1) Visual Communication:
In what ways does the visual communication/message of the piece meet the needs of the brief?
I think that the visual communication/message of the piece meet the needs of the brief. I have presented three separate illustrations of three different conspiracy theories which I felt were completely unique to what everyone in class was doing and I have applied my knowledge of signs and signifiers to them in a way that is thoughtful and appropriate.
In what ways does the visual communication/message of the piece fail to meet the needs of the brief?
Some elements of my piece is easily mis-interpreted or mis-understood because of the lack of context provided or because of the way I have presented the signs within.
What are the strengths of the visual communication? Why?
I believe that I have chosen very well recognised and established conspiracy theories and have interpreted them in unique ways whilst also applying my developing style to each of them.
The signs and signifiers I have included in my works are clear as well as subtle I have taken to including minute details to the illustrations that are not always immediately clear but they are definitely appropriate with some having deeper connotations then others.
I would clearly outline, visually what conspiracy theory the piece is about using blatant signs and then include smaller signs within these by using hailing techniques such as having colour pallets being disturbed by contrasting colours in order for the highlighted object to stand out. Or using appropriate colour palettes in the first place to assist in strengthening the audiences associations with the signs.
The layout of each piece is also unique. One is a full canvas piece, the playing cards is a general illustration centred piece and the Amazon Alexa conspiracy is an iconography piece.
What are the weaknesses of the visual communication? Why?
Admittedly there are a few flaws with the work I have done. Using feedback from my peers and family with no experience in the design field I have come to identify some elements of my work which people find hard to understand at a glance or at all.
JFK Assassination
- the likeness of people is hard to accurately portray through illustration as I am not that good at drawing faces so audiences may find it hard to know who the people are without knowing the title or context of the piece
- Some audiences may not know what the CIA logo looks like which may lead them to question what my Ace of Spades card is
- general audiences may not figure out why the players of the JFK assassination are presented as cards without the context being explained to them.
Amazon Alexa
- I have received feedback that they did not know what the piece was about as it is a relatively uncommon one people talk about
- Some audiences may not know what the amazon Alexa app logo looks like as they may not own one or be familiar with it
- the smile on the mans face did not get the attention I wanted it to have. It is the shape of the Amazon logo but my audience did not identify that
Flat Earth
- Audiences do not know what the illustration signifies unless they are told the subject of the image
In what ways could the piece be mis-read or mis-understood by the audience? Be specific about who the audience is.
JFK Assassination
- general public audience or audiences unfamiliar with the event like those born recently or from other cultures may not know who Oswald or JFK are.
- they may see the targeted cross hair on the head of JFK as a violent propaganda encouraging gun violence
- They may interpret Oswald’s head on a stick as literally a decapitated head on a stick which is very violent and gory
- Audiences may not know what an eagle looks like or that the wings on the ace are supposed to be wings.
Amazon Alexa
- Most people may not own an Alexa unit so they would probably not have a clue about the signs and connotations that come with it
- I have chosen a uncommon conspiracy so it would be reasonable for me to suspect that a lot of audiences will not immediately know the subject.
- I think audiences find the inclusion of the incognito man even more confusing because the Alexa symbol which encircles it is very misleading as they would be led to believe that the focus is on the man.
- The amazon logo is not clear enough
Flat Earth
- Again, I think audiences need the name of the conspiracy before making connections with the signifiers
- I think the ideology and signs are a bit too deep for a general audience who just see images as they are at face value
- audiences ask what is the reason for the paper boat
In what practical ways could the piece be developed or improved?
JFK Assassination
- clearer more precise illustrations of the players
- a full body illustration of Oswald in a joker costume
- more traditional style illustrations on the Ace of Spades like a worn ribbon with the words CIA on it at the foot of the suit
- more decorative suit for JFK akin to the king characters on each suits instead of just a red tie
- less jarring connection when JFK is being reflected. Having a device in the middle to smooth out the transition instead of a hard edge to separate the reflection.
Amazon Alexa
- Type beneath the icon to state that this is the Amazon Alexa product in appropriate type.
- brighter light effect with a hint of orange which is a feature of Alexa
- more consistent detail on the hat because the more I look at it the stranger it looks
Flat Earth
- a title to clear the audience’s assumptions at the beginning
- more shading effects to the larger objects for more depth
- a more blatant sign that the illustration is about flat earth like more land or a city or the inclusion of a person
2) Good Design? Evaluation
In what ways have you considered the ethical implications of your project process and outcomes?
I think that I have made sure to form my own unbiased opinions of each conspiracy without any preconceived judgements in order to produce illustrations that truly reflect my own interpretations of each conspiracy. I think this made sure that I did not judge them at face value because I did not want to design something that was filled with stereotypes.
I believe that there is underlying beauty in a way to all these theories no matter how negative because they can be interpreted in so many different ways. I could have easily gone with the stereotypes and made the believers of these theories to look like mental cases but I did not. Some of these conspiracies are part of their life’s work and it would be disrespectful of me to mock that.
3) Reflection of own working practices:
How was my time keeping?
I thought my time keeping was good in this project because I actually had time to dedicate to one project subject instead of multiple ones like last time.
Although I had to research and develop three projects, I had a lot of creative freedom. There would be some days where I would slump and be uninspired so I would not touch the project and then some days I would get a burst of inspiration because I had researched so much that I would not stop designing.
Some pieces I spend more time on than others because I was given creative freedom to do whatever I wanted and this brought out the perfectionist in me again where I would care about the details. But once again: Done is better than perfect.
How was my analysis of the brief?
I thought the brief was very straightforward and did not really introduce anything new besides the amount of products needed to be worked on at the same time or anything which I thought I would have a problem with. Because of the creative freedom the brief granted me, I was able to think of unique ideas which appropriately communicated the signs I implemented. I found it quite easy to analyse and decipher and therefore execute.
How was my research?
I had a lot of opportunities to collect and research materials for my products. Using the internet mainly I was able to have an abundant source of inspiration which I developed over the course of the project adding new ideas day to day. Especially researching flat earth which I am now very familiar with because I had watch so many videos about it and read so many articles. So that helped me develop more interesting ideas. This lead me to develop my three pieces over the time I had very well and in a thorough manner. Of course, everything could be developed and improved on with more time.
How did I draw conclusions from my research?/How did I use research to generate and develop ideas?
By studying the codes and conventions of my research, I was able to draw upon the aspects of research materials I liked best, and integrated those ideas into my pieces. I used the VTS technique to figure out, what I see, why I think this and what more I could find. This is a very solid technique I have been using since I learned about it in its basic form now in order to generate more ideas from research.
How did I use evaluations to help with my ideas generation and development?
By analysing my evaluations within my blogs, I was able to identify what I learned from my research. Using this knowledge, I was able to incorporate the positive aspects of the research pieces I conducted and include them into my sketchbook to visually see my ideas piecing together and thus helping me generate my final ideas.
How did I use experimentation during the project? How can I make this more effective?
I used experimentation thoroughly during the project. I would produce an initial idea and then analyse what the positive and negative aspects of that idea possesses and then implement the positive aspects into a new idea which would continue until I was satisfied with the product outcome.
Sometimes I would come up with an entirely new idea inspired by something completely new or different and start all over again using what I learned previously and applying it to the new idea.
I would at times have a crazy idea like putting things together in my mind would not work only to be surprised by how well it does work or if it does not work I would use it anyway to produce a contrasting sign.
In what ways did I show that I had achieved the Learning Outcomes? How can I improve this next time?
I have developed my ability to solve design problems within the structure of a design brief by identifying the main and required criteria of a brief and by using research I can go on to see how other designers tackled similar problems and apply those methods to my project.
I have undertaken and applied thorough and relevant research. By conducting thorough research, I have managed to be inspired by multiple ideas and then apply those ideas to my own work whilst not directly copying them.
What parts of the project did I enjoy most? Why was this the case?
I really enjoyed having the creative freedom to apply to something interesting such as Conspiracy Theories. I enjoyed researching the different ones which has allowed me to produce an unbiased design which I surprisingly enjoyed as well.
I also enjoyed the amount of time we had to do it with no other projects running along side it.
What parts of the project did I enjoy least? Why was this the case?
I do not think there was a part I did not enjoy about the project that I can think of. If I had to pick it would be writing up evaluations on my research because I know what I like about the research and images but it is just a chore to write them out.
I know it is required to grow which I appreciate but I do not enjoy it.
At what times did I work best? Why might this be the case? How can I ensure that I work well at all times?
I always work best under stress which always occurs the closer it gets to the deadline. My ideas flood my head and I work through them at a fast rate. Working on more projects I feel very strongly about will cause me to always give it my best efforts.
Also when conducting a lot of research I would have a lot of inspiration and write them down to then implement and develop them further.
What areas inspired me? Why was this the case? How could I follow these up?
I really was inspired by the ideas of using negative space and shadows to create shapes because of the cleverness of its uses and the amount of potential it can have within design.
I was also inspired by the minimalist designs I found of islands in the sky which allowed me to convey the atmospheric mood I wanted in my flat earth design.
What areas were challenging or difficult? Why was this the case?
Definitely coming up with ideas that I was pleased with was difficult. This is a flaw I have as a designer is that I am never truly satisfied with the ideas that I have as I always believe they can be better but done is better than perfect.
Learning to use Photoshop again to draw. I do not use it enough for Graphic Design so I always have to relearn to use it when Illustration is needed.
Do I need to develop certain skills? Do I need these now? Or later?
I need to develop my creative process and especially my skill in drawing but that will come with practice.
The final design, I added some details to the planets as finishing touches and we have mars Jupiter and Saturn. Also some bird were added for a more natural feel which makes the audience believe that this could be a scene of the edge of the earth somewhere undiscovered and potentially both beautiful and terrifying at once.
