TASK 2 (Visual Analysis & Ideation)

Low Yu Kai | 0381377

Bachelor of Design in Creative Media 

Design Principles (202602-GCD60804/GCD62904) 

Mr. Fauzi

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Instruction
• Task Recap
• Selected Work
• Visual Analysis
• Feedback

Instruction

1. Task Recap

        In this task, we are required to re-upload the artwork that we have selected in task 1, then analyze it by visual analysis, follow the steps in the presentation slides, and also include references. Next, sketch 3 ideas based on our knowledge and understanding of design principles in the artwork we chose, and describe each idea. Last, include the feedback in this blog post.

 

2. Selected Design Work

Fig 2. "Inside My Head" - Mark Conlan

Year: 2024 

Medium: Digital Illustration / Poster 

Source: Mark Conlan's official website

Visual Analysis

       This artwork features a blue palette set against a pale cream background. At the bottom, a human face is depicted from the chest up, with a hand covering the face in a gesture of overwhelm. The top of the head is flat and open like a vessel, from which an explosion of flowers and an ecosystem. This dense "garden" includes various flowers, curling vines, and a tiger leaping through the center. Small details, like stars and a rabbit on the right, add a whimsical texture to the composition. The linework is soft and organic, utilizing subtle grain textures to create depth within the flat color planes.

Conlan uses visual hierarchy and flow to guide the audience's eye. The solid, heavy base of the neck and hand holds the frame, while the upward movement of the plants creates a "fountain" effect. The tiger is the focal point, its curved body symbolizing the flow of the vines and guiding the audience's view.

The use of monochrome (different shades of blue) creates a sense of harmony and calm, despite the imagery's chaotic density. This flattens the space, creating pattern and rhythm. The differences between the face and the vibrant part of thought create a powerful contrast, suggesting that the internal world is of the "human" far more expansive and wild than the external appearance.

Mark Conlan's work often focuses on emotional well-being and the "mental world." This work represents the richness of the human imagination or the complexity of mental health. The tiger may symbolize raw power, anxiety, or a dominant thought within a crowded mind.

Historically, this aligns with Contemporary Illustration trends that use metaphors to communicate psychological states. The concept of this design is to externalize the intangible (such as deep inner thoughts and emotions, or mental activities), transforming the feeling of "being burdened with worries" into a beautiful yet overwhelming ecosystem. It encourages the audience to view the mind as a "greenhouse," a blooming, vibrant garden, rather than just a thinking machine, thereby prompting reflection on the inner self and one's own being.

(343 words)

3. Design Ideations

        The inspiration for the following sketch comes from the design principles used in Mark Conlan's works. These concepts are not a redesign of the same poster, but rather the application of similar visual principles such as contrast, symbols, and composition to different themes.

IDEA 1 - Brain lobe

This idea use a dark background, with the main subject using blue and white lines, and a symmetrical composition centered in a square. The main body is an anatomical diagram of the human brain. There are puzzles and perspective lines in the left and right hemispheres, respectively, corresponding to the functions of each hemisphere.

IDEA 2 - Tredunder

This idea uses a portrait composition, with dark clouds at the top of the subject and an upside-down tree with some leaves at the bottom. The whole symbolizes the natural cycle, Then an upside-down tree symbolizes the shape of lightning, symbolizing the connection of nature.

IDEA 3 - Enroll

This idea uses a portrait composition, with the main subject being a body dressed in a shirt and a tie, whose head is replaced by a bunch of sunflowers. The picture is rather surreal, symbolizing the numbness of people in repetitive work for a long time, and the sunflowers symbolize the yearning deep in the heart.

4. Feedback

Week 6: Hi Yu Kai. That's a good progress. Here's the feedback:

Your visual analysis demonstrates a clear understanding of the selected artwork and you are able to identify several design principles within the composition. 

The observation and analysis sections show that you are paying attention to visual elements such as color, contrast, and composition.

Overall, the work shows a good understanding of the task, but further refinement in analysis depth and stronger exploration in the ideation stage would help improve the overall development of the design.

You may proceed with Sketch Idea #2 for Task 3.