TASK 1 Design Principles GCD60804
03/01/2025 - 17/01/2025 Week 1- 3
Samantha Jizan Amrullah / 0375606
Digital Photography and Imaging / Bachelor’s of Design (Honours) in Creative Media / Taylor’s University
TASK 1
1. Describe each of the design principles listed below and select suitable design examples to demonstrate your understanding. I will explore the various design principles taught in the module and analyze design works to apply my knowledge.
GESTALT THEORY
Gestalt theory is an idea that explains how people see and organize visual information. It suggests that our brains naturally group objects together to make sense of what we see. Instead of looking at individual parts, we see things as whole patterns or structures.
There are several principles that could be applied within the gestalt theory, such as:
Contrast – Contrast happens when two elements in a design are very different from each other, like light and dark colors or big and small shapes. This helps make important things stand out and grabs attention.
Emphasis – This is about making one part of a design more noticeable than the rest. Designers do this by using bold colors, large sizes, or unique shapes so the viewer’s eyes focus on the most important part first.
Balance – Balance is how elements are arranged to create a sense of stability. There are two types: symmetrical balance, where both sides are equal, and asymmetrical balance, where different elements create a visually pleasing composition without being the same.
Repetition – When the same elements (such as colors, shapes, or patterns) are used multiple times, it creates a sense of unity and consistency. This makes the design feel organized and easy to follow.
Movement – Movement guides the viewer’s eyes through a design in a certain direction. Designers use lines, shapes, or placement to create a sense of flow, leading the audience to the important parts of the design.
Harmony & Unity – Harmony happens when all parts of a design look like they belong together. Unity is when everything works together to create a complete and pleasing design. This makes the artwork feel well-organized and visually comfortable.
Symbol – Symbols are simple images or shapes that represent ideas or concepts. For example, a heart symbol represents love, and a stop sign means "stop." Symbols help communicate messages quickly without using words.
Word and Image – This is the combination of text and visuals in a design. Good design uses both in a way that complements each other, making the message clearer and more engaging for the audience.
All of these principles help designers create effective and visually appealing work by making sure elements are well-organized, easy to understand, and interesting to look at. Therefore, after gaining knowledge and deep understanding of every principle, it would be an easier task to explore an artwork and break down which principles can be observed being used in a certain way.
EXPLORATION
The reason I chose this work as my main focus is firstly, I greatly admire Wes Anderson’s movies, especially the animated stop motion ones. The movie combined visual storytelling, unique humor, and emotions which became really captivating. All of his works does not feel like a typical movie, as every frame has intricate composition, making it feel like a storybook. Every scene feels like a picture thanks to Anderson's use of symmetry, vivid colours, and intricate sets, making it so visually distinct.
This cover art is a hand-drawn illustration, with Mr. Fox standing in the center, surrounded by his friends and family having a meal in his burrow. The way he is centered, with all the other characters directing their view towards him, exudes a sense of confidence. This successfully communicates to the viewers that he is the charismatic leader of the story. The usage of warm and earthy color palette with deep oranges, browns, and yellows, reflects the autumnal tones of the film.
Another interesting detail in this cover art is how they are all dressed and act like royals, despite the movie having a modern setting. In the movie, it is immediately shown that they are living a humble life. And as the movie progresses, Mr. Fox later infiltrate and stole from his human neighbors as self defense, as his burrows are being destroyed. This cover art depicts how they appear to only be acting wealthy, having a feast dressed in royal costumes, when in reality they are fighting for their life. This is also shown in the background painting within the illustration, where they appear to be wearing colonial British soldier coats. Implying that they colonized the upper land where the humans reside. This clear metaphor became the main premise of the movie, in which they took over the human’s settlement to fight back the invasion that the humans initiated.
ANALYSIS
It can be seen that this cover art has implemented some principles that are seen in the gestalt theory. Below are some features that I noticed and analyzed.
Emphasis: The fact that Mr. Fox is in the middle instantly draws attention to him. His demeanour emphasized with how confident he seems, and appears to assure the other characters arround him. This makes it clear that he is the main focus as well as the main character of this piece. His significance in the composition is even more emphasized with the way he is holding his glass up shows a stark difference between him and the others as it symbolizes a sense of hierarchy.
Contrast: The lighting effect that radiates from the table highlights the characters at the top, as well as creating a dark shadow contrast to the characters at the bottom. The orange color of Mrs. and Mr. Fox also highlights them in contrast to the overall muted scene.
Movement: All of the characters are positioned in a way that our eyes naturally follows the flow from the small children sat at the bottom of the illustration, to the two weasel standing, then finally towards the center that is Mr. Fox. It is done so by guiding the viewer’s eyes with the direction of all the characters towards him. It can be seen that all of them are glancing and turning their heads towards one focal point.
Repetition: The use of warm, autumnal colors throughout the design creates unity, making the cover feel harmonious.
Balance: The entire piece itself is almost symmetrical. It has equal weight on both side of the illustrated piece, having equally distributed characters on the table, creating a triangular shape with the seating arrangement. The scenery is also symmetrical, having the entire piece almost mirrors from the left and right side, with only the painting behind the characters being asymmetrical. But even that is placed directly in the middle, which still maintains the balance.
Word and Image: The placement of the title text harmonizes really well with the entire illustration piece. It is placed right on top of the painting, creating an arch that blends seamlessly. It can be seen that the trees inside of the painting helps frames the arch, which made it look like the text is part of the illustration. The text also helps the emphasis of the center character, creating a dome from the glowing light source emanating from the table. The contrast of a brighter yellow, almost golden, adds to the royal scene while still being in theme with the autumn color scheme.
The Fantastic Mr. Fox Criterion cover art skillfully applies Gestalt principles to create a visually engaging and meaningful design. It highlights Mr. Fox as the central character as well as the story’s themes, and creates a visually appealing and dynamic composition.
FEEDBACK
Week 2
During the consultation, I have not yet completed the work and has only briefly described each principles that could be applied within the gestalt theory. Moreover, I misunderstood the assignment as I included examples of artwork for each theory, so there were 8 artwork in total. Mr. Fauzi noted this mistake but suggested that I keep the work with the various examples as it is, as it can be used as a point of reference. Such as the one used as example for the contrast theory, said image is already the perfect example depicting contrast, which would help further and easier understanding.
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