Lecture 6: Visual Principles - Basic Design

For the lecture activity we were required to draw simple images using dot and line to best represent two adjectives on pieces of paper scattered on the table in front of the room. Sherwin and I teamed up to do this one, and man, did it turn out to be harder than it initially seemed, as our tutor Siti disapproved of some our sketches and we had to pick new adjectives to 're-sketch'.

Below are our sketches, 5 in total (after re-drawing):

1. Puny

For this sketch, we were thinking of a regional map, with a small country (the black dot) being surrounded by far bigger ones (think Singapore). However, the other group could not quite see this sketch as that of countries/continents and hence did not understand the nature of the black dot. Verdict: Fail.

2. Fierce

We wanted to draw a fierce-looking face with sharp teeth protruding out to represent ferociousness, but the other group saw it as a scary face instead. Maybe it's due to the slit-like eyes giving it a slightly "inhuman" look. Verdict: Fail.

3. Superstar

This one was fairly straightforward to sketch, with the Superman logo "S' representing the word "super" in the middle of a huge star. Though it was a drawing taken out of context of actual objects (ie. the star), Siti approved of it in this case, and the other group could guess the word easily. Verdict: Pass.

4. Brief

This one was harder to sketch as the adjective is time-based and hence rather abstract. So we had not much choice but to draw an underwear to represent the word "brief" and an exclamation mark to represent "directness"/"succintness"/"to the point" (hence implying "brief"). Needless to say, this drawing was taken out of context and the other group couldn't fathom what the exclamation mark meant. Verdict: Fail.

5. Crammed

This sketch shows many circles being squeezed into a square box, hence implying "crammed". As the meaning was direct, Siti approved this one. Verdict: Pass.