Design Principles: Task 2 / Visual Analysis

21.2.2024 - 28.2.2024 （Week 3 - Week 4)

Ruthlene Chua Zhen Si 0365222 

Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media - Design Principles GCD60804 

Task 2: Visual Analysis

Task Jump link

LECTURE

Lecture 6_Visual Analysis
Visual Analysis
  • Visual analysis is a method of understanding design that focuses on visual elements and principles.
  • It involves describing and explaining visual structure purely for its aesthetic qualities.
  • However, it also recognizes the designer's choices and aims to understand how formal properties communicate ideas or meaning.
  • Visual analysis is crucial for visual literacy, enabling critical interpretation of images in various contexts such as museums, social media, advertising, and news.
  • Practicing visual analysis sharpens critical judgment skills and encourages active engagement with visual media, empowering individuals to seek answers rather than passively receiving information.
How Does Visual Analysis Work ? - Visual analysis can include three phases
  1. Observation
    • Observation involves closely examining and identifying the visual elements of a design without prior knowledge.
    • Describing elements carefully and accurately in one's own words.
    • The Observation phase encourages looking, thinking, and articulating findings with precise language to effectively communicate observations.
  2. Analysis
    • Analysis involves interpreting observations to understand how visual elements combine into design principles.
    • It considers the effects on the viewer and how design principles lead the viewer's eyes through the work.
  3. Interpretation
    • In the final phase, observations, descriptions, and analysis are combined with facts about the design and its historical context from reliable sources.
    • This phase aims to uncover the meaning of the design and understand its purpose for creation.
INSTRUCTIONS 

<iframe src="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OvYb0ahuBwfOtGyuAFT-Fo6r1sWrHFu3/preview" width="640" height="480" allow="autoplay"></iframe>
TASK 2 : Visual Analysis

Task description
This task requires us to do visual analysis by observe, analyze and interpretation from the artwork that we chosen in task 1. 
Figure:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/968414726110920550/
Whimsical And Dreamlike Photo Manipulations By Boby Atmajaya 2021
Digital Photography and Editing Art

Phase 1: Observation

The artwork I have chosen is presented in portrait format. At its center, a polar bear stands upon a small piece of melting ice. The bear gaze downward, reflects itself in the water below. Beneath the surface , there is a skeletal form of the bear. The artwork is divided into two distinct sections: one depicting the bear in its living state, the other portraying its demise, a skeleton. Set against the backdrop of the Arctic, the natural habitat of the polar bear. The lower portion of the artwork is enveloped in darker tones, while the upper section is rendered in shades of white.  (104 words)

Phase 2: Analysis

The centrally placed polar bear on the poster emphasizes its significance as the primary subject matter, drawing immediate attention to its plight. The balance achieved by reflecting the polar bear and contrasting its living form with its skeletal reflection serves to highlight the dual realities faced by these majestic creatures in the face of climate change. As for the application of Gestalt theory, specifically the Principle of Figure and Ground, in the artwork highlights the polar bear as the central focus against the backdrop of its icy habitat. The bear serves as the figure, drawing attention to its plight, while the surrounding elements, such as the melting ice and contrasting color tones, form the ground, enhancing the bear's prominence. (119 words )

Phase 3: Interpretation

The artwork evokes a poignant interpretation of the impact of climate change on Arctic wildlife. The polar bear is portrayed in a moment of vulnerability as it confronts its own reflection in the water below. The reflection, revealing the skeletal form of the bear, serves as a stark reminder of the potential consequences of environmental degradation.

The division of the artwork into two contrasting sections - one depicting the living bear and the other its skeletal reflection - invites viewers to contemplate the dual realities faced by these creatures in the face of rapidly changing environmental conditions. The use of color, with darker tones surrounding the lower portion of the artwork and white tones above, further reinforces this juxtaposition, emphasizing the contrast between life and death, hope and despair.

Combine to the UNSDG Goal 13, it serves as a powerful call to action, urging viewers to consider the interconnectedness of human actions and the health of our planet's ecosystems. Ultimately, the artwork encourages empathy, awareness, and collective responsibility in the face of environmental crisis. 
(174 words)
FEEDBACK 

Week 3 -Warm reminder
Specific Feedback: You are require to analysis all the design principles in the artwork, perhaps there is one more design principle inside the artwork. Look back to the design principles and have a depth understanding in it.
General Feedback: I found the last design principles is Principles of figure and ground, and make extra explanation. 

Week 4 -Last review on task 2
Specific Feedback: Phase 1 Observation, you should omit parts that you are explaining the meaning/symbolism of the artwork, e.g. "...symbolizing its potential fate." You only describe what you see in Phase 1. The same for Phase 2  Analysis. You only describe the design principles found in the artwork and explain where they can be seen. Do not link in any meaning of the artwork to Phases 1 & 2 as that is meant for Interpretation. 
General Feedback: I should make changes on my observation and analysis, and expand all the meaning in the phase 3. 

REFLECTIONS 

Engaging in the visual analysis task provided valuable insights into understanding artwork. The lecture emphasized the importance of observation, analysis, and interpretation. Initially, in phase 1, I focused on describing visual elements objectively. In phase 2, I can make full use of and understand what I learned in task 1, analyzing design principle in the artwork, learn and observe the way they present by the other authors. Phase 3 allowed me to delve into broader meanings, connecting the artwork to climate change and the UN Sustainable Development Goal 13. This exercise enhanced my critical thinking and communication skills, which I aim to apply in future analyses.


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