51-262 CDF Project 2
Hi, my name is Ashley Wang, a first-year Computer Science student at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in Pittsburgh, PA.
01.21.2020 — Thumbnails to Digital
Thumbnails were fun — I tried to use more abstract depictions of the word I was trying to describe, instead of using very literal interpretations.
Thoughts: Damn, you can really express a lot of emotion with squares.
01.28.2020 — First in-class critique session
In the above design, none of the corners match up perfectly except for the corners on the small tower of squares, which is a decision I made with the in(tension haha get it?) of creating a point of tension.
Feedback Received: Play with cropping it, try different orientations.
Another variation from cropping and reflecting:
Feedback Received: the original orientation works better for tension.
This next design portrays tension again, this time with the use of only two squares. In my previous pieces, many squares were used, so here I experimented with using few squares to express a mood. The point where the two squares meet creates a feeling of tension.
Feedback Received: Like how minimalistic it is with only two squares, perhaps play with the distance between small square and large square.
This thumbnail evolved into … this!
The word “playfulness” makes me think of free-flowing objects and movement, which I tried to portray in the piece above. By using squares of different sizes and orientations, I wanted to create lines that would guide the eye across the piece. These lines were formed from cropping everything off of the thumbnail, except for the upper LH corner.
Feedback Received: Looks 3D, has motion, but uncomfortable where the two forms meet.
Feedback Received: Nice that a more complex form is being repeated, but tweak it more so that the bottom left one is a square.
Personally, I love the simplicity and symmetric qualities of this piece — it makes me feel comfortable and safe.
Feedback Received: None.
I wanted to play with the principle of negative space by using the white space within the black square formed by piecing together many black squares. I wasn’t sure about the corners touching on the left, but I got useful feedback from classmates and my instructor.
Feedback Received: Try reflecting either the top row or left column so that there is an element of symmetry, which is usually comfortable.
My thumbnail that looked like this was intended for playfulness, but I digitized it and thought it fit congestion better.
Feedback Received: Not enough squares, should try filling it in more to convey a more congested feeling; play with scale.
02.01. 2020–02.05.2020— More Iterations
After receiving feedback from the class, I decided to work on my designs some more.
Previous Feedback Received: Not enough squares, should try filling it in more to convey a more congested feeling; play with scale.
My Process: In the first square, I played around with scale and the number of squares, but it began to look too peaceful/space-like. The tiny squares seemed to be the reason for the additional element of depth in the piece, which takes away from the congested feeling I want. For the next three iterations, I took varying amounts/sizes of little squares out, always taking out the smallest ones in the previous iteration. The bottom-left one is my favorite, as it conveys congestion well, whereas the design to its right feels less congested.
The top-right design was something new I tried, inspired by a true crime video I watched about very confined spaces. It features a lot of detail in the little stack of squares, including some very, very small ones for added interest. They are placed at the bottom to convey something heavy weighing on them.
The bottom-right design uses contrast between the symmetrical “star” in the center and the very jagged, sharp shapes created by overlapping squares around the edges of the piece. A white space is left on the right side, almost big enough for the star to go through, but not quite big enough. This was done intentionally to convey the idea that the “star” is stuck.
Previous Feedback Received: Nice that a more complex form is being repeated, but tweak it more so that the bottom left one is a square.
My Process: The top-right design is the more refined version of my previous design. The upper-righthand corner does not have a white border anymore, and the bottom-left form is not cropped weirdly.
Although I did like that design, I wanted to play with scale, cropping, and orientation. I don’t think “Order” necessarily means all elements have the same orientation, so I decided to try more iterations.
The top-middle design was created by closing in on the original design. The bottom-middle design was created by scaling the top-middle design and adjusting with how things were cropped. It conveys more movement and the forms almost seem different. The leftmost designs play with different orientations. Personally, I prefer the bottom-left design because its crop gives users a feeling of continuation and extension.
Previous Feedback Received: Looks 3D, has motion, but uncomfortable where the two forms meet.
My Process: I accidentally overlapped a design for order with one for playfulness and only noticed it now???
I wasn’t really feeling my original playfulness design — it was too intentional. I wanted to capture a moment, not a scene. I tried something I hadn’t done yet; I created a white square using four black squares around the edges. I played with rotation (adjusting it by -3 degrees), whether it touches the edge of the frame or not, the size of the square, and whether a smaller black square should be placed inside, leaning on the left side of the white square or not. After many subtle tweaks, I think I like it.
Previous Feedback Received: Try reflecting either the top row or left column so that there is an element of symmetry, which is usually comfortable.
My Process: I experimented with the scale and orientation of my design. Out of the iterations above, I prefer the bottom-left design the most, as it uses negative space to show contrast between a white square that the user sees, and the black square that is actually there. The top-left one looks a bit like a stingray, so it’s not my favorite. I prefer the bottom-middle design over the bottom-right one because its symmetric qualities seem more comforting to me.
Here, I didn’t include my previous tension design, because I didn’t make any adjustments to it. After playing with the spacing between the smaller and larger square, I decided I liked it as is.
Previous Feedback Received: Play with cropping it, try different orientations; minimalism is nice; original orientation was better.
My Process: I experimented with the scale and orientation of my design. Out of the iterations above, I prefer the top-right design the most, as the cropped squares near the edges of the frame portray continuation, which the bottom-left design does not achieve.
The bottom-right piece uses minimalism and a consistent, thin white border to evoke a tense feeling.
02.06.2020 — Final Deliverable
The ordering of my designs is intentional — I feel like each page tells a story and looks cohesive.
My Takeaways & Post-Reflection
- Who knew black squares could convey so much emotion?
- You can do so many things with just black squares; all you need is creativity and lots and lots of iterations!
- Asking for critique is actually not scary at all, especially when your classroom atmosphere is amazing.
- Iterations, iterations, and more! The more iterations, the more you see what works and what doesn’t.
- Using test prints to see how your digital design reads in print is quite useful. It can sometimes allow you to see if certain borders aren’t even, etc.
- Non-majors can totally get involved in design!
