Design Principles Final Project - Visual Analysis

Final Project - Visual Analysis

Lecture 

Observation _ state what is seen using design principles 

Analysis _ explain what is observed 

Interpretation _ with context, draw own conclusions about the entire art

Instructions 

Visual Analysis

Fig 1.0: Countdown to Countdown comic cover by Xiao Tong (@Velinxi)

Observation

The focus of the art is the boy in the center. He appears to be jumping out of the black frame in the background and is holding various drawing tools in a claw-like grip. His pose is closed in. He is dressed in dark, earthy colours. There are cloth wrappings around his limbs which look to be unravelling. Light blue and green smoke is billowing from him in curvy, organic lines. There is a half hidden peach-coloured profile within the smoke curls in the upper half of the artwork. The base of the image is a light cream colour. There is the title of the comic in the top right corner in black. 

Analysis 

The darker tones in the boy's clothes and shoes nearly blend in with the black shape that he is jumping out of. This makes him contrast heavily with the light colours of the smoke and background. The hue of his skin is also unique within the artwork which makes him stand out further. However, the lighter green in his coat almost blends with the darker tones of the smoke. The lines and shapes of the smoke draw the eye to the main point of the artwork, the boy. This, combined with the lines that are created by the unravelling cloth, gives the viewer a sense of movement. The hidden face blends a little with the light smoke and background colour. The title is bold and set apart from the rest of the artwork so that it is clear and easily legible. 

Interpretation

I have not yet fully read the comic this is the cover of. However, from context we can assume that the boy is the main character of the comic. He appears to be jumping from the dark and into the light. Due to the disheveled look of his clothes, he may be escaping from something that is chasing him and the smoke is billowing from him as a result of his chase. His pose is curled in and defensive, which would support the previous point. This comic is of the supernatural genre and the drawing tools in his hand may have something to do with powers that he has. The face hidden in the smoke might be related to what he is running from or a hidden secret that he is keeping. 

Idea Exploration

References / Image Sources:

Fig 1.0 - Countdown to Countdown comic cover Velinxi