Brandon Sun's Blog

Three Design Briefs:

Design Briefs

I eliminated the third option, which was Mr. Stenning’s project because I think it would be challenging to communicate with the teacher since I never took his class before. I think I have more confidence working with students or people around the same age group as me because there are more similarities or common interests that we share which might make conversations smoother and I get to know more about their design preferences. I personally know the clients of design brief 1 and 2, so I think in comparison, I have a better knowledge of their opinion on the designs that they want, which is why I eliminated the third option.

Peer Feedbacks:

Comments on Design Brief 1:

‘That’s so cool! Are there existing designs? I know it won’t be done in time, but do you think that it could be ready for next year?’

‘You seem to have a good idea of what you need to do. I wonder if you’re just gonna design one cover or multiples?’

‘I like the idea, but where are the logos gonna be put on and how will it help?’

‘The idea for designing an album cover is very cool and I’ve never thought about it.’

People asked where the logo would be used, I think the logo will be used as album covers or their personal avatars or on the projects that they publish online.

I did not consider the amount of art that I have to do, I think it depends on the client, usually, when I make album covers that are outside of school projects, my client requires one artwork that they can put on their album and their song covers.

I know the HipHop Festival is coming soon, but I have an opportunity to talk to other rappers on the projects that they have outside of school. I personally know Austin and did some album covers for him, so I think it will be easy to find my client for design brief 1 and we can do a cover that does not have to be related to HipHop Festival.

Comments on Design Brief 2:

‘Great idea and you have a targeted audience!’

‘Realistic and impactful!’

‘The idea of designing the clothes is really interesting, what type of design will you be doing for the clothes?’

I know that Anime Club is going to make a project to present during Spring Fair and clothe design is one of their top votes, so I think it would be impactful to contribute to designing some clothes for the club for the upcoming Spring Fair and could be a chance for me to cooperate with other club members to design clothing.

People think that designing a clothe for Anime Club is a good idea, I think it might be challenging since Anime Club is not being very productive, so it will be hard to start off a project if none of the club members are interested.

Anime Club is in need of a project to present during the Spring Fair, I agree that the project is realistic and impactful, but my main concern is still the productivity of the club, current club members are not very active and the club has not made any progress in terms of preparing for Spring Fair. 

Final Decision:

I decided that I would choose design brief 1, album cover/avatars for ISB rappers because I can work one on one with the rappers so that they can better communicate their ideas to me and I can give them feedback/prototypes based on their instructions.

Design Brief SWOT

1st Logo

2nd Logo

3rd Logo

4th Logo

5th Logo

6th Logo

7th Logo

8th Logo

9th Logo

Final Logo

Reflection:

I should add more elements relating to Australia since it is the place where my client came from. The logo does look like pop art, but some of them look a bit generic and not as eye-catching. It is easier for a person to see and remember an image that is bright and colorful, a lot of students like bright and showy colors, on the clothing they wear, their accessories, laptop background, etc.

50 Logo Prototypes

Click to enlarge image

Padlet for Generating Ideas: https://isbeijing.padlet.org/brandonsun/9n450h2ccyzco0c6

SCAMPER Techniques

Justify Design Choices

5 refined logos

My client, ITZME, is an Australian DJ that is popular amongst young generations, he currently works in Beijing and does live performances at bars and other public areas. With the ideas in mind, I think it would be appropriate to include elements that are popular amongst young people, such as graffiti. I want the logo to look colorful and eyecatching, so I ultimately decided to use a colorful paint splatter as my logo and include ‘ITZME’ inside the color splatter. Prototype 5 was designed to incorporate the elements listed above and is the one I decided to use and develop into my final logo for ITZME. While making my final logo on Procreate, I made some adjustments to better demonstrate my client’s theme, first I added an Australian flag inside the word ‘ITZME’ to emphasize the country that my client came from, next I added bright colors to make the logo more eye-catching, finally, I drew the logo in greater detail so that it can better represent a graffiti that will attract young people.

Technical Skills

Procreate:

I first made my logo on Procreate, since it is easier for me to draw on hand, similar to a pencil on paper. Using the studio pen, I made this color splatter design and changed the color of the design using the color wheel on Procreate. Next, I exported the logo as a tiff file, so that it is possible to edit the pixels out on Illustrator.

Procreate Image

On Illustrator, I use image trace to get rid of the pixels of the tiff file and further edit it using the advanced option under image trace, to round up the edges by adjusting the paths, corners, and noise options. Expand the image so that it turns the white background transparent. Finally, save the file as an AI file to use later in Photoshop Mockups.

Illustrator Vector File

With a preexisting mockup, I copy my design from Illustrator to Photoshop to replace the original logo. I used the resize and rotate tool to adjust my logo to the correct size and changed the color of the backgrounds to fit with my color palette.

High-Quality Original

Final Logo

9th Logo

8th Logo

7th Logo

6th Logo

5th Logo

4th Logo

3rd Logo

2nd Logo

1st Logo

Client: ITZME

As mentioned before, my client is an Australian DJ that makes music popular amongst young people, ITZME does public tours and live performances on locations such as bars, stages, etc. Since the music producer is popular amongst younger age groups, I thought it would be appropriate to make the logo as colorful as possible so that it is eyecatching and interesting. I made my final decision on prototype 5, which was a color splatter, supposed to demonstrate graffiti. I chose graffiti as my final logo because it is related to pop art and is especially popular amongst young people, similar to how young people like ITZME. I want people to know that ITZME is a well-known music producer, especially for teenagers or young people.

Reflections

I like the colorful splatter and the graffiti-like style, I think it fits with the overarching theme of ‘being young,’ which are both present in my logo and my client ITZME. However, I think the logo does not tell the audience more information about ITZME, but rather only aims to attract other people, next time, I think it would be better if I added more elements related to Australia, where my client originally came from, for example, kangaroos, koalas, famous landscapes and architects in Australia to tell more information about ITZME to people that are looking at the logo.

Reflection:

• What challenges did you face- Grouping the shapes and lines into a single category was challenging because sometimes it automatically chooses the groups for me and that’s not what I wanted.
• What tips do you hope to remember to use in the future- Use the scissor tool to remove parts of the shape and lines so that I don’t need to make worry about making the lines too long or too short since I can just edit the line directly using scissor tools.
• How can you use some of these techniques in your own designs- The scissor tool is always going to be helpful in editing the length of the line.

Links to samples from tutorials:

Flower design

Wave logo

Illustrator letter design

Procreate letter design

5 refined logos

Description:

This design task is to design a bookmark on Adobe Illustrator that incorporates the element and principle listed in bold.

Element: Shape

• Lines joined together and connect to themselves. Shapes can be organic or geometric.

Design Element: Shapes

Shapes- Design Element Illustrator PDF

Description:

I made my bookmark this way because my last name is ‘Sun’, so I thought it would be cool to literally put a sun on my bookmark. Also when the bookmark is inserted in the book, part of the sun is supposed to be hidden within the pages, when the user pulls out the bookmark the entire sun will appear, which would make the process of removing a bookmark more enjoyable.

Design decisions:

The sun and the pink band are all composed of simple geometric shapes because I didn’t want the bookmark to look too detailed. Since its job is only to serve as a label that tells the reader where to begin reading, so I didn’t want the bookmark to be a distraction for the reader.

Additionally, semi-circles remove parts of the pink band so that it adds more variety to the rectangle, also makes it more interesting when pulling out the bookmark, the patterns will gradually start to appear.

Use of Illustrator:

By using the clipping mask feature in Illustrator, I was able to crop parts of the pink band off. I grouped the shapes that were used to compose the sun within one layer so that it was easier for me to change and move all the shapes with one click.

Principle: Cropping

• Intentional removal of parts of imagery or composition to enhance visual interest.

Design Principle: Cropping

Cropping- Design Principle Illustrator PDF

Description:

I made this bookmark to demonstrate the design principle of cropping. The word ‘GRAPHIC DESIGN’ is cropped using circles, which adds details to the bookmark by cutting parts of the word. The words at the front also remind me of the class that I designed this bookmark, which also corresponds to ‘Graphic Design’ written on the opposite side of the bookmark.

Design decisions:

I used different tones of pink and purple to make the bookmark because it is a flashy and eye-catching color that will grab attention immediately. I used black as the color of the word ‘GRAPHIC DESIGN’ because it contrasts with the pink background, in addition to the dark-toned pink makes the word pop out of the bookmark, despite being copped out by the circles.

I didn’t want my design to look too complicated, again, because it is a bookmark, it should not be a distraction to the reader.

Use of Illustrator:

Using the clipping mask feature on Illustrator, I was able to contain the circles within the pink border so that it does not go out of bounds. I changed the layers of the word to be behind the circles and put the circles on the top layer so that the circles can crop parts of the word out.

Things to improve:

I think I need to use and practice Illustrator more often to get to learn more features and incorporate them into my designs. Although the designs are simple, I wish I could add more details but since I was not familiar with Illustrator, it took longer to figure out how to use some of the features, for example, it was hard to adjust the layers to be correctly placed in order to crop the shapes.

What is design?

Design is the process of creating something to clearly demonstrate or convey the meaning and teach the viewer about the product. Graphic design focuses on the visual parts of designing, which means it’s mostly presented to the viewer

Goals, Interests In Design:

My goal for this year’s graphic design class is to learn the principles of design, to design something that is visually appealing and useful. I also want to find a way to utilize design in some of my illustrations.

I’m interested in the designs of anime, cartoons, and comic characters because they often don’t look very realistic but they also look visually appealing to some viewers.

How I Made My Self-Portrait:

Self-portrait

Process (click video to play):

Click to enlarge the image

1. Take a portrait photo of me, I wanted to do a less serious tone and go for an exaggerated/comical style, to include elements of pop art because I find the process of making pop art relaxed and offers more choices, for example, I’m able to customize the face to show the expression I want.
2. Insert the photo in Procreate and using a studio pen, outline the figure with dark red. The lines that defined shape are more noticeable (e.g. the outermost lines are thicker than the inner lines) so that the figure is more identifiable and it is easier to separate the figure from the background.
3. I didn’t want my portrait to look exactly like me so I decided to draw it in a cartoon/anime style. The dots were added because it reminded me of Kirby dots that were present in 1960’s comics to define shading, so I thought it would look more comic-like if I make the shading pop out.
4. Most comics, cartoons, anime characters have exaggerated eyes. The eyes are probably the most colorful/detailed part of the portrait because I wanted the viewer to mainly focus on the eyes first and because the nose is not really identifiable, the face lacked some sort of attraction point. The pose of the figure also puts emphasis on the eyes.
5. You might notice the random cat drawing on the scarf/cloth, it was something totally random drew by my friend and I decided to keep it because it sort of added a tiny easter egg, for the viewer to spot. I then added a layer of black lines around the figure using Procreate’s own special effect to make the figure really pop out from the background. Dots were added onto the background to create a unified look since dots were used on shading as well.
6. Finally, after exporting the portrait as a photo, I used PicsArt, an APP on the phone that lets me add filters to unify the colors of my work.

PicsArt App

Qualities of self-portrait:

I like the comic-like style of the art the simplicity of the colors and clothing. I think simplicity makes the portrait easy to understand while having enough details to not look boring.

Next time, maybe I should try to make a portrait that looks more realistic and looks more like me because the current version does not really look like myself, especially the eyes and the nose. I will also aim to have more variety of colors instead of the simple colors as this time so that I can try other styles of drawing as well.

I think these posters are good examples of persona posters because they all convey enough information and yet does not look messy. The words contrast with the background, making the viewer easy to read. I like the way the words are aligned, they all fit in well with the portrait. For example, poster 2 is really creative because it puts the words inside the hair of the portrait so that the portrait takes up enough space while also having room for the description. I want to strive to have a balance between having too many words and keeping the simplicity of the poster because often when there are too many words it makes the poster messy, but words are important to convey information.

Personally, I don’t really like the design of these three persona posters because of the way they are aligned. For example in poster 3, the words and the background don’t really uniform really well, every word seems to be random and out of place. When I look at poster 3, I get confused about where I should start because it tries to present me with too much information at once. As for posters 1 and 2, poster 1 has too little information and barely tells me about the person, while the font of poster 2 is way too small to the point that I have to zoom in to get a clear view. I do like the style and creativity of these posters, but I just don’t like the way that information is being presented.

My Persona Poster (PDF):

(Brandon Sun) Persona poster illustrator

For my persona poster, I chose tried my best to simplify everything, at this point all my texts and backgrounds are made up of circles and rectangles. I chose this style so that I can have a huge portrait at the center of my poster as a focal point, then I used a blue circle as the background so that I can place my title on top. Hopefully, when someone looks at my poster, they see my portrait first, then the title and description last, which is why I placed my title in the center along with my portrait because I want my viewer to focus on the artwork first. Then I have as minimal words as possible, wrote my goals and interests on the top with yellow and red rectangles as background.

I wish I knew more about how to use Illustrator so that I can use more of its functions to incooperate in my design, because it is my first time doing a persona poster with Illustrator, I’m not very confident and fluent in using the software.

My inspiration:

• What is design?

Design is the process of creating something to clearly demonstrate or convey the meaning and teach the viewer about the product. Graphic design focuses on the visual parts of designing, which means it’s mostly presented to the viewer

in a visual format.

• What inspires me about design?

Approaching design in a creative way such that it looks appealing and also at the same time, clearly communicates information to the viewer. Approaching design in various ways is both fun and inspiring, especially when making decisions that will change the way people interpret or the way information is presented.

• What are my favorite design examples?

I like the design of the characters in the movie ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’. I like how each Spider-Man has its own appearance, despite being completely different, they all seem to fit into the same scene very well. The movie also used Kirby dots which also appear in comic books to demonstrate shading, it was originally used to save money when printing, later developed into a style of comic culture.

• Who are my favorite designers?

I never looked into individual designers.

Me as a designer:

• What’s my most memorable experience designing (or creating) something? Why?

I like the characters I created because it allows me the freedom to customize their appearance and use the appearance to convey feelings to the viewer.

• What would I like to get better at doing as a designer? (Eg drawing, presenting, digital design, fabrication, photo-editing, sharing, collaborating, etc)

I’d like to learn to use digital tools, for example, Adobe Illustrator, In-Design, etc. to do my designs.

• What do already do pretty well? (Eg drawing, presenting, digital design, fabrication, photo-editing, sharing, collaborating, etc)

I can collaborate with people, I think it is easy for me to work with others. I also know how to use Procreate to create art.

5 Examples of Digital Portrait:

Click to view full image.

1. Artstation: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/NedYg
   1. This artwork is from Artstation by Jungen Kim, which appears to be digital art because the lines are very straight.
   2. The portrait presents a girl holding her drink, standing all alone crying. The artist may have done the art to resonate with the viewer or to feel empathy for the girl.
   3. The outlines have different thickness and colors, shading was used to make the clothing have a more realistic texture.
   4. I like how the character’s expression makes the viewer feel some kind of emotion with the artwork and all that is done through the way the artist portrayed her face.
2. Inspiration Grid: https://theinspirationgrid.com/creative-photos-by-pedro-dimitrow/
   1. This artwork is from Inspiration Grid by Pedro Dimitrow, it appears to be a photo taken by a camera because no lines were visible and the shading looks realistic.
   2. The portrait shows a sense of style through the clothing of the character.
   3. Shading is used to identify the shapes of the character. The overall tone of the picture is cool because of the use of cold colors.
   4. I like the style and clothing choice of the character, not every day we get to see someone with a full gas mask on their face.
3. Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/2885187251626656/?d=t&mt=signupOrPersonalizedLogin
   1. This artwork is from Pinterest by Sam Yang
   2. The portrait shows a girl sitting on the stairs, with the sunlight hitting her face. Her facial expression is very eye-catching.
   3. The artist used shading to portray sunlight and shadows, the lines are more disorganized rather than straight, thick lines.
   4. I like how the artist used lighting to create shadows and put emphasis on the character’s face because it is under the sunlight.
4. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vinne.art/
   1. This artwork is from Instagram by Vinnie, drawn in a digital form.
   2. The character is really simple, her clothes are no more than 1-2 colors. The way she holds a sword and her face grabs attention and makes the character look appealing.
   3. The tone of the artwork is cold while her eyes and sword are red, emphasizing her eyes and the sword.
   4. I like the simplicity of the design, yet it has enough details once you look more carefully into it.
5. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wlop/
   1. This artwork is from Instagram by Wlop, drawn using digital tools.
   2. There are a lot of details put into the design. The character is wearing flashy accessories that grab attention.
   3. The texture of the bracelet differs from other features such as fabric and skin. The red color of the fabric contrasts with the blue background, while splits the screen in half.
   4. I like the details put into the character and the expressions that she makes as if she is looking at the viewer while the viewer is looking at her.