Digital Illustration
Signs
A fictional sign advising pedestrians to take caution of banana peels
Details
Problem/Prompt: Create a street sign for a fictional or imagined situation. The sign should replicate the idea of a street/highway sign.
Process:
Research: reviewed existing street signs, studied style and visual conventions, considered context of real signs;
Generate: explored ideas of impossible scenarios, science fiction and fantasy, unicorn crossing, alien abduction, banal scenarios, banana peel hazard, etc.;
Experiment: designed mockups of strongest options, tested variables related to concept and content, iterated;
Refine: evaluated outcomes, developed illustrations, improved project.
Product: Signs is a fictional sign advising pedestrians to take caution of banana peels. Mimicking the style of familiar street signs, I explored the meaning of conventions, symbols, and simplified forms. I designed the final image as a moment mid-stride to convey a sense of impending peril, thereby empowering users to exercise their imagination and use their judgement.
Skills: Adobe Illustrator, design, concept development, visualization, style matching, iterative process
Sophronia
A visual abstraction of an imagined city
Details
Problem/Prompt: Create a graphic representation of the idea of the city from Italo Calvino’s book, Invisible Cities. Incorporate methods of abstraction, such as movement and gesture (gestalt), to affect the image.
Process: Surveyed options, selected city of Sophronia (Thin Cities 4.), visualized themes as images (contrast, cycles, stability vs. change), integrated color palette to support mood, explored and iterated, refined concept.
Product: A visual abstraction of an imagined city. Inspired by Italo Calvino’s description of two interacting “half-cities,” my illustration explores themes of permanence and transience, chaos and order, and the cyclical nature of time.
Skills: Adobe Illustrator, literary analysis, design, concept development, visualization, interpretation, iterative process
Faces
A black and white interpretation of three figures in face paint
Details
Problem/Prompt: Reduce an image to its most simplistic, but essential components.
Process: Selected reference image with compelling material. Responded to prompt with exploration of exaggeration, repetition, form, scale, and negative and positive space. Considered layers of meaning associated with masks, performance, and reduction.
Product: A black and white interpretation of three figures in face paint. Since the figures’ facial features are masked with paint in the original image, this project challenged me to consider layers of abstraction and meaning conveyed through form and symbols.
Skills: Adobe Illustrator, abstraction, reduction, analysis, design, concept development, visualization, style matching, iterative process