Design Principles — Final Project : Visual Analysis
2.11.2022 — 30.11.2022 (Week 10 — Week 14)
Rachel Madeline Purwanto / 0356994 / Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative MediaDesign Principles
Final Project — Visual Analysis
❥INSTRUCTIONS
1. a recap of Final Project brief
2. your design process:
2.1
visual references (designs that have inspired your own)
2.2 idea
exploration and description
2.3 final outcome in JPEG and a short
rationale
2.4 feedback given by the lecturer
2.5 reflection on
the particular week
❥DESIGN PROCESS
1. BRIEF RECAP — Lectures & Instructions
Visual Analysis refers to an understanding of art that focuses on an
artwork's visual elements, such as colour, line, texture, and scale. The
core purpose of a visual analysis of an artwork is to recognize and
understand the visual choices an artist made in creating the artwork. It
is crucial for understanding the visual elements and principles, the
content or meaning of a design, to develop the skill of critically
interpreting an image and also to help people develop thinking skills
instead of just receiving information passively.
Phase 1: Observation
- Identifying visual elements of a design and describing them in your
own words; looking, thinking and finding good language to communicate
what you notice.
Phase 2: Analysis
- How visual elements combine together to create a whole, and what
effect that whole has on the viewer and how your eye is led through the
work and why?
Phase 3: Interpretation
- Historical context that you find in trustworthy published sources
- What is the meaning of the design and the purpose of its creation?
For this assignment we are to follow a theme which is "Reduced
Inequalities" which is one of the sustainable development goals that are
established by the United Nations. Inequalities are often seen in
today's society as a form of discrimination or oppression due to
society's acceptance in roles and stereotypes. In this assignment we are
required to select an inequality that we are interested in and conduct a
visual research on an artwork that reflects that inequality then we are
required to create a design inspired by the artwork we did a visual
research on and based on that chosen inequality.
Instructions
1. Visual Analysis
- Provide a 50 word explanation for the choice you made
- Write a 500 word visual analysis, describing and analysing the design
principles of the selected design, and discussing/interpreting the value
and the meaning of the design work
2. Design
- Write a 200 word rationale for your design
2. PART 1 — VISUAL ANALYSIS
2.1 Reason of Choice
Out of all the inequalities, gender inequality is the theme that caught my interest the most. What intrigues me is
that in the past, women have fought for decades through feminism movements to
gain gender equality and to be treated fairly yet unfortunately somehow in
today's society, women are still continually often confronted by
discrimination in their day to day life at home, work, education, etc. One of
the major causes of gender inequality against women is the lack of awareness
on women and their rights and their abilities which is due to prevailing
cultural and social norms that dictate women to be subservient to men.
For the visual analysis I chose to analyze an illustration from a scene in
(G)-idle's music video on 'Nxde'. The illustration above is taken from the
music video on the song Nxde by a kpop group called (G)-idle where the song
intends to interpret how women are sexualized, how their bodies are seen as an
object or an artwork which I caught my attention since nowadays I don't
normally see these types of songs which addresses such an issue that is
considered taboo especially in the kpop industry.
Fig 2.1 Screencap from Nxde Music Video by (G)-idle https://youtu.be/fCO7f0SmrDc
2.1 Phase 1 — Observation
The design above is a screenshot taken from the music video on the song Nxde
and it is portrayed in a landscape format. The overall composition consists of red and
black colour scheme making the elements in red stand out. A blonde girl is
placed in the middle of the composition which is highlighted by a circle
border surrounding her. The composition consists of the same elements on the
left and the right side. Behind the blonde lady and the circle border features
a stage with warm colours contrasting the black circle in the center. The
position and the silhouette of the lead-in texts are equal on both sides. The
headline and subheadings are aligned in a straight flow of read from the top
to the bottom of the composition.
2.2 Phase 2 — Analysis
Fig 2.2 Balance
Fig 2.3 Rule of Thirds
This design work's composition is composed of a
symmetrical balance. Some of the elements that support the
composition's balance is the the headline and subheadings which
are aligned in the center as well as the visual elements on the left and the
right side of the composition consisting of the same elements. The the lead-in texts on the left and right also share the same shape of silhouette which adds to the symmetrically balanced composition. The lady and
her pose with her stretched out arms are also consisted of equal weight on the left and the right side of
the composition as it is placed exactly in the center with her hands
stretched out on equal sides. The main colour palettes being used are black
and red which contrast each other and the black allows the red to
stand out. The curtains on equal sides bordering the scene gives a sense of
framing which adds to the balance and the colours of the curtain with
its black shadows also fit the overall colour scheme.
The composition of the design work is also composed of the
rule of thirds where the headline, subheadings and the main focal point
being the lady bordered in the circle is exactly aligned in the 3 boxes in the
center of the composition, while the elements that are secondhand to the
main focus are aligned on the 3 left and right rows of boxes. The headline and
subheadings being aligned in a straight line and centralized also
guides the viewer as it has a flow of read from the top to the bottom, which
portrays visual hierarchy. The name of the song and the
subheadings are bolded and in a larger size than the lead-in texts to attract
the viewer's attention. The black background of the composition surrounding the the
red elements adds a sense of depth with its foreground and
background. The stage consisting lights visualized in warm bright tones and
being placed behind the blonde lady surrounded by a circle border emphasizes
the main focal point further as it contrasts the black background.
The piano placed on the left bottom corner prevents the overall composition
from looking too balanced and dull and adds dynamism to the composition and at
the same time it does not steal the viewer's focus as the colours of the piano
are dull but still has that effect to make the composition look less boring
and centralized.
2.3 Phase 3 — Interpretation
Background Context — The design work above is a screenshot taken from a scene from kpop group (G)-idle’s new song called ‘Nxde’ released in 17 October 2022 where the song intends to interpret how women are sexualized, how their bodies are seen as an object or an artwork. The leader of the kpop group (G)-idle, Soyeon came up with the lyrics and the production of the song which is meant to address such a taboo issue and to prevent people from searching up children nude since in korean hangul, the idle in (G)-idle (아이들) literally means children and the name of the song is 'Nxde' so if people were to search children nude in hangul, (G)-idle's new song would come up rather than the actual thing. This filters it out and also spreads the message of the song. At the end of the music video it is also mentioned that it is heavily Marilyn inspired, as one of the key parts of her career was her nude photos in playboy magazine without her consent. Marilyn Monroe's idealism to push the boundaries of what was seen as acceptable for women also goes hand in hand with the concept of the name of the song as they aim for society to see more than what the naked eye can see, to realize that women are more than just objects.
The overall artwork does not reflect a form of inequality in a straightforward manner but the concept and the meaning behind it as well as the use of the visual elements and design principles reflect that inequality. The use of the colour red reflects the feminism concept and the women empowerment and when women wear red it is seen as sexually appealing which goes hand-in-hand with the concept of the song. The lady with an hourglass body in tight clothing showing a lot of her skin and posing confidently stretching her arms out contributes to convey the message of the song and adding onto that, the blonde lady is illustrated in a simple cartoon style is inspired by Marilyn Monroe as Monroe often wears tight dresses and also has blonde hair.
References :
S. Cho, Miyeon and Shuahua share what gi-dle means to them, break down the meaning of "Nxde" and more, Soompi Article, 29th Oct 2022, https://www.soompi.com/article/1551994wpp/miyeon-and-shuhua-share-what-gi-dle-means-to-them-break-down-the-meaning-of-nxde-and-more
Van Ness, Heather, The Hidden Message of gi-dle's new song "Nxde", Young Hollywood Article, 22nd Oct 2022, https://younghollywood.com/scene/the-hidden-message-of-g-i-dle-s-new-song-nxde.html
Yeo, Gladys, Gi-dle I Love Comeback Album "Nxde" Single Music Video Release, NME, 17th Oct 2022, https://www.nme.com/news/music/gi-dle-i-love-comeback-album-nxde-single-music-video-release-3325664
3. PART 2 — DESIGN
For my design, the concept portrayed in the design work in the visual analysis will be maintained, regarding the inequality women face as well as the pressures women have to face due to patriarchal society where they strive to live by the standards and stereotypes to appease society, thus society objectifying women to their standards.
3.1 Visual References
Fig 3.1 Nxde fanart https://pin.it/7n8j7Ef
Fig 3.2 Nxde fanart https://pin.it/3TVcy1V
Fig 3.3 (G)-idle dressed up for Nxde music video
Fig 3.4 Nxde fanart https://aresune.com/?src=hashtag_click&_=%2Fhashtag%2Ffanart%23%2F57C5UEu5oZcq39mLHMG6nkD6w%3D%3D
Fig 3.5 Visual Reference https://pin.it/2jzMfUr
Fig 3.6 Visual Reference https://pin.it/7tNIZSg
Fig 3.7 Red Roses https://pin.it/FF8s0vg
Fig 3.8 Mimosa Flowers https://www.dreamstime.com/hand-writing-quote-linear-sketch-black-white-woman-red-rose-positive-independent-free-female-simple-modern-image172379373
Before doing my sketch idea, I did some research for my idea sketch #2 (Fig 4.2) for the flowers that I could draw to cover the women's skins. I found 2 flowers that represent feminism which are red roses and yellow mimosa which symbolizes sensitivity and sensibility, to further convey the feminism concept of the design work.
Fig 3.9 Screencap from 'Nxde' by (G)-idle Music Video
3.2 Idea Exploration
1. Sketches
Fig 4.1 Idea sketch #1
Inspired by the 'Nxde' music video of (G)-idle, my first idea is to use the principle of emphasis to emphasize the idea that women are under the spotlight which signifies that they are constantly pressured to live by the standards of society. The puppets strings also contribute to that because the patriarchal society controls women in an indirect way due to the pressure women feel on a daily basis of having to fit into the body standards and stereotypes that society made. The female figure will also be visualized as a porcelain doll doing a pose as if shes covering her body with her arms, to further emphasize how society's standards controls and objectifies women by viewing them as an object, devoid of thought or feeling. The concept of the design also goes hand in hand with William Shakespeare's quote in "As You Like It," act 2, scene 7: All the world's a stage, / And all the men and women merely players.
Fig 4.2 Idea sketch #2
The flowers used to cover the women's skins would be red roses and mimosa flowers, where both those flowers play a part in representing feminism according to the research done above. The female in the center is emphasized to have less flowers covering her skin and body and shows more of her body, attracting more people to view that particular artwork which also emphasizes the message of how women are forced to live by society's standards, under the spotlight. The 2 female figures portrayed in the artwork on the left and right will be presented in dull colours to make the one in the center, showcased under a spotlight, stand out more.
Fig 4.3 Refined Sketch for First Idea (Fig 4.1)
Fig 4.4 Refined Sketch for First Idea (Fig 4.1)
According to the feedback, I decided to explore more of the first idea sketch and did more sketches but with separate ideas, one of them featuring the puppet strings and the other featuring the musical box. Both will still maintain the same concept and theme, just using different visual elements to express them. I also tried 2 sketch poses that go hand in hand with the concept.
I decided to go with the sketch for the first idea and did the lineart for that.
Fig 2.1 Lineart progress
Fig 2.2 Colouring base colours progress
I decided that the colour scheme that I would be using is mainly red and black which contrast each other. The usage of the colour red is especially to enhance the portrayal of the design and its concept of inequality and feminism.
Fig 2.3 Colouring Progress without eyes, figure manequinn doll details and puppet strings
Fig 2.4 First attempt on drawing the details of the doll
I wasn't really satisfied with the details of the features of the doll that I drew so I decided to do a brief visual research and observation on how the features of the dolls are built.
Fig 2.5 Brief Observation on Figure Manequinn dolls
Fig 2.6 Second attempt on drawing the details of the features of the doll
After a brief visual research on dolls, I decided to refine the details. I realized that I drew the joints wrongly since when the doll's arms are stretched, the ball socket in the joints is shown.
Fig 2.6 Close up on the details of the progress of the dress
I decided to add rose patterns on the dress to enhance the message of the inequality being portrayed, considering red roses to be one of the flowers to symbolize feminism as stated in the research above.
Fig 2.7 Progress before overlays, filters, details
Since I was going for emphasis, I realized that I needed to make the focal point stand out more, especially since she was under the spotlight, so I tried to refine it by adding blending modes on different layers and also emphasized on the lightings. I also tried playing with the colours by making some of them more dull to emphasize the focal point further.
Fig 2.8 Progress on details and refinements after adding filters and overlays
I felt that the main focal point still needed to stand out more from the background so I tried to add some highlights and fixed the lighting and also added more saturation and increase its opacity. I also decided to add a bit of a blur effect at the bottom of the spotlight since I felt that there was something unusual about how the spotlight was drawn. Shadings were also done on the light gradient shadows were shaded in the background and its surroundings to distinguish foreground and background better.
3.3 Final Outcome
Fig 2.9 Final Artwork for Visual Analysis and Design
This illustration is based on the inequality of gender, specifically the pressures women have to face to meet society's standards just to appease society thus in an indirect manner, society is 'controlling' women by objectifying women to their standards. It is inspired by the artwork in (G)-idle's music video, 'Nxde'. This artwork has an indirect way of portraying such gender inequality but its visual elements are capable of conveying the message of gender inequality. Visual elements such as the choice of colours, the pose of the female, spotlight, the outfit and other elements all contribute to the portrayal of inequality towards women being put forth in the design. These visual elements also enhance visual hierarchy, especially the bright colours of the female which highlights and contrasts from the background.
Similar to the artwork in 'Nxde', the overall artwork i created does not directly reflect gender inequality in a straightforward manner but the concept and the message being put forth through the design through the choices of the visual elements and design principles reflect that inequality. The hand and the puppet strings are a symbolism of how society indirectly controls or manipulates women by setting these standards and stereotypes for them to be forced and pressured to follow to appease society, which gives people an advantage to manipulate women by objectifying and degrading them in accordance to said standards and stereotypes. The eyes, spotlight, the pose of the female and the details of the doll all contribute to one common portrayal which is to emphasize the main female character and to portray the pressure that women face to meet those standards to avoid being objectified. The use of the colour red reflects the feminism and women empowerment and red is also often viewed as sexually appealing on women which goes hand in hand with the message that is being conveyed.
❥FEEDBACK
Week 11 — Some statements in phase 1 observation is supposed to be in
analysis. Observation should describe roughly what i see and should not include design principles as design principles are supposed to be put in phase 2 analysis. Minor changes need to be adjusted in some of the wording in the phase 2 analysis.
Week 12 — Citation for background context is required, explore more on the poses to improve the portrayal of the message and concept of the design. Idea sketch #1 can be divided into 2 more idea sketches for the musical box concept and the puppet strings concept.
Week 13 — Fig 4.3 have better composition so focus on that, bring the elements and the figure forward and slightly downwards as there is too much space below the figure and the elements, reduce the curtains on the left and right to have more of the eyes on the surroundings, could use some visual references for poses to make it look like a porcelain doll.
Week 14 — Add shading for the hand to make it look like its emerging from behind, to also add contrast to the girl. Make sure to distinguish the foreground and background. Make sure the eyes aren't too cluttered in the background and some could be drawn partly behind the curtains. Try to make the main character stand out more by brightening the colours of the main character.
❥WEEKLY REFLECTION
Week 10 — We finished up our project 2 sense of place and upon finishing up
that project, Ms Jinchi introduced the final project of design principles
which is called visual analysis. We were briefed on the project and were told
to finish up phase 1 and 2 by the next week. The theme of the assignment is
"Reduced Inequality" and after doing some research revolving that topic, I
decided to choose the topic of gender inequality and narrowed down that topic.
Week 11 — In this week we are required to be complete phase 1 and 2 of the visual analysis. I chose a design work from a kpop song's music video as the concept of the song addressed a taboo and overlooked part of gender inequality against women. At first I was doubtful of the design work I chose as it did not express inequality in a direct way since you could only see how it portrays gender inequality once you know the context of the song but I was able to explain it in the analysis. I mistaken some of the placement of the statements in observation which is meant to be put in analysis.
Week 12 — This week I covered phase 3 interpretation of the design work as well as some sketches for my design work based on the visual analysis done. I did some research for the second sketch. The first sketch was a combination of my 2 ideas which did not complement each other since the 2 of them serve the same purpose to portray the message so I decided to divide that sketch into another 2 ideas and sketched them out.
Week 13 — I did another 2 sketches this week according to the feedback received last week and decided to just focus on developing the sketches from my first idea. Next week is the deadline for this project as well as other projects, and I've followed the timeline that Ms Yip has provided in teams so I've caught up with the work for this project.
Week 14 — This week is the final week of submission and the semester, thus most of us were finalizing our designs. At first I was doubtful as I proceeded with the colouring progress, but as I got to colouring the shadings, added details, etc, I got more confident and could somewhat visualize what the finished design would look like. I was still conflicted with the details to identify that the figure is a doll as I was unsure on how to execute it therefore I did a brief visual research and observation on manequinn figure dolls which helped me identify the features of manequinn figure dolls.
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