An exploration into 2D and 3D art

This week, we explored three colour palettes for each element. For the driver, we tested blue-gold contrasts, light blues with earthy browns, and a warmer mix of beige, burgundy, and grey. The warmer palette read best, balancing hippie tones with a bounty hunter edge. For the racer, we leaned on olive greens and gunmetal greys inspired by Vietnam fighters, contrasted by bright hippie spray-paints. Reflection: Colour completely shifted how the designs were perceived. A softer palette weakened the hunter theme, while darker and grungier tones reinforced grit and irony. For the racer, adding tacky purple interiors and golden trims reinforced the rodent-like personality of the driver. I learned that colour is storytelling: it can connect a vehicle and its driver by theme, even when their forms are very different. Feedback received: First driver palette (blue + gold) felt too soft and didn’t read as “bounty hunter.” Vehicle’s hippie colour overlays looked too bright in one variation,...

  From the silhouettes, we developed three concepts for each element. For the driver, one leaned into the cowboy bounty hunter look, another explored the animal pelt theme, and the last simplified details for readability, swapping curly hair for dreadlocks to reinforce the hippie influence. For the racer, one resembled an amphibian with wide wings, another was inspired by a frog-bike design, and the third refined the pod-racer style to feel more aerodynamic. Reflection: This week, I learned that details can clutter a design if not carefully managed. For example, tubes near the driver’s face made expressions unreadable, so we simplified. Iterating across three designs for each element revealed which details were essential (cloak, separated engines) and which could be cut. This process highlighted the importance of refinement and restraint in character/vehicle design. Feedback received: Tubes and clutter around the driver’s face made the design unreadable. The racer’s first am...

This week, we created silhouette thumbnails for both the character and the racer. For the driver, I experimented with exaggerated cloak shapes, long hair, and accessories that could read as “rodent-like” even from a distance. For the vehicle, I tried variations with separated engines, pod-racer-like layouts, and bulkier fighter-jet silhouettes. Reflection: The strongest silhouettes communicated personality quickly: hunched poses made the driver read as more rodent-like, while separated engines made the racer feel and look quick. Some silhouettes felt too generic, so I learned that exaggeration is key to making a design memorable. This stage helped me see which features would carry through into concept sketches. Wednesday Lecture C:

  This week, we focused on gathering visual references for both the driver and the racer. For the driver, we drew inspiration from rodent-like characters such as Warhammer’s Skaven, the rugged hunter aesthetic, and Star Wars bounty hunters like Cad Bane.  For the vehicle, we referenced podracers, Vietnam-era fighter jets, and hippie vans covered in peace symbols. Reflection: Collecting references helped us find a balance between humour, grit, and irony. The challenge was avoiding clichés while still making the designs recognisable. I learned that annotated references make design choices more deliberate, and that mixing cultural opposites (bounty hunter vs hippie) creates strong visual tension. Wednesday Lecture C:

  Blog Post: Design of the Toaster Today, I’m reflecting on the design of a common household object. The toaster. It's a great example of functional design that balances form and purpose. What I Like About the  Design:  Simplicity  and Minimalism :  The toaster’s design is clean and minimal. The smooth curves and plain white surface blend well with most kitchen settings. It doesn’t call attention to itself but looks tidy. Overall, I appreciate this toaster for how it works and for how it integrates into everyday life, making it almost an essential household appliance. Good design doesn’t always have to mean flashy aesthetics. It can also mean making something that works well, feels intuitive, and quietly adds to day to day use.