LORAINE'S ARCHIVES

Find the reflections and designs of Loraine for NM3219, a module in NUS.

[cap5plz]

In-Lecture Exercise G

From left to right, light to dark. I utilized lines and circles to create a pattern. However, I had trouble with the circles as I kept coloring in my own circles, which resulted in number 4 and 5 looking too similar.

[cap5plz]

Assignment 3 - Visualising Content

I decided on the topic of dying in Singapore as I realised many people did not know what happens when we die, and how funerals and rites are organised. Hence, my infographic was to be a guide for Singaporeans to find out what happens when death comes, and what they can do to prepare for the afterlife so they don’t stress their family members.

I prepared 4 main segments I wanted in my infographic - the procedures after death, the costs involved, the top causes of death and what people can do to prepare for the inevitable. This later proved a challenge for me as there are not many icons or images related to death and the procedures, and hence requiring me to watch various youtube videos on embalmment and funerals to create the ideal icons. From which, I created my first sketch:

From this, I received the following feedback:

the umbrellas did not fit in with the focus on Singapore funerals

other possible items: Tables & chairs, urns, white candles, flower petals falling

The colour scheme proposed should have an accent colour to make the infographic stand out 

Thus, I implemented these changes in my first draft:

The feedback for this was:

utilise colour to emphasize rather than size

“21,282″ number was too large & awkward

Add numbers to the timeline

The flower wreath did not look like one, and the colours were too similar

use a nicer accent colour for the icons

reword the titles of the different segments

decrease space between title lines

change the title colors

I decided to remove the 21,282 stat as I felt it was not necessary, and decided to shift the content on the right up. From which, I moved the timeline out of the coffin, which I felt neatened the final product, and did not draw away from the coffin on the left. I also opted for a single accent colour - red, which stood out in contract with the muted browns I selected. I also used white as it represents death in some cultures in Singapore. 

As for the icons, I decided to try to maintain a consistency so that the infographic did not look too random or sporadic by ensuring the same category of icons within a certain point had the same styke, like the man under “top causes of death” and “embalming”. I also kept the thickness of icons at 2pt to maintain consistency.

One thing I would’ve done differently would be to add flowers on the coffin, as the empty brown area at the bottom left feels rather empty, but at the same time, I feel that the emptiness is necessary as the infographic is rather filled on the top and right. This assignment definitely thought me about spacing and colors, and also kerning as I played around with these functions to neaten what would’ve been a mess, and also made it easier to read. Another mvp tool on illustrator would be the Pathfinder and Shape modes tools, which helped greatly in creating the off shapes for icons, especially the old man in the embalming icons.

[cap5plz]

In-lecture exercise F

The blue hues create a cool tone, giving the image a much colder vibe. However, this contrasts with the pink hues, which give the image a much more vibrant look. The colors are analogous and hence are pleasing to the eyes.

[cap5plz]

In-Lecture Exercise E

What seems to be off about this particular typographic representation?

The text is hard to read as it is all the same slab-serif font. The strong, square finishing strokes draw attention, but as the typographic representation utilizes the same font for both the title and the body copy, the reader may find it difficult to read as the font may end up being too distracting. There is also too much similarity in the fonts, which works against each other rather than complement.

How would you improve this typographic representation?

To improve this typographic representation, I would first change the font in the body copy, so that it will be more balanced and complementary. I may opt for Open Sans or Lato, serif-type fonts that would synergize with the slab-serif font in the title. 

In addition, I would improve the readability by justifying the words as it creates consistency in the starting and ending point.

[cap5plz]

In-class Exercise D

bi

This close up shot shows the emotion of the squirrel as he munches on a nut, giving a sense of urgency as he looks like he’s rushing to eat the nut.

The shot with the squirrel angled and on the left, while neutral, also gives a sense of space. The squirrel seems shocked at something that he’s looking, which presumably is in front of it and on the right side.

This over the shoulder shot gives a sense of continuity. From the previous shot, we can assume that what the squirrel was “shocked” by could be the laptop.

This birds-eye view of the squirrel is all-encompassing, tho slightly awkward as there is only one subject in question, with little to no context in the foreground. I think this shot could have been better utilized in a shot with more context or objects in the background.

[cap5plz]

Assignment 2 - Storytime!

Assignment posed to be difficult as I had originally a similar idea to another classmate - prompting me to make some last-minute changes so as to not waste the critique session in the tutorial. Hence, I decided to tell a story of the many times at home where I’ve woken up to my mom’s midnight snacking.

The sketched storyboard aided in helping me capture the images and angles I wanted, but also allowed me to visualise how my overall storyboard would look like. This let me play around with additional angles as well and I was able to add different images and angles that I felt could replace or fit into the storyboard! From which, I was able to create my first draft:

Based on the images, I had the following feedback

Either remove image 5 or put the food in image 6 on the table to be more realistic

Make the wake-up scene much darker]

Place a digital clock instead

Make scenes more clear in you storyline

Hence I decided to change my images, trying to create context to her actions of heading towards the kitchen, rather than trying to showcase the route she was walking towards the kitchen. I did this by adding an additional image of her walking, which establishes her movement towards somewhere. I do not have a digital clock at home so I opted for a much simpler clock than the clock I used in my first critique so that it was easier to tell the time.

To make the scenes more clear, I also decided to opt for an establishing shot of the dining table in the frame, leading her to see crumbs and food on the table. In addition, I tried to tone down the brightness in my first 4 images so that the whole flow of the storyboard would look like they were shot in the same time frame!

Inspired by the flow of comic books and how they create tension between characters, I opted to change my storyboard layout from horizontal to vertical. I played around with the shapes to try to create some tension between my sister and my mother in the last panel, which I felt helped highlight my sister “glaring” at my mother. In addition, I felt that the changes made my storyboard less static. However, If I could change it, I would make it such that my mom & sis are making eye-contact in the cut up the image.

Overall, this assignment was rather challenging for me as I have no forte in photography. However, I definitely learned a lot about shapes and lighting in this particular assignment, utilizing these aspects to create a dark midnight-look throughout the whole assignment.

[cap5plz]

Assignment 1 - Stripping Down!

My assignment was based on a pokemon vending machine I saw in Japan in 2018 while at the airport - not just for its aesthetics but also for its various curves and lines which made the simple vending machine unique and challenging.

From which, I used illustrator to draw out its outlines and objects, mainly utilizing the pen tool for the pokemon logo and Pikachu, and the shape tools for the array of rectangles constituting the various elements on the image. However, I chose to omit out the Japanese words on the machine as the main focus was the machine. During this first phase, I found it challenging to decide which elements to omit and add at the start, and utilizing my one extra color to re-create the machine when Pikachu had 5 colors - Yellow,  Black, Red, White, and Brown. Thus, I chose my third color to be the most distinctive in the image - Pikachu Yellow - and abused the opacity to arrive at a variety of shades which allowed me to play with shadows and create my first draft, seen below.

In this draft, I decided to strip it down to its bare minimum - the essence that it is simply a vending machine. By slowly stripping away the shadows, minute features before removing the branding in entirely, I arrived at step 6. From which, I received the following feedback:

Step 6 was baren, it was just a bunch of rectangles and squares

Step 5 and 6 should have boxes within the white space so it looks more like a vending machine

The Pokémon branding was what made the image unique, and hence I should keep it

There needs to be a balance in what is removed and what isn't - consider ending at 5 instead of 6

I agreed with this feedback - after all, what's so special about a yellow vending machine? Hence, I decided to make Step 5 with some added boxes and moved to step 6, creating an fine balance between Step 5 and 6. However, they became too similar, and hence I decided to obtain more feedback from friends and Kai, and decided to make my final step a fine balance between 4 and 5, keeping the Pokémon branding and keeping the stripes on Pikachu’s ear to keep it distinct and easily identified as Pikachu, even without its face or red cheeks. 

I also decided to add an additional step 2 and push my other steps back by adding the background of the image, utilizing different shades of black and lines to create dimension and depth. In addition, I decided to keep the yellow in the Pokemon logo to maintain its branding clearly and felt that it complements the overall vending machine, rather than just pure black.

Overall, this assignment was much more challenging than it seemed but I learned a lot of the process. My main takeaways from this are the importance of cutting, layering and the importance of critique. The critique allowed me to further improve my machine, and the cutting and layering tool was godsent in creating the images above, ensuring the various elements were in place and could be seen. In addition, the group, align and combine functions on Illustrator was crucial as it allowed me to create the Pikachus and align the boxes and pokeballs neatly. 

[cap5plz]

In-lecture exercise C

Signifier: The Heinz ketchup bottle made up of sliced tomatoes | Signified: Suggests that the ketchup is made with real tomatoes

The advertisement is trying to convey that Heinz Ketchup is the most authentic and freshest available in the market, made with fresh tomatoes. Along with the caption “No one grows Ketchup like Heinz” (signifier), it suggests that the brand’s ketchup is the only one uses fresh tomatoes and is of a higher quality (signified).

[cap5plz]

In-lecture exercise B

DESCRIPTION: The image above depicts a rainforest shaped like human lungs. However, the right lung is partially burnt away, and all can be seen is the brown soil and burnt remains. At the bottom of the advertisement, the copy “Before it’s too late. wwf.org” and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) logo can be seen.

ANALYSIS: The image of the rainforest is the eye-catching as it takes up the center and most of the space in the advertisement. The brown from the burnt part of the lung contrasts with the rest of the advertisement which is green, drawing attention to it. At the side, the brand logo and copy are present but small. The main focus is still on the image depicted

INTERPRETATION: This advertisement depicted the rainforest as the earth’s lungs, its source of air and the way we sustain life. Yet, the burnt area depicts deforestation and our lack of care for the rainforest. However, the lungs are not on fire, and the deforested, burnt area is not as large as the remaining forested area. In addition, the brown, chared area, has specks of green growing, which ties in with the copy of “Before it’s too late”, suggesting to the viewer that there is still hope.

JUDGMENT: Its impact on the reader is strong as it is relatable. People need lungs to breathe air, and the lungs are depicted as one of the most important organs needed for humans to survive. By showing the forest as a pair of lungs, it allows the readers to relate and understand its importance. In addition, the image can be seen as shocking, in which a large area of the forest has been burnt off. Its unique image leaves a lasting impression on the reader, and it ties in closely with the short body copy. The advertisement leaves the reader curious as to what they can do “Before it’s too late”, and encourages them to find out more through their call-to-action - the website link to WWF. Hence, this advertisement is effective as it leaves a long-lasting impact on the reader and encourages them to take action.

[cap5plz]

In-lecture exercise A

I created a unique machine, which I named the “Experimental Box”. Its name is a combination of Experience, Experiment, and Experiential - which is what I wanted the user to receive when using the box.

The machine immerses the user in a random time period, phase or theme (eg. B&W, Minimalistic, Zen, etc), allowing them to experience, see and view a different world or dimension. This is done by projecting a unique scene around the user, utilising a speaker to mimic sounds and emitting sents that can be associated with the randomised experience. To activate the experience sequence, the user simply needs to shake the box!

I feel that my creativity stems from things I’ve seen and experienced. I find inspiration in the things around and hence wanted to make something that would allow me to jump through various experiences from which I can draw my inspiration from. In the lecture, visual communication is highlighted as one of the most efficient ways of communication, with high retention rates and long-lasting impact on the viewer. However, my machine takes communication to the next level, by fully immersing the user into a new experiential time-space, allowing them to experience, feel and explore, which are areas where I believe creativity and inspiration often draws from.