VISUAL COMMUNICATION (CW 1.1-1.2)
E M P H A T I Z E
We have decided as a group to create an entertaining and insightful STEAMPUNK Themepark for the public to engage with; hence, I was able to empathize or learn about the possible audiences we will encounter: A mixture of curious adults and children,
D E F I N E
"Curious minds need answers." This was what has been instilled on my mind while conceptualizing my creation for this task. In creating a point of view for the audience, I wanted them to be engaged in a way they were able to enjoy and at the same time, have a thought-provoking experience about what the Steampunk era really is.
I D E A T E
Symbolisms after symbolisms came across my mind during the thinking process of what my house elements will be. This is why besides my house attraction of being Victorian-era inspired, the inclusions of withered plants and trees to symbolize a polluted environment during the era, remnants of machineries, overruse of pipes and clocks, and all present elements are all relevant in telling a story about the Steampunk era.
P R O T O T Y P E
These are some aspects that I had considered along the thinking process in choosing which app/game I will use in creating my prototype: Doability, checking if the app is free, Accessibility to building elements, Popularity, etc. Hence, as result of this observation, the SIMS 4, a game which I love to play ever since as a child, was the perfect game to represent a real-life simulation. In addition, the Sims games has no expansions that is related to the Steampunk world, which makes the created design as unique.
T E S T
And to test if my created representation/prototype is effective, I created Sims 4 characters (dressed as people in the Steampunk era) to give me a much clear view of what it will look like on an audience point of view; hence, the screenshots I provided was proof that my design was audience effective, and also in terms of house height and perspective. I also asked my group members to critique my work during the revision process to test if the symbolisms that I want to convey to the audience will be effective.
FASHION DESIGN (CW 2.1-2.2)
E M P H A T I Z E
Because of our steampunk theme park concept from the previous module, I was inspired to design casual clothes for the most expected audience to visit a theme park, which are CHILDREN.
D E F I N E
Prior to the second revisions, my initial motivation for developing this design came from my discovery while researching that creative Steampunk clothing for kids was underrated and not utilized. Another reason is related to our concept of a Steampunk themepark, wherein this design would also serve as a clothing that kids can rent and buy whenever they would visit the theme park. However, after our consultations with Mr. Rino, I changed my goal to conserving the Philippine clothing and materials through our concept by incorporating the right mixture of these elements in the present times.
I D E A T E
I did lots of different research regarding on what Philippine elements are in need of recognition and at the same time is appropriate to apply to the casual wear that I designed. Hence, this is why I had also considered including local artisans for my designs such as Marikina Sapateros and even local metal crafters.
P R O T O T Y P E
In creating a representation for this concept, I had stick with digital designing as it is much more easy and convenient in terms of adding new ideas and in removing irrelevant elements.
T E S T
I was able to conclude that my design, along with the right mixture of Philippine elements, was effective and creative after receiving a good feedback in sharing my creation to the class and to my groupmates. In addition, I even remembered being commended by Mr. Rino that my work was promising and how the final design of my characters can be integrated to a storybook.
PRODUCT DESIGN & INTERIOR SPACES (CW 3.1-3.2)
E M P H A T I Z E
Besides of the fact that the book lamp as designed for the personal interest of the designer (myself), this design is also dedicated to all book lovers and enthusiasts of the fantasy genre, whether from books, films, or even the concept itself.
I D E A T E
My thought process in using these sustainable materials were as follows:
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Primarily use the box to create the book base for the lamp, and fold the newspapers together to make it look like pages of a book.
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In order to achieve the fantasy mythical forest look, I considered using paper towels to simulate the roughness of a tree trunk and glue it to the exterior of the book. Additionally, I used a glue gun to create the vines of my tree trunk, and painted it afterwards.
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For the interior design, I just experimented with the remaining decorating materials to accomplish the aesthetics of the concept: A Garden Fairy at a Mythical Forest
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The title "LUMINA," that was both inspired from a light fairy from Tinkerbell and a spell from Harry Potter--both meaning, brilliant light. Moreover, the title was created through cardboard cutouts.
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A warm color was more appropriate to achieve the magical glowing light effect, hence, an old vibrant sunset projection lamp was used for the main lighting; this is known to be a high-power LED with a 10-watt brightness. In addition, Fairy lights were also used for a dimmer lighting option.
D E F I N E
Finding the sustainable resources required to create the lamp was not difficult because our house is full of discarded, old, and recyclable stuff because my parents treasure almost everything we have. These are the materials found within my home suitable for my concept: Box (for the base of the lamp), Newspaper, Rough green sponge, Fake plants and flowers (fabric), Old resin figurine, ornamental marbles, Sinamay abaca fiber (formerly used for flower bouquet), dried leaves and flowers, fairy lights, an old sunset bulb, and of course, decorating tools
P R O T O T Y P E
No 5. (TEST) should be disregarded according to Sir Rino
I was really excited upon hearing from Mr. Rino that our first task in Design History class will be under the Visual Communication Track, given that this will be the major track that I will choose next year.
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Moreover, choosing a group wasn't a challenge since I already made friends with most of my class due to our Miriam of Nazareth exhibit. Consequently, my group mates were all cooperative, and all of us had equal distribution in giving ideas for our group, especially during the thinking process of our chosen era.
Revising my design was the challenging part because I had to be careful in choosing which elements are needed to retain and which are not.
Another challenging part was creating the missing Steampunk elements in game, hence, I had to make use of Sims 4 cheats (resize elements, freely place them anywhere, etc), and do mix and match to objects just to create a product under the Steampunk era.
But after working on this for about two weeks, I realized how useful the design resources Mr. Rino offered were, particularly the Monocle on Design podcasts I listened to while doing the task. In a way, this taught me how to constantly make designs that are relevant, whether it be the current period or trends we have or a component connected to the reason why I'm doing/designing it.