Group Project - Design Brief

Group members:
Tiffany    (Creative Director)
Cynthia   (Art Director)
Hansen    (Designer)
Peter        (Designer)
Arthur     (Designer)

                    In this group project, we are designing a poster to promote Cherry Blossom Festival. I am the creative director in the design team. My job is to make sure the art work meets all the criteria and requirement. In the group discussion, we have chosen two best ideas from my thumbnail sketch and Hansen's thumbnail sketch for our final workup. My thumbnail idea is conveying the messages of the Cherry Blossom Festival. The flower (Sakura) in the center of the drum's surface is the symbol of cherry blossom; the drums represents the tradition of Taiko drumming; the sun light in the background symbolizes the sun goddess Ameterasu in the Japanese myths.  Hansen's idea of placing two drums at the bottom left corner and bottom right corner can improve the composition of my thumbnail sketch, so I combined our ideas together. My hand-drawing skill is better than other group mates. So, I take the responsibility to draw the final workup of the poster and the promotional items of festival. The idea of our first promotional item is from my research of this festival, I saw the drummers are wearing a headband, so I decide to think of some special promotional items instead of hat or t-shirt which are too common. The second promotional item is a Japanese Geisha fan, getting this idea from the fan dancing which is also a Japanese tradition. And, the third promotional item is a flag made of a drumstick. I think this will be a good idea for souvenir because the audience don't have a chance of playing the drum, but at least they can hold a drum stick to feel the rhythm and spirit of Taiko drumming. The fourth promotional item is a keychain with the symbol of cherry blossom and Taiko drumming. While working the poster on Illustrator, I helped the designers to fill the colors in different variation.

Organic Shape, Form, Texture, and Value

I found an area around my home where I can set up a site-specific artwork made of organic materials. The two photographs were taken at the front door of my home (Gentry Walk apartment). 

Like Andy Goldsworthy, he likes to create arts in nature. I like the idea of playing with found objects in nature to create something beautiful. So, I begin to use the organic materials: rocks, green leaves and dried leaves, and build my artwork on the soil instead of concrete slab.

Firstly, I stack the tiny rocks to form a heart shape. Secondly, I pick some small green leaves from the bushes and place them surrounding the tiny rocks. Thirdly, I select some bigger rocks and place them surrounding the first two layers of tiny rocks and green leaves, and formed the outer layer of the heart shape. After that, I place 4 Elliptic green leaves on top of the heart and put a Palmate dried leaf in the middle to create a triangular shape above the heart. 

After a few days of rain and wind, the weather has altered my piece of art work.  

The rain and the wind had washed or blown away the leaves because the leaves are light. But, the heart shape formed by rocks remains the same because rocks have a certain weight. 

Positive & Negative Space

Shigeo Fukada (1932-2009)

Shigeo Fukada is a famous Japanese graphic designer. His artwork employs a strong use of negative space as well as bold experiments with perspective and optical illusions.


I've chosen three posters that have used positive/negative space, repetition and pattern in his work.

 

Shigeo Fukuda Exhibition

Keio Department Store
1975

In this poster, male’s legs and female’s legs are staggered. Female and male legs protrude from white and black mass and then dissolve imperceptibly in a simple repeating pattern. It not only represent the relationship between positive and negative space, but also is relationship between male and female. Because, married male and female formed a new family, just like the poster, the male’s legs and female’s legs can be seen as a part of each other, except the foot. And the designer use the repeating methods, just like more than one family in this case.

 

 

 

 



World Graphic Design Conference Nagoya
2003

 

Fukuda writes a translation said "I wanted to recreate the interesting and mysterious structure of this picture of exotically dressed children to the full extent."

The white figures are defined in detail and form by red. The white figures are connected bodies and form a circular whole which applied the use of repetition. The concept of this design is creative, and the joy/humor is inherent in the connecte

d bodies.

 

Shigeo Fukuda Exhibition - 1986

 

In this poster, Fukuda creates an optical illusion in his work. I really admires Fukuda's techniques of playing with positive/negative space and repetition. When we put our focus on the black pattern, we see two pair of legs. In between the legs, it clearly form a women figure in a long dress. I notice that many of Fukuda's work plays with the male and female's "leg". Looking the two positive and negative space together, I see three women in dress and two naked women.

 

 

Line & Movement

Below are three examples of line and movement that used in our daily lives.

1. Nature

I like the pattern of rose, especially the top view of a rose. Rose has high density of petals. The layers of petals displays line and movement. We can see different variations of line, such as darkness and thickness, and it draws viewer's attention to focus on the center of the rose.


2. Architecture

This is the Helix Hotel designed by Leeser Architecture from New York. They have won a competition to design a hotel in the Zayed Bay district of Abu Dhabi, UAE. Line and movements are clearly showing in both of the exterior and interior design of Helix Hotel. I am so impressed by their unique design, it guide the viewer's eyes to follow the floor structure of the architecture. 


3. Fashion

This ruffled blouse is really pretty! The layers of ruffles create curved line with various shape. When the model puts on this blouse, it attracts audience to take a closer look of the fabric movement of the ruffled blouse.