Introducing Visual Communication: Colour & Composition

Colour Theory

16 Step Colour Scale

Colour Wheel

Bauhaus Personality Exercise

colour exercises in acrylic

These exercises using paint were interesting, and useful for developing my understanding of colour and tone. Of all mediums, paint is definitely one of my least used and most feared. I often work with ink and markers, so having to mix my own shades was quite challenging. I particularly found the 16 step scale difficult, as I struggled to match "equal" tones between different colours. My attempt is not the best, but at least it lets me know what I need to work on.

For the Bauhaus personality exercise, we were to mix colours we found appealing. In doing so, I ended up with a rather eclectic collection. This fits me quite well, in a sense - I am a terribly indecisive, open-minded "shades of grey" person, so a lot of different colours appeal to me for different reasons. Saying that, however, one similarity between the majority of my chosen colours is that they can be found in the natural world. This is very much my comfort zone; I am instinctively drawn to natural colours (florals, etc), and repelled by more synthetic-looking ones (I have a burning hatred for hot pink, lime green, and anything neon).

Bauhaus theme exercises in acrylic

The next part of the exercise was fun. We had to do smaller versions of the Bauhaus square exercise, but using colours we associated with prompt titles this time. I particularly enjoyed the natural settings and the hospital ward - since I have spent a lot of time in these settings, I found it interesting to think of the most prominent colours my brain associates with them.

Designing with Type

Feminine - Helvetica

Masculine - Clarendon

Playful - Bodoni

Power - Rockwell

Pattern - Calibri

Scale - Myriad Pro

For the typography exercise we were given a list of fonts, and a list of concepts to convey. We had to match each concept to the font we thought represented it best, and construct visuals consisting only of letterforms. 

For "feminine", I chose Helvetica - the supple curve of this font seemed to fit well with the typical idea of the feminine shape. I chose curvy letters to emphasise this, and based the shape of the design on the female reproductive system. For "masculine", I chose Clarendon - this is a slightly thicker, stiffer font than Helvetica, so I thought it fitted well with the idea of the male body biologically consisting of more muscle than fat. I chose the letter V as the focal point of the design as a reference to the typical idea of the male shape.​

​For "playful", I chose Bodoni - I tried to make the design as eclectic and random as possible to convey the speed and humour of someone's dialogue when they're feeling playful. I also incorporated the idea of childhood by using pastel colours and "tumbling" letters to look like building blocks. For "power", I chose Rockwell - this is a very bold and imposing font which I thought fitted the concept well. Personally "power" made me think of society, so I used one giant letter as the 'figure of authority' (with a 'crown' and 'high-profile individuals' at their fingertips) with the 'commoners' down below.

For "pattern", I chose Calibri - this is a very 'general' font, which made it the most suitable for the binary-style visual I wanted to create. Other influences for the design were tartan and argyle patterns. For "scale", I chose Myriad Pro - this seemed like the most clinical font, which suited the idea of scale and technical measurement. I incorporated three scale ideas into one visual tone, general size (technical scale) and height - and chose a letter that stacked well to show this effectively.
​

Composition

For this activity, we were tasked with creating three book covers - a children's book, a science fiction novel, and a psychological horror - all titled 'The Tree'. Each cover had to be in the style of one of the illustrators mentioned in the brief, and we had to choose which fitted which book genre. 

​children's book cover final

rough thumbnails

I chose to match Anne Yvonne Gilbert's style with the children's cover. Gilbert's work features coloured pencils and a vast array of tone, particularly soft florals and naturals. I found the pleasant, fantastical feel of her illustrations almost fairytale-like, and thus well-suited a children's novel. I tried to use similar colour schemes and a fantasy approach, whilst keeping the image bright and positive to appeal to a youthful audience. I added a rabbit and an apple, to give a secondary sentient focal point and a bright contrast, which would hopefully hint at a storyline and pique a child's attention.

sci-fi book cover final

rough thumbnails

For the science fiction cover, I tried to replicate the style of Charles Keeping. Keeping used pen and ink, often utilising abstraction and vibrant clashing colours to give a surreal feel to his work. I thought the illusionary, ethereal vibes of his style were suited to the concept of science fiction. I aimed to use clean black brushstrokes and a white base colour for the main focus (the tree), and contrast that with a coloured background and some more vibrant, abstract highlights. I had the idea to split the tree into sections and have electronic pathways emerging from the gaps - this was an attempt to give the 'tree' a dual identity as a wire, with reference to a motherboard,