Final Project: Visual Analysis
26/6/2020 - 17/7/2020 / Week 11 - Week 14
Lim He Yu (0340423)
Bachelor of Mass Communication (Advertising) / Design Principles
Task
In this final project, we're required to choose an artwork to understand and analyze the design principles in the artwork. After that, using the information from the analysis, we're required to design something new inspired by the chosen artwork. Before designing the artwork, we first have to complete the analysis part of the project is carried out in 3 phases (Observation, Analysis, Interpretation).
Part 1: Visual Analysis
PHASE 1: OBSERVATION
At first glance, the artwork layout is in portrait format and the overall colours used are red, yellow, blue, pink and green. From the bottom up, there are large and miniscule illustrations drawn with organic lines, accompanied by really small Japanese text. After that, you’ll see a black and white photo collage featuring two figures in the artwork. This is followed by more illustrations and Japanese texts on the left and right of the design. The main title is found at the top of the design in a bold, free hand “3D” font along with a 2D font sub-heading.
PHASE 2: ANALYSIS
Despite the fact that the artwork has a lot of random elements all over, harmony and unity is evident. The piece comes together as a whole because of its uniform colours and the composition itself. The artwork is symmetrically balanced due to the vertical symmetry of the waves at the bottom of the design, the centred placement of the peach, and the catapulting woman that divides the artwork from the centre. The proportion of the main title and the catapulting woman that increases in size from the centre shows visual hierarchy, this is the first thing viewers will notice. This effect also creates movement. Then, there’s emphasis on the two main figures in the middle of the artwork, effected by the movement of the waves and the pointed part of the peach. In addition, there’s contrast between the monotone photo collage and the red circle behind, giving more focus and emphasis on the black and white figures.
PHASE 3: INTERPRETATION
Tadanori Yokoo, the artist, made this artwork as an advertisement for a theatrical event in 1966 which was to be put on by the Gekidan Kara-Kumi troupe. “Koshimaki-Osen” literally means “Loincloth Hermit” in Japanese. Most of Tadanori Yokoo’s designs are inspired by Pop Art and psychedelic art, one can see the resemblance in the lines and textures in Yokoo’s artworks. The “Koshimaki-Osen” poster is comprised of many seemingly random elements. However, the elements have their own part to play. The artwork is laden with innuendos, such as the catapulting nude woman and the tongue of the open mouth at the lower left corner of the poster. This suggests that the show is only open to those who are above 18 years old.
The playfulness in the artwork is very admirable, to combine seemingly random elements and to be able to unite them in a perfect artwork is something that I find very difficult. The “secret” behind Japan’s creativity may lie in the beauty of “Perfectly Rejecting Perfection (PRP)”. PRP is where people find beauty in something imperfect. With myriad information and content all around us, it is not uncommon to pay little attention to anything that is too perfect. That being said, I really adore the way the Japanese think, and I believe Yokoo’s artwork is the epitome of PRP. To be frank, as a person who constantly strives for perfection, Yokoo’s perfect imperfect artwork speaks volumes to me, to be able to pull off something so dynamic and daring is a quality I applaud.
REFERENCES
Mills, M. (2019). “Koshimaki-Osen” – Tadanori Yokoo. [online] Retrieved from
https://go.distance.ncsu.edu/gd203/p=28006#:~:text=Tadanori%20Yokoo's%20poster%20%E2%80%9CKoshimaki%2DOsen,the%20Gekidan%20Kara%2DKumi%20troupe.
(2015). Opinion: Three Secrets Behind Japan’s Creativity. [online] Retrieved from
https://go.distance.ncsu.edu/gd203/p=28006#:~:text=Tadanori%20Yokoo's%20poster%20%E2%80%9CKoshimaki%2DOsen,the%20Gekidan%20Kara%2DKumi%20troupe.
Part Two: Design
IDEA EXPLORATION
The thought behind my artwork is to signify drug culture in the 60's/70's, the same era when the "Kosimaki-Osen" poster was made. I chose the topic of drugs because it's a booming trend at the time and I thought it would be a fun design to make, with all the colours and absurdity of pop art and psychedelia.
IDEA #1
The initial idea was to showcase how media has populariszed/glamourized the idea of recreational or psychelic drugs like magic mushrooms, ecstasy, marijuana and acid. The design has the same elements as the previously chosen artwork, which includes a photo collage and illustrations. The design focuses on a parody of Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam, where I illustrated one hand holding a joint reaching out to another hand. This signifies the "ugly" side of humanity, I wouldn't say ugly but it's what we do, we indulge in our "sins" and we're not made to be perfect. Apart from that, I also put in magic mushrooms for variety. To add to the psychedelic element to it I put a multi-coloured TV static background as to complement the TV frame on top. The artwork is shown below.
IDEA #2
The second and final idea was inspired by the characteristics of pop art and psychedelic art, as it inspired Yokoo's artwork. Due to the fact that one of the origins of pop art was from comics, the layout of the second artwork resembles the divided boxes from comic books. As for the psychedelic element, a distorted photo collage figure is featured; surreal visuals, liquid light art and bright colours is evident as well. The illustrated elements include, the same Michaelangelo hands from the previous idea, magic mushrooms and a strip of acid inside a mouth. Finally, the main photo collage figure is a picture of Albert Camus. He is well-known philosopher/writer who I known for his work on absurdism, he encourages us to embrace the absurdity of life. Consequently, I thought he would tie in with the artwork, along with the absurdity one experiences when taking recreational drugs.
Before showing the final artwork, here are the pictures that I have referenced and used for the artwork, along with a brief process of producing the artwork.
Process
I started the process of illustrating the artwork on Adobe Illustrator. I started off with the layout of the artwork. Then, the elements that were needed to be illustrated are the magic mushrooms, the hands with the joint and the mouth with an acid strip. The center part of artwork is separated to show the figure's difference when he tripping and when he's not.
Then, for the photo collage, it was done in Photoshop. After I masked out the figure's face, I had to cut the figure's face in half, and distort the top half. I used shear distort, and adjusted the levels of the face. After that, I placed the PSD file in Ai, and adjusted and did clipping masks to the figure.
After that, I added the liquid light art as the background for some of the panels. In addition, I switched the bottom panels to the top. The next was to alter the blending modes and effects of the collage in Photoshop. To finish off the artwork, the levels were adjusted and noise texture was added. Before finalizing the artwork, I made several variations, using different blending modes.
Final Artwork
In the end, I opted for Option 2 as I've consulted Ms. Jinchi for advice and the second option has more clarity on the photo collage. Apart from that, the blending modes for the photo collage works better, and the altered colours in the mushrooms look better. I've attached the JPG and PDF below.
RATIONALE
First things first, the thought behind the artwork lies on drugs and philosophy, two of the things I like to dwell in (I'm kidding about the drugs, but I do think about it a lot). With Albert Camus as the main subject, his absurdist theories goes hand-in-hand with the absurd and surreal effects of recreational drugs. Similar to Yokoo's work that inspired this artwork, I incorporated illustrated elements and a photo collage. In addition, this artwork has a fusion of two art genres, psychedelic and pop art. Moving on to the design principles used, repetition and movement is subtly evident. Repetition is shown in the identical mushrooms, whereas movement can be seen in the photo collage with a blend of liquid light art and the face distortion. Apart from that, I believe asymmetrical balance is present as well, with the top and bottom panel layout, along with the red and dark blue textured background. Finally, unity is also evident, even though the artwork is made up of different elements, the consistent colour palette brings the various elements together as a whole.
What have I learnt in this module?
Lim He Yu (0340423)
Bachelor of Mass Communication (Advertising) / Design Principles
Final Project: Visual Analysis
Any mediumTask
In this final project, we're required to choose an artwork to understand and analyze the design principles in the artwork. After that, using the information from the analysis, we're required to design something new inspired by the chosen artwork. Before designing the artwork, we first have to complete the analysis part of the project is carried out in 3 phases (Observation, Analysis, Interpretation).
Part 1: Visual Analysis
 |
| Figure 1.0: Chosen Artwork (https://go.distance.ncsu.edu/) |
PHASE 1: OBSERVATION
At first glance, the artwork layout is in portrait format and the overall colours used are red, yellow, blue, pink and green. From the bottom up, there are large and miniscule illustrations drawn with organic lines, accompanied by really small Japanese text. After that, you’ll see a black and white photo collage featuring two figures in the artwork. This is followed by more illustrations and Japanese texts on the left and right of the design. The main title is found at the top of the design in a bold, free hand “3D” font along with a 2D font sub-heading.
PHASE 2: ANALYSIS
Despite the fact that the artwork has a lot of random elements all over, harmony and unity is evident. The piece comes together as a whole because of its uniform colours and the composition itself. The artwork is symmetrically balanced due to the vertical symmetry of the waves at the bottom of the design, the centred placement of the peach, and the catapulting woman that divides the artwork from the centre. The proportion of the main title and the catapulting woman that increases in size from the centre shows visual hierarchy, this is the first thing viewers will notice. This effect also creates movement. Then, there’s emphasis on the two main figures in the middle of the artwork, effected by the movement of the waves and the pointed part of the peach. In addition, there’s contrast between the monotone photo collage and the red circle behind, giving more focus and emphasis on the black and white figures.
PHASE 3: INTERPRETATION
Tadanori Yokoo, the artist, made this artwork as an advertisement for a theatrical event in 1966 which was to be put on by the Gekidan Kara-Kumi troupe. “Koshimaki-Osen” literally means “Loincloth Hermit” in Japanese. Most of Tadanori Yokoo’s designs are inspired by Pop Art and psychedelic art, one can see the resemblance in the lines and textures in Yokoo’s artworks. The “Koshimaki-Osen” poster is comprised of many seemingly random elements. However, the elements have their own part to play. The artwork is laden with innuendos, such as the catapulting nude woman and the tongue of the open mouth at the lower left corner of the poster. This suggests that the show is only open to those who are above 18 years old.
Yokoo’s trademark photo-collage figures are assumed to be members of the troupe. The subjects have been superimposed on an image of a rising sun, which is also Japan’s old flag. The figures are also “enclosed” by graphic depictions of Hokusai-inspired ocean waves, Yokoo’s trademark motifs as well. Moving on, the peach below the figures is a reference to a Japanese folktale in which an old couple finds a peach with a boy inside called “Momotaro”, who grows up to defeat monsters. The story holds meaning to Japan, the country iconised Momotaro during World War II. In the artwork, Yokoo’s representation of the peach is an idealised past.
The playfulness in the artwork is very admirable, to combine seemingly random elements and to be able to unite them in a perfect artwork is something that I find very difficult. The “secret” behind Japan’s creativity may lie in the beauty of “Perfectly Rejecting Perfection (PRP)”. PRP is where people find beauty in something imperfect. With myriad information and content all around us, it is not uncommon to pay little attention to anything that is too perfect. That being said, I really adore the way the Japanese think, and I believe Yokoo’s artwork is the epitome of PRP. To be frank, as a person who constantly strives for perfection, Yokoo’s perfect imperfect artwork speaks volumes to me, to be able to pull off something so dynamic and daring is a quality I applaud.
 |
| Figure 1.1: Pop Art (Source: Wikipedia) |
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| Figure 1.2: Psychedelic Art (Source: Illuminations Comic, 1971) |
REFERENCES
Mills, M. (2019). “Koshimaki-Osen” – Tadanori Yokoo. [online] Retrieved from
https://go.distance.ncsu.edu/gd203/p=28006#:~:text=Tadanori%20Yokoo's%20poster%20%E2%80%9CKoshimaki%2DOsen,the%20Gekidan%20Kara%2DKumi%20troupe.
(2015). Opinion: Three Secrets Behind Japan’s Creativity. [online] Retrieved from
https://go.distance.ncsu.edu/gd203/p=28006#:~:text=Tadanori%20Yokoo's%20poster%20%E2%80%9CKoshimaki%2DOsen,the%20Gekidan%20Kara%2DKumi%20troupe.
Part Two: Design
IDEA EXPLORATION
The thought behind my artwork is to signify drug culture in the 60's/70's, the same era when the "Kosimaki-Osen" poster was made. I chose the topic of drugs because it's a booming trend at the time and I thought it would be a fun design to make, with all the colours and absurdity of pop art and psychedelia.
IDEA #1
The initial idea was to showcase how media has populariszed/glamourized the idea of recreational or psychelic drugs like magic mushrooms, ecstasy, marijuana and acid. The design has the same elements as the previously chosen artwork, which includes a photo collage and illustrations. The design focuses on a parody of Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam, where I illustrated one hand holding a joint reaching out to another hand. This signifies the "ugly" side of humanity, I wouldn't say ugly but it's what we do, we indulge in our "sins" and we're not made to be perfect. Apart from that, I also put in magic mushrooms for variety. To add to the psychedelic element to it I put a multi-coloured TV static background as to complement the TV frame on top. The artwork is shown below.
 |
| Figure 1.3: First Idea Artwork |
IDEA #2
The second and final idea was inspired by the characteristics of pop art and psychedelic art, as it inspired Yokoo's artwork. Due to the fact that one of the origins of pop art was from comics, the layout of the second artwork resembles the divided boxes from comic books. As for the psychedelic element, a distorted photo collage figure is featured; surreal visuals, liquid light art and bright colours is evident as well. The illustrated elements include, the same Michaelangelo hands from the previous idea, magic mushrooms and a strip of acid inside a mouth. Finally, the main photo collage figure is a picture of Albert Camus. He is well-known philosopher/writer who I known for his work on absurdism, he encourages us to embrace the absurdity of life. Consequently, I thought he would tie in with the artwork, along with the absurdity one experiences when taking recreational drugs.
Before showing the final artwork, here are the pictures that I have referenced and used for the artwork, along with a brief process of producing the artwork.
 |
| Figure 1.4: Albert Camus (Source: thoughtco.com) |
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| Figure 1.5: Hands (Source: s3.amazonaws.com) |
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| Figure 1.6: Magic Mushrooms (Source: aniop.ru) |
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| Figure 1.7: Liquid Light Art (Source: Pinterest-Iyan Sofyan) |
Process
I started the process of illustrating the artwork on Adobe Illustrator. I started off with the layout of the artwork. Then, the elements that were needed to be illustrated are the magic mushrooms, the hands with the joint and the mouth with an acid strip. The center part of artwork is separated to show the figure's difference when he tripping and when he's not.
 |
| Figure 1.8: Illustrating the Artwork |
Then, for the photo collage, it was done in Photoshop. After I masked out the figure's face, I had to cut the figure's face in half, and distort the top half. I used shear distort, and adjusted the levels of the face. After that, I placed the PSD file in Ai, and adjusted and did clipping masks to the figure.
 |
| Figure 1.9: Adding the Photo Collage |
After that, I added the liquid light art as the background for some of the panels. In addition, I switched the bottom panels to the top. The next was to alter the blending modes and effects of the collage in Photoshop. To finish off the artwork, the levels were adjusted and noise texture was added. Before finalizing the artwork, I made several variations, using different blending modes.
 |
| Figure 1.10: Option 1 |
 |
| Figure 1.11: Option 2 |
Final Artwork
In the end, I opted for Option 2 as I've consulted Ms. Jinchi for advice and the second option has more clarity on the photo collage. Apart from that, the blending modes for the photo collage works better, and the altered colours in the mushrooms look better. I've attached the JPG and PDF below.
|
| Figure 1.12: Final Project_Final.jpg |
Figure 1.13: Final Project_Final.pdf
RATIONALE
First things first, the thought behind the artwork lies on drugs and philosophy, two of the things I like to dwell in (I'm kidding about the drugs, but I do think about it a lot). With Albert Camus as the main subject, his absurdist theories goes hand-in-hand with the absurd and surreal effects of recreational drugs. Similar to Yokoo's work that inspired this artwork, I incorporated illustrated elements and a photo collage. In addition, this artwork has a fusion of two art genres, psychedelic and pop art. Moving on to the design principles used, repetition and movement is subtly evident. Repetition is shown in the identical mushrooms, whereas movement can be seen in the photo collage with a blend of liquid light art and the face distortion. Apart from that, I believe asymmetrical balance is present as well, with the top and bottom panel layout, along with the red and dark blue textured background. Finally, unity is also evident, even though the artwork is made up of different elements, the consistent colour palette brings the various elements together as a whole.
Final Reflection
What have I learnt in this module?
Before taking this module, I never knew there were so many principles when it comes to design. For my past design works in other modules or projects, I've always stuck to my gut to decide what's visually appealing, I was clueless to the rules of design. Most work that I have done before going through this module, was mostly referenced from online artworks, thus explains my tendency to "accidentally" plagiarize. However, with this course, I've learnt the difference of borrowing an idea and plain plagiarism.
What did I enjoy the most?
I've really enjoyed the week when we had to make artwork based on the harmony and unity principle. The reason being I had relatively more freedom to create what I want compared to the other weeks. I really had fun illustrating the artwork for that week, and to play around with the colours. I think that was the second-best works that I've done. As for my favourite part of this module, it's this final project. To be frank, having the choice to choose artworks from your favourite artist, and to be required to create something that reflects the artist's artwork is quite stressful. I was quite worried how the final outcome would turn out, but I'm quite happy with it. The process was quite pleasant, and I'm happy to have the freedom to incorporate a taboo subject in my artwork.
What did I not enjoy the most?
I don't really have anything to complain about to be honest. The weekly tutorials and progress checks may be exhausting but I think it's necessary to ensure students are producing work. As for the activities and assignments, there may be some that I don't particularly fancy, but I still enjoyed doing them, because it's the only way I'll learn.
What have I learnt about myself through this module?
I've realised that I put a lot of pressure on myself to produce something I'm satisfied with. There some nights where I couldn't sleep because I was thinking about how I'm going to make what I envision in my mind. Most of the time, I never settle for initial ideas, because I'd think to myself, "you didn't put enough effort". Sometimes, I don't this is a bad thing, but it has caused me a lot of frustration. However, being the "perfectionist" that can be at times, I still push through and get the work done. Another example would be when Ms. Jinchi told me that my artwork was quite similar to my references, I wanted to redo it but I chose to let it go in the end because she said it wasn't serious, and I didn't have the time. Ultimately, I think I have to be calm myself down sometimes and learn to forgo minor mistakes.
What has changed and what has not in my learning journey?
Obviously, I have a newfound appreciation for designs. My perception of design has changed, and I admire designers even more now. The thought and processes they have to go through to produce good art is admirable. On the other hand, what has not changed is my habit of procrastinating, and managing my time better. I am still working on it, but I am proud to say that my last minute motivation keeps me driven to finish a project or assignment.
What could be improved in this module?
As mush as I want to give suggestions for this module, I can't. This module has been really helpful, and the way the lecturers handled classes is very efficient. Every piece of information that I needed could be found in Microsoft Teams, Google Classroom or Times. Another notable attribute is the willingness of the lecturers to help out students with any problems or questions, they can be contacted easily through Telegram. So, I have literally nothing to complain about.
As mush as I want to give suggestions for this module, I can't. This module has been really helpful, and the way the lecturers handled classes is very efficient. Every piece of information that I needed could be found in Microsoft Teams, Google Classroom or Times. Another notable attribute is the willingness of the lecturers to help out students with any problems or questions, they can be contacted easily through Telegram. So, I have literally nothing to complain about.
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