.
Week 5
During lecture, Mr Charles tried to elaborate on how we should brainstorm for this project. He wants us to make something that involves some critical thinking on deeper or more specific questions about things in our surroundings. At that time, Mr Charles gave us an example on the topic of technology. He encourages us to imagine deeper how to make a more environmentally friendly technology, and how we can visualise it and make it into a design that would attract the audience to look at it.
Week 6
During lecture on the 6th week, class is focused more into us sharing our progress and to give a chance to everyone to also give their thoughts on it. It was mostly dedicated to discussion.
Week 7
Week 7 was the last class for this semester. It was dedicated to us to discuss our progress and our results. Most of the students showed their artwork to the lecturer to give feedback about. I usually just stay put and observe about what others made and Mr Charles's feedback about it.
2. Visual Analysis
I picked an artwork that revolved around one of the goal from United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG): Life on Land
The main reason I picked this artwork is that it showed a unique scene involving desert animals, with one of them shown to be dead. It is the desert kangaroo rat, which is actually one of the animals that are at the population level of "threatened" due to habitat loss.
Here is my visual analysis regarding this artwork:
Observation
The design
is made in landscape format. For visual elements, this image used brown,
orange, black, blue, and green as its main colors. On the center is a sphere,
showing a desert with some animals. There is a fox in the middle of the desert,
crying over a kangaroo rat, while accompanied by another rat and a couple of scorpions.
Not far beneath the surface are some baby kangaroo rats sleeping peacefully.
Outside the sphere are some desert birds and a baby fennec, with some
perspective lines put together to create a ground and horizon line of the
painting. The shadowed part of the sphere and the area outside it used reverted
color, creating a unique contrast.
Analysis
The design
used the emphasis
principle. It focuses on the sphere at the center and the animals inside it. The
fox is the biggest object inside the sphere, thus capturing our first focus.
The fox is crying while holding what seems to be a dead rat, and there is
another one on the fox’s back looking at it. After that, there are a couple of
scorpions that seem to also be looking at the scene. Near the outer line of the
sphere are some rat babies, sleeping soundly. A portion of the sphere has an
inverted color, which gives a contrast effect and brings our eyes to the baby fox
beside it. Outside the sphere, there are a repetition of lines creating
a gestalt
effect of a land and a vanishing point. The birds and the baby fox are
put in the “rule of thirds” principle, giving off a nice composition to the
overall image. The inverted color of the birds and the baby fox, combined with
a bright ray of light brown light complemented the dark-colored background,
making it stand out more. The overall image also looked balanced, with a
group of lines at the bottom area and some bright-colored birds at the upper
area.
Interpretation
This design
was made to remind people of the desert kangaroo rats which have reached the
level of “threatened” due to the loss of habitat. It also showed the effect: newborn babies losing their mothers, which means that it also disturbs the
process of their reproduction. It was created to raise awareness of animals
that suffer due to human actions. The artist, Alexis Kandra also made several
more artworks with a similar style showing other animals around the world to remind
people of what’s going on in this world and to inspire people to preserve them.
I find it interesting how the artist creates such a story from the combinations
of animals that aren’t normally seen together. The artist used to draw
animals as symbols to danger, mystery, or peace. With this and several more
artworks with the same theme, she tried to draw them not as abstract symbols,
but drawing them as real-life existing creatures that live on the same planet
as ours: earth. Even so, her iconic style of drawing the main object in the
sphere with a repetition of lines as the ground is a great distinguisher between her
art from other artists' works.
I have made a design that is inspired by the artwork made by Alexis Kandra.
My design is focused on showing the audience the effect that careless human beings have made towards the animals, particularly in terms of illegal huntings. The animals are shown in a mysterious and majestic look, with addition of some severe wounds, showing how they are turning into myths and legends by going extinct.
While Alexis used a realistic color for each animals, I used a contrasting color to give an out-of-this-world impression, and to help capture the audience's eyes
3. My Design Process
3.1 Visual References
3.2 Idea Explorations
After so many trials and errors, with the feedback given by Mr Charles, I tried to make a simpler art. I was told not to be afraid or troubled by empty spaces since they have an importance of their own.
First, I start by making the main objects using simple lines to create the shape of the main figures. I use a dark colored background to set the lighting for the silhouettes. I also put some repetitive lines just like Alexis did, to create the ground. I also added some grass to make it more nature-ish.
All I needed to do left is to put some golden strokes where the light would hit the animals, and also on some locations of the wounds and their eyes. The final result is actually looking really simple yet pleasing to the eyes.
3.3 Final Outcome
The design mainly uses contrast and emphasis. The strong complementary colors create a strong image in the eye of the viewers. The gradient background also helped to direct our eyes to the object in the center. While the image uses contrasting colours, it doesn't look too overbearing and is nice to look at.
3.4 Feedback given by Lecturer
No need to add unnecessary effects, don't worry about empty spaces. Treat them as invisible arrows pointing to the subjects. Negative space is important, like figure ground. Work with shapes and silhouettes.
And when you describe it on your rationale, you need to analyse it from detail to the bigger picture. Speak in design terms then you will see how the design principles have been applied consciously or unconsciously.
3.5 Reflection
This project has really pushed me to think outside the box, to think more than I would usually imagine, and to keep my creativity high. I have been struggling a lot to find the right composition and expression. I've done so many errors regarding the objects' placement, whereas I often place them to fill the entire canvas. This project has opened my eyes and mind to new perspectives and possibilities, where emptiness can create another magical atmosphere. It has been a bittersweet experience for me, but overall I learnt a lot and it has inspired me to do a lot of things in the future. In addition, this project has made me create so many designs that I usually won't do. It was a really tiring yet interesting experience for me.
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Made in:
February 17th 2023
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