CDF Project 2: Form and Composition
About the Project
This project was an exercise focusing on the Gestalt Principles we learned in class, specifically regarding the use of various design aspects such as foreground/background differentiation, scale, and whitespace. The final product was a collection of 5 digital representations of 5 words, one for each, using only black squares.
Thumbnail Sketches
The first step of the project process was sketching 5 different ideas for each of the 5 words. I wrote down some synonyms to help give me a better idea of what each word might mean or invoke, then sketched various pieces that came to mind.
Order
For order, I wanted to convey a sense of organization, or sequencing. My first instinct was to draw for simple black squares, to create a sort of grid on the white background. I then continue to do some ordering of varying sized squares, all in organized and systematic arrangements.
Tension
For tension, I immediately thought of the weight of something pushing on another object and creating stress. After getting some feedback from our initial sketch critiques, I learned more tension points and how they can be used to create a sharp, emphatic point in a piece. I used these more in my digital iterations to create the feeling of tension.
Congestion
For congestion, I drew a few sketches that demonstrated the bottle-neck, squishing meaning of the word congestion. In addition, the sketch on the bottom left was intended to create the feeling of tightness, and the desire to spread out the clump of black squares.
Playfulness
Playfulness was one of the hardest words for me to ideate on, as I thought it had a more abstract, non representational nature. I tried to use a large variation of squares to create a lighthearted, fun effect. I also tried out the idea of and “odd one out” and some squares peeking out from behind the borders of the square, or another larger square.
Comfort
Lastly, comfort made me think of waves or symbols of serenity, which drew me to the illustration of curves and a sun-like figure. Some of the other sketches I did involved the concept of cradling or surrounding a square, or having squares fit together nicely in the frame, similar to the Order idea.
Digital Iteration V1.
For our first digital iteration, we chose a few sketches for each word and recreated them on Adobe Illustrator, using only black, perfect squares that could overlap and bleed off the page. I then iterated on some of the designs I liked more digitally, by playing with the scale of the squares and the positioning in the white 4x4 artboards. I also used the feedback I got in the desk critiques to change or experiment with certain ideas, such as using more whitespace, or playing with the extremity of the scale of the squares.
Digital Iteration V2.
The final pieces are the ones shown above, at the top of the post. These were printed out on 8.5x11' cardstock pages and presented in class. For my final pieces, I chose the illustration I liked the most and thought conveyed the meaning of each word most clearly. I also played with the final pieces a little bit more, to try to make the squares perfectly aligned with regards to each other and in the frame, and scaled to be just right.
