DESIGN PRINCIPLES - EXERCISE 2 : BALANCE & EMPHASIS

31.08.21 (Week 2 - Week 3)
Christie Angelica Bakhary (0350655)
Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media / Design Principles

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LECTURES
LECTURE 2 : BALANCE & EMPHASIS

↳ Balance
    Is a distribution of visual weight in a work of design and visual equilibrium of the 
    elements. It can be symmetrical or asymmetrical. This can be classify to
    • Symmetrical Balance
       - Has an equal "weight" and arrangement on each sides.

    • Asymmetrical Balance
      - Has an unequal visual "weight" on each sides.
      - More interesting because it has variety although it is harder to achieve

    • The Golden Ratio
       A guide to create a balanced visual and used to bring harmony, balance and structure.

Fig. 1.3 : Golden ratio example (Source : Pinterest)

In Figure 1.3 we can see one of the famous painting "The Great Wave" by Hokusai, which also applied golden ratio to the whole artwork especially on the wave itself.

    • Rule of Thirds
      A guideline to achieve a good composition. The subject image is usually placed at the 
      intersection/middle or along the lines.

Fig. 1.3 : Rule of thirds example (Source : Pinterest)

↳ Emphasis and Dominance
    Are used to create focus and dominance in a design & artworks. To achieve emphasis 
    in our work, we can use elements such as color, shapes or value.

Fig. 1.4 : Asymmetrical balance example (Source : Pinterest)

LECTURE 3 : REPETITION & MOVEMENT

↳ Repetition
   Creates pattern, variety, movement, and more dynamics. The design need to have the 
   same theme
   • Close composition 
   • Open composition 
   

↳ Movement
    Is how design leads our eyes along with the composition. This is a condition where the object in an image look like it is moving.

   • Hierarchy
     Is a choreography of content in a composition to deliver information to viewers

   • Alignment
     Is the placement of elements in a way that edges line up along common rows or 
     common center. This creates a sense of unity and cohesion.

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INSTRUCTION

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PRACTICAL
For exercise 2, we were told to choose two principles between Emphasis / Balance / Repetition / Movement and make design for each one of the chosen principle. So from all 4 choices, I choose balance and repetition.

Balance Exercise
Idea Explorations
When I first saw the word balance, it immediately reminds me of the yin yang symbol. I was so inspired by it and went to search the meaning behind each symbol :

Fig. 2.1  : Yin Yang meaning (Source : Pinterest)

As many other art inspirations out there that are related with the yin yang symbol, I also wanted to make one with an animal that represent best with the symbol. So I looked up for some inspirations and found that many of them combine the yin yang shape with koi fish because it has a certain meaning to it. So I decided to recreate it but with a different animal and I came up with several ideas like lion, horse / unicorn, snake, and whale. Then, I search for their 'spiritual' meaning and turns out that whale has a kind of similar definition with it.

Fig. 2.2  : Whale 'spiritual' meaning (Source : Website)

For the design I want it to become more like a tattoo design and planning to make it more interesting than just the usual shape of the symbol, so I search for references on Pinterest and found this:

Fig. 2.3 : Balance reference 1 (Source : Pinterest)

Progression
I made 4 composition sketches on Procreate for this because I was confused on how to put the whales together in an unawkward position. 

Fig. 2.4 : Balance exercise sketches

To make it look more meaningful and deep, I wrote a Bible verse (from 1 Corinthians 13:4-8) about what a true love means. For the handwriting, I tried to make it to look like a lettering but it comes out pretty messy since I'm still kind of awkward on writing anything digitally. But besides that, I planned to put it into a vintage looking paper texture, so I added the square border and colored it with a brown vintage paper color.

Fig. 2.4 : Balance exercise progression video

Final Outcome
Overall this artwork has a meaning of what a true love means. 

Repetition Exercise
Idea Explorations
For repetition I am thinking of a design that are unique and has a meaning to it. So as I'm searching for ideas, I am thinking of the 1000 origami cranes which is actually an ancient Japanese legend called senbazuru. Many people believe that by folding 1000 origami cranes, it can granted our wishes, happiness and give eternal good luck, such as recovery from injuries.

Fig. 2.x : Repetition reference 1 (Source : Pinterest)

Progression - Sketches
At first, I was thinking of making the actual senbazuru but with the time limit I decided to drew it digitally. Then when I was scrolling on Pinterest, I found this papercut illustration which is really interesting and inspiring. So I decided to apply it to the design to make it look 'real', as I'm not able to do the origami manually.

Fig. 2.x : Balance reference 1 (Source : Pinterest)

 
Final Outcome
The final result turns out pretty nice and simple with the paper cut effect on it. For the background I chose a neutral colors and used a vibrant contrast colors on the paper cranes, which I took from a rainbow colors. So in this illustration I combine the three principles, repetition movement and also contrast.

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FEEDBACKS

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REFLECTION

From this task, I learned how to apply different type of principle into one design.