Project 2: Forms & Compositions
4 in. x 4 in. Print
2018
Individual Project
ABOUT THIS PROJECT
This project was done to convey a meaning, or in this case a word, through the construction of something as simple as squares. The positioning, size, and placement of squares are used to illustrate completely different words and moods. Through sketches and iterations on Adobe Illustrator, we created designs using black squares to display the words: Order, Congestion, Playfulness, Tension, and Comfort. The squares could be a variety of sizes, formations, and rotations. We used a 4 inch x 4 inch template; some constraints were not being able to use rectangles, empty/other colored squares, rounded corners, or stroke marks.
PROJECT PROCESS
To begin my sketches, my “inspirations” for each word were based off what each word reminded me of. For example, when I heard‘congestion’, I thought about traffic and highways, so I tried to make an abstract design of that concept. While sketching, I learned that filling in the boxes and coloring them black were crucial to get a clear understanding of each piece. By leaving the boxes blank and outlined, it was hard to see the movement of each square, and it was difficult to see the impact of the square. Another difference between my sketches and Illustrator was that my work was a lot neater and precise in Illustrator- being able to evenly distribute squares or have absolutely straight lines allowed my pieces to more effectively convey a meaning.
COMFORT
For comfort, I thought about anything that was fluid or relaxed- unstructured and free-flowing. I wanted the squares to be spaced out with no ‘forces’ or anything pushing against it. As I continued through my iterations, I began to think of comfort through objects like quilts and sweaters- my final design doesn’t quite relate to the sketches, but it resembles something like a pattern on a quilt.
CONGESTION:
As I said before, highways reminded me of congestion, so my initial thinking was to have many squares crowded together in bunches. As i went through my iterations, I wanted it the piece to have more movements, despite the crowded nature of the piece.
ORDER:
When it comes to order, I think of symmetry, straight, lined up, and the use of negative space to create defined concrete lines. Though it’s tougher to see in my sketches, on my final piece, I wanted for there to still be a sense of uniqueness among each square, rather than having identical squares throughout the piece.
PLAYFULNESS:
When I think of playfulness, I think of something with lots of sizes and movement, which is what I tried to emphasize in my sketches. I played with the sizes and rotations so they moved a certain way, and created an imaginary flowing line.
TENSION:
For tension, I didn’t think about what was happening on the page at the moment; rather, I thought about what could happen if squares were to move. For example, a big square next to a little square at an odd angle could imply the big square was almost going to crush the little one. There was a certain sense of foreshadowing when it came to tension.
CONCLUSION
Through this project, I learned that something so simple could identify with so many themes and meanings. Though there were so many restrictions, it taught me how to think ‘outside the box’ (pun intended) to see what a formation of squares could convey. I also learned that a formation of squares could start off meaning one word, but through iterations and edits, it could end up meaning another word. Through feedback from my peers, I learned that having squares go off the page, or having a sense of continuity in my pieces, is something I can improve on.
