Project One: Communicating the Sustainable Ideal.

Asymmetrical First Round Thumbnails



Asymmetrical Second Round Thumbnails




Symmetrical First Round Thumbnails



Symmetrical Second Round Thumbnails



4"x4" Asymmetrical and Symmetrical Roughs



Asymmetrical Final Comp.




Symmetrical Final Comp.



Visual Communication

I chose to use an environmental approach to the goal of this project by using terms related to the natural growth and sustaining of plants on our planet. In order to give my two projects unified yet diverse looks, I used many different design principles while planning them out.

In my non-symmetrical design I filled the space with five different words, all with different scales and shades of gray. The focal point is Vegetation at the bottom of the design, in black. From there the eye extends to the rest of the words by thickness of type and grayscale darkness. All of the words are interwoven into each other by using letters from each to finish or add to others, to prove how they all connect in reality. I used different shapes such as straight lines. curves, and a circle to add visual interest and to keep the viewer intrigued. By varying the fonts and how the words are spread out I tried to mimic ideas about the actual term to make it look like what it was portraying. For example, photosynthesis is circular like the sun, and nourishment is scattered like rain down on the vegetation. Lastly I used the rule of thirds to plan out where my terms would go, to keep the image interesting. Nourishment is mainly in the upper left square, photosynthesis is in the right, development stretches across the vertical 2/3rds line, regeneration curves along the horizontal 2/3rds line, and vegetation takes up the entire bottom third space. Overall although the design is non-symmetrical, it still remains balanced by arranging the words in the correct way.

As for my symmetrical design, I had to use a different approach. Vegetation was still the focal point, as it is the biggest and boldest font type in the image. From there the eye circles around following the curves of the terms until it reaches the sides of the image. Although I used different fonts or the five terms, they remain balanced due to their shade of gray. The darker the shade, the thinner or finer the typography. I used positive and negative space to evoke movement, and used a high contrast around vegetation to keep it as the focal point. The even proportions unify the design because they are similar to each other, yet have enough variety to keep a visual interest. I attached nourishment to development, because without it plants would not grow, and in order to regenerate and produce offspring, they need photosynthesis to occur. I tried to make the words "grow" off of each other. Instead of having vegetation directly in the middle, I used the rule of thirds to more effectively place it above center along the 1/3 horizontal line. The image is still symmetrical, yet not perfectly centered at a point.

I believe that I successfully communicated the idea of sustainability by using terms with a relative theme and arranging them in a productive and visually inviting way. By using design principles and going through many stages of development from thumbnails to the final composition, I created images that portray what was needed through an interesting set of designs that are unique and original.