Envision

Digital Illustration Motivational Poster

What motivates you?

Where do you find inspiration? What keeps you going when things get difficult?

For this project we will be making a motivational poster that will be a combination of digital illustration and typography techniques.

Why do we, as graphic designers, need to know how to envision?

Envision

The Studio Habit of Mind that will be explored in this unit is Envision.

To envision as artists, we must learn to picture, in our mind's eye, an idea (an aim, purpose, or concept), message (an important point or theme), feeling (an emotion or belief), or personal meaning (an intended communication of personal importance) as a visual artwork. This imagining should include symbols and metaphors as a visual representation to convey meaning through various artistic conventions. Another way artists envision their work is by imagining all of the steps in the process to create it.

Just as in all of the other Studio Habits of Mind, the ability for an artist to envision an artwork and the process of creating it takes repeated practice and time.

Artistic Concept

A concept is an abstract idea. They are the fundamental building blocks that lead us to think, act, or create in a certain way. Artists use different concepts to take their ideas from abstraction to reality. The concept being explored through the lens of the Studio Habit - Envision is Problem Solving.

Problem solving lies in an artist's ability to use a series of steps to identify a problem or goal, generate ideas, develop solutions, implement a design, and assess the outcomes.

Let's Problem Solve!

IDENTIFY

What's my problem?

A Lack of Motivation

Look at all of these bored people - they need to be inspired! You're a graphic designer who's been hired by your client to motivate their workers. They're asking you to create a visual that can inspire everyone through both the imagery and the provided motivational text.

Define the Problem:

Write it out! One of the best ways to clearly define your problem is to write it down. The format in which you write your information, thoughts, and ideas is up to you - anything from a bulleted list, complete sentences, doodles, or a stream of consciousness is effective.

You will pick the quote that your client wants to use on the poster randomly. If you cannot easily envision your quote as a symbolic image with text, trading is allowed.

Complete the accompanying "motivate me" sheet to record your ideas about the digital illustration motivational poster you will make.

IDEATE

Come up with lots of ideas - any and all are welcome!

Before we can generate lots of ideas, it's important to have the appropriate background knowledge to be successful. As graphic design students we will continue to develop our knowledge of the elements and principles of design and composition in general.

Element of Art and Design

The elements and principles of art and design are the foundation on which all art is created. They can be thought of like a sentence. There has to be words in order to make a sentence; no words, no sentence. The elements of art are like the words. Without the elements - line, shape, color, value, texture, space, and form - there is no art. That doesn't mean that all elements of art must be used in an individual artwork, just like not every word has to be used in a sentence, but at least one must be present.

Envision will focus on the following element of art & design:

Value

Why do we, as graphic designers need to know about value? Why is it important in graphic design work?

Discover some interesting aspects of the element of art & design: value

Learn more about this element by completing the value guided practice worksheet.

Principle of Art and Design

If we think of the elements and principles of art & design like a sentence, with the words being a metaphor for the elements, then the principles of art & design are the ways in which the words are arranged. The way in which you arrange the words of a sentence dictates the feel and meaning of it. More descriptive words, and the sentence gives more detail; less words, and the sentence reads sharp or abrupt. The principles of art and design are the way in which an artwork is arranged. Does it appear uneasy, or relaxed? Without the principles of design - pattern and repetition, contrast, movement, emphasis, balance, rhythm, and unity - an artwork would not have a unique look and personality to it. The principles of art and design are more subjective as well. This means that they can be viewed and interpreted by one person differently than they are viewed and interpreted by another.

Envision will focus on the following principle of art & design:

Pattern and Repetition

Why is pattern and repetition important to know in graphic design? Where could you use pattern and repetition in your work?

Discover interesting aspects of the principle of art & design: pattern and repetition

Learn more about this principle by completing the pattern and repetition guided practice worksheet.

Let's reflect:

How can you envision using value and pattern/repetition in this inspirational or motivational poster?

How does typography fit in?

Typography is the explicit, intentional use of text within in an artwork or other media source. Learn some important things to consider when working with text in a purposeful way.

Getting Started:

Project Specifics

MOTIVATIONAL POSTER

Composition

Composition refers to the arrangement of the elements of art & design according to the principles of art & design in any given artwork.

Composition is the key to creating a strong, aesthetically pleasing artwork that appeals to a targeted audience. This video discusses the importance of creating a composition with interesting positive AND negative space.

Learn more about composition in this guided practice worksheet.

Let's talk Symbolism!

Symbolism occurs when one thing represents or stands for another. In art, symbolism occurs when one or more visual images represent abstract ideas - like a bird representing freedom. When symbols come together they give meaning to an artwork.
For this piece, strong visual symbols are pulled directly from the text themselves.
Symbols have a universal connection - meaning that the image chosen by the artist must be understood to represent that idea by the majority of people observing the piece.

Pick out two important words from your motivational quote. What does your mind associate with those words? Share your ideas with a partner! Did they understand your visual symbols? Would they add or change anything?

Let's practice:

Study the text below. Envision, in your mind's eye, what image could represent the meaning of the text. Think outside the box - be both symbolic and meaningful in the imagery that you chose to use.

Beyond how we would create an image that symbolically represents the above inspirational or motivational text, what artistic or design elements could we "steal" from these images?

Now that we've learned some essential artistic ideals for creating a successful piece, it's time to generate our own ideas.

Brainstorming

Learn how to make your brainstorming sessions the most successful they can be.

Time to Sketch:

Explore Solutions

Sketch out your ideas keeping the following in mind:

The image must be made entirely out of the inspirational or motivational text you chose
The shape of the image should symbolically represent the meaning of the text
Consider the artistic ideals mentioned before: value, directional line; color; font; pattern/repetition, etc.

DEVELOP SOLUTIONS

Reflect and make revisions!

Let your partner go through your work without any insight from you before you let them know what your original intentions for the piece were - that way you can check to see if the message you intended to make is "visually reading" correctly.

Take notes on what is successful and what could use more work for the next step of making revisions.

Evaluate Ideas and Reflect

Working with a partner, critique each other's work using the following reflection guidelines:

Describe

Elements and Principles

Interpretation

Judgement

Design Process

In order to make revisions on our artwork it is important to dive deeper into the design process.

What did you learn about the design process that's new?

How does this fit into the concept of problem solving?

How can you use this in your work?

Artistic Conventions

A convention is an accepted way in which something is done. It's a variety of things that artists do to create a piece of artwork. Artists use their knowledge of the numerous different artistic conventions with corresponding methods and techniques to portray meaning in an artwork.

Each Studio Habit of Mind will explore different artistic conventions. In this example, the artist is using the artistic conventions that this unit will explore - visual literacy and readability, font selection, and color harmony.

Visual Literacy & Readability

This convention refers to an artist's ability to "observe" an artwork on a deeper level - searching for intention and meaning, symbolism and messaging. Finding and being empathetic to multiple perspectives is also a critical component to this convention. Lastly, readability comes into play when an artist takes what they've learned by being visually literate and applies that to their own work and the meanings and messages they create.

Font

This convention refers to an artist's ability to effectively select fonts to use in a particular piece that is considerate of the message being conveyed, the visual tie in with other design elements, readability for the viewer, and stylistic choices.

Color Harmony

This convention refers to an artist's ability to select numerous colors that go together in a way that feels unified and serves to enhance the messaging of the piece and also be aesthetically pleasing.

Make Revisions

Using the feedback that you received from your partner, your teacher, your client and the new knowledge you just gained, make revisions to TWO of your sketches that make the piece more successful as an inspirational/motivational poster.

Final Rendering

Let's critique again, but this time with someone new. Show your two revised sketches with your new partner without giving them any background information. Critique the sketch using the same guidelines as with our last partner critique. Be critical - an honest, straightforward critique with suggestions will move your partner to their best work!

With support from your instructor and your client, chose your best of the two sketches and create a final, fully rendered version of it that is to scale with the printed poster.

IMPLEMENT

Execute your design!

Typography Tutorial

Learn more about working with fonts including font styles, kerning, and working with text in this instructional video.

Time to Create!

ASSESS

What was successful? What wasn't?

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