Design Movement Essay Plan (DD1000)

Below I have pasted a copy of my essay plan that basically explains which design movement I have chosen, why I have chosen that movement and a list of sources that I will use for my research:

Historical Design Essay Plan

As part of Historical Contextual studies with Ben we have been tasked with writing an essay that will focus on a chosen historical design movement. This essay will give an in depth look at all the research areas within the chosen movement. I have decided to proceed using the Art Deco design movement as the base of this essay because I have a genuine interest and would love to learn a great deal more about it.

The style of Art Deco is very unique and uses basic Geometric shapes in a certain form that is very pleasing to the eye. I have learned that particularly in architecture it uses a step pattern which is evidenced by the Chrysler building and the Empire State building and this style is present in most drama theatres as it was widely popular during the design of these structures. The title of the essay will be “The Art Deco design movement” which correlates to the topic.

I have purchased a number of reading materials that will aid me greatly in my research, these are listed below.

Art Deco 1910 – 1939 by Tim Benton (2012)

Based on reviews from consumers who have purchased the book, it is said this book is the definitive volume on Art Deco. It covers everything from the sources that came to develop the style and all the way to its spread across the world. Looking at scans from the book It is very well laid and comes with many relevant high quality images which is very useful and interesting.

Design History: A Students Handbook by Hazel Conway (1987)

This book focuses on design overall which will become of use for researching how we plan out designs and how this ideal has changed across many years.

The Laws of Simplicity by John Maeda (2006)

This book goes in depth about how simplicity plays a key role in design and can relate to the Art Deco movement in a number of ways.

I will also have a look at different online sources to get any ideals or opinions that people may have so that I have a wide range included in my essay. I will update my blog with these research materials so that they can be accessed easily in one place.

Headline Puzzle (XB1000)

In Today's lesson with Stephen we were given the Manchester Metro newspaper with which were asked to use any headline for the base idea of a puzzle. We found an article about five people dying from consuming a full can of energy drink in a small space of time that resulted in a caffeine overdose.
Our game was similar to a "Where's Wally" puzzle in which the player has to find safety hazards within a drawn image. Below is an image of hints for each object and the actual puzzle picture:

Design Movement Choice (DD1000)

As part of Historical Contextual Studies with Ben, we must write an essay that  identifies a chosen design movement that presents an in depth catalogue of information. To start the group must choose a design movement with which they would like to base this essay around. Though it isn't finalized I believe I will choose Art Deco.

Art Deco is quite an interesting movement to me and I would like to find out more about it. We have covered this movement in a recent lecture and I found out many new facts, one of these being that the majority of stage theatres have an Art Deco design primarily because it was highly popular in the 1960's when they were structured. 

The Manchester O2 Apollo Arena is a prime example within the local area as I remember noticing the decor when I was at a concert sometime last year.

Puzzle Idea (XB1000)

Stephen has tasked our group to come up with three separate puzzle ideas that relate to defusing a bomb, relevantly titled "Da Bomb!". I have come across several ideas but I have decided to go ahead with the following idea as my main puzzle although this may change depending on how well the puzzle is recieved in playtesting at the next lecture.

The puzzle is numerical and consists of the player using a set of given numbers to enter a code that will add up to a specified number. each code consists of six numbers which must be entered from smallest to largest. Each code will halt the electrical current through one wire. The three wires are the primer, battery and ignition timer.

The player will be on a set time limit which I will set at one minute, although this is subject to change as I will see how fast test players can complete the puzzle.

Black and White Image (Final) (DD1101)

Black and White Image (DD1101)

This is an image of my black and white piece designed in Photoshop. We were allowed to choose the character we draw so I decided to go for a sort of gladiator type character. The image shown is the base and I will be adding details such as his face, clothing and weapons soon. I also decided to have the character holding a severed head in his right hand just to make the character look more brutal. The final version will be posted soon, stay tuned!

Design Movement: Cubism (DD1000)

Cubism first came to light in the early 20th century, derived by both Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. It has inspired movements in music, architecture and literature and is declared to be the most influentuel art movemnet of that century. Cubism basically consists of simplified shapes such as spheres and cylinders which depict natural forms. The term cubism is said to have originated by a man named Matisse refering to cubes when observing a pianting by Braque.
I find the style of this movement very interesting as the shapes create obscure images and the architecture is nice to look at, as seen in the image above.

Design Movement: Cubism Moodboard (DD1000)

Design Movement: Art Deco Moodboard (DD1000)

Design Movement: Art Deco (DD1000)

Art Deco is a design movement that originated from France in the 1920's and appeared globally at the start of the 1930's. It had a heavy influence on all styles of design including architecture (as shown by the Chrysler building in New York, image above) and the visual arts such as film and graphics. It is a style that represents aspects such as elegance and modernity with its structure being based on mathematical geometric shapes (also evidenced in the image above). 

I especially like this design movement as it is heavily referenced in one of my favourite games Bioshock. I agree that the design represents elegance as the shapes relate well to each other and look very pleasing to the eye. I also like the fact it has had such an influence on future design, especially interior design. 

Character Design Final (D1101)

In the latest lesson with Mark, everyone gathered together to present their three images of themselves as a character from a videogame. Each person would stand in the centre of the group to display their work and then recieve comments from Mark and fellow peers. 

I have provided my three drawings below:

I think this was an effective way of knowing what we did well and what could be improved upon as everybody had the chance to speak up their own opinions. One thing that was touched upon and that I totally agreed with was that on the full body image, the hands were too small. Proportions are key when it comes to drawing a picture that looks right.

Prototype Traditional Game (XB1000)

On Wednesday's lesson with Stephen we were tasked with getting into a group and bringing forth ideas for a traditional boardgame. We were then asked to create a prototype of the game on paper with rules and a key. Below are images of the game and the key:

Once the board games were complete, we paired with another group and tried and tested eachothers game. We then responded with and recieved feedback as to how our game could be improved. 

An example of feedback we received was to add more blackholes to each lane and change the rules so that a player would be taken back to the nearest black hole on their lane, not on the whole board.