PROD142- week 3 and 4 reflective journal

 

Reflective Journal:

• What I’ve learned:
  Layering techniques in Photoshop, experimenting with colour palettes, layout adjustments in InDesign, how scale changes the visual weight, etc.

• Problems encountered:
  Alignment issues, difficulty making elements cohesive across variations, exporting files properly, clashing colour harmonies, etc.

• Solutions tried:
  Using guides and grids, testing multiple colour harmonies and researching visual references.

• Design-wise

  • Silhouettes:
    Each design has a clear and distinct silhouette, which is excellent for character readability. The big hoop dress and feathered gown stand apart from the more compact, playful costumes. This contrast makes them memorable as a set.

  • Details & Motifs:
    There’s a nice use of repeated motifs (feathers, swirling patterns, layered textures). They give unity to the designs without making them look too similar.

  • Balance:
    The first two sketches lean into elegance and grandeur, while the latter two have more playfulness and energy. That creates a good range. One note: the first design’s lower half is very heavy compared to the upper body, it works for drama.

  Aesthetic-wise

  • Theatricality:
    All four feel very performative, almost like stage costumes for carnival, masquerade, or fantasy theatre. They have drama and exaggeration that makes them pop visually nad also relate to our theme.

  • Personality:
    The costumes don’t just decorate the characters; they give them character. For example, the second figure’s feathered gown feels mystical and elegant, while the striped stockings in the fourth sketch feel chaotic and eccentric.

  Suggestions / Things to Consider

  • Cohesion Across All Six: Weve got at least four distinct designs here, will the final six lean more toward the baroque-fantasy direction, or push even harder into surreal/strange?

  • Texture Emphasis: Right now, lots of the richness is in linework. When we move to colour, I will have a chance to push textures (metallic shine, velvet softness, feather iridescence, etc.), which will hugely affect the final mood.

• Next steps:
  Test new colour variations, polish 2 out of the 6, review feedback with partner.