Design Principles | TASK 3 (Development & Design)
- 12/3/2026 - 25/3/2026(Week 5 - Week 6)
- Design Principles(GCD60804)
- Takeguchi Shunta/0386416/Bachelor of Design in Creative Media
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INSTRUCTION
TASK RECAP
- Select 1 sketch from task 2 and develop it through the
design principles.
- Write 200 words rationale of the artwork.
ARTWORK DEVELOPMENT
For the developing artwork, I chose sketch 2 from 3 sketches of task 2. The teacher recommended selecting sketch 2 or 3, and I felt sketch 2 was more creative and could be developed, since the kanji are not complicated.
Figure 1.1
Sketch 2
I used Illustrator for developing this artwork. I first created the one below, true to the sketch. I tried to type using the text tool and transform the text, but it was difficult because creating an outline meant I needed to move a lot of outline paths to transform. Instead, I used the pen tool and drew the strokes myself, which made it easier to transform; I can transform the stroke directly.
Figure 1.2
Illustrator work 1
I felt that only this design and coloring isn't creative work, so for the next artboard, I tried to install the Japanese calligraphy style. I referred to these 2 pictures below and mocked their character in Illustrator.
Figure 1.3
'雨’ in Japanese calligraphy
The brush used in Japanese calligraphy has a shaft with a bunch of hair attached to the end. The hair is dipped in ink, and characters are written, so the impression of the details of the characters changes depending on the condition of the hair. Therefore, I moved the paths while imagining the brush hair angle and position. I also cared for the thickness, and I felt successfully added the Japanese calligraphy look into the artwork.
Figure 1.5
Illustrator work 2
I wanted to explore more with a casual design. Therefore, I developed a design with thinner strokes and more playful graphic incorporate with kanji. In the design below, I avoided expressing '雨' by man's shape, so that I could add water drop graphics in the kanji stroke.
Figure 1.6
Illustrator work 3
I explored this design more and tried to see which design is the best, also colored one design as an experiment.
Figure 1.7
Illustrator work 4
Figure 1.8
Illustrator work 5
Figure 1.9
Illustrator work 6
Figure 1.10
Illustrator work 7
I showed my progress to the teacher at this point to get feedback, and he liked the casual design. However, he suggested it could be a more impactful design, and shared a sketch of his idea. In his sketch, many objects contribute to forming the kanji. The top part of the '雨' is the cloud in the sky, and vertical strokes of the same kanji, are expressed by the tall building. Under '雨', the umbrella held by a man is shown as '傘'. So overall, the design is like a man holding an umbrella, with a city skyline and low-hanging rain clouds in the background.
Figure 1.11
Suggested design sketch
Below is my rough digitalization sketch. I wasn't familiar with drawing landscapes, so I started by drawing the main objects in the picture.
Figure 1.12
Illustrator work 8
Figure 1.13
Illustrator work 9
I needed to create contrast in the artwork, so I painted the umbrella in vivid colors to stand out more against the gray, gloomy overall mood.
Figure 1.14
Illustrator work 10
To add creativity, I added a gradient and noise to the umbrella, which makes it more artistic.
Figure 1.15
Illustrator work 11
I added a noise filter in front of all objects. I felt this version is more unified and refined as an artwork. I was working on the human graphic here. I kept it simple, using a minimalist design to match the style of this artwork.
Figure 1.16
Illustrator work 12
Figure 1.17
Illustrator work 13
I fixed some detailed parts, and below is my final artwork.
Figure 1.18
Illustrator work 14
FINAL ARTWORK
Figure 2.1
雨傘(Amagasa)_Takeguchi Shunta_Task 3
Rationale
- The decisions made in your design
In this work, I incorporated the Japanese word '雨傘', meaning umbrella, into the artwork, utilizing various objects.
Since I chose the Coca-Cola logo as my Selected Artwork, I initially considered a logo-like design using the alphabet. However, designs using the alphabet tended to be similar to existing ones, making it difficult to create a truly creative design. Therefore, I decided to go with a design using kanji, which are familiar to me as a Japanese. My initial idea was to create a simple poster-like artwork that hinted at the meaning of the kanji by transforming some parts of the kanji. However, after consulting with the teacher, I was advised that this work didn't necessarily have to be a simple piece of text like the Coca-Cola logo, and this was the final design.
The idea for this work mainly came from sketches suggested by the teacher. Since it wasn't my own sketches, I proceeded through trial and error to determine the style and final finish of this piece. During production, I focused on making the kanji stand out and easily recognizable, and on maintaining a casual overall style. I wanted to express the unique, slow feeling of a rainy day, so I opted for a casual style for this artwork.
- The meaning/purpose of the design
To make the kanji '雨傘', the theme of this work stands out; I employed various techniques.
First, the two horizontal lines at the top of the kanji '雨' are represented by low, long rain clouds that bring rain in this artwork. These rain clouds block sunlight, creating an overall dark gray atmosphere. The three blue buildings represent the vertical strokes of '雨', and the four dots in the stroke are expressed by the raindrops. I painted these objects forming '雨' in similar blue colors, to make it easy to recognize the kanji.
The kanji '傘' at the bottom, the origin of this kanji is derived from the shape of an umbrella. I incorporated this into my artwork. I used the shape of the umbrella held by the man to approximate the shape of the kanji. The four '人' inside the stroke would have looked less creative if included as the kanji, so I decided to represent them with four raindrops, the same as what I did with '雨'. I used a light blue gradient for the color of the umbrellas. I chose this because I wanted to add a contrast, and also because I want to add more presence of the '傘', which looked less present compared to the '雨' without color contrast.
- The design principles that are employed to create the design
I analyzed the design principles of Movement, Contrast, and Repetition from the Coca-Cola logo, which was my selected artwork. I incorporated these principles into this artwork.
First, for Movement, I used many vertical objects, such as the blue-colored buildings, the umbrella handle, and the other buildings in backgroud. This was intended to evoke the movement of the rain falling from above.
For Contrast, as mentioned earlier, I used a gradient of light blue and white for the umbrella's color to make it stand out in the overall gloomy atmosphere of a cloudy day. I also considered using perspective to create contrast. By blurring the buildings in the background to make them appear far away, and placing the umbrella shape and lower part closer to the viewer, I created a sense of depth in the artwork, resulting in a unique and interesting contrast.
Finally, Repetition, I represented it with the three blue buildings that form the '雨' and the four raindrops that are commonly used in both kanji.
I especially liked the color contrast in this artwork. The bright umbrella colors in contrast prevented the artwork from becoming monotonous, and I think I was able to effectively utilize this Design Principle.
FEEDBACK
Week 5:
Sketch 2 or 3 should be developed for task 3.
The sketch can be developed further with a stronger design.
Make the buildings in the background less focused.
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