Image 0: brain storming mind map.
Prior to start this activity, I established 'Environment' as the primary topic and constructed a mind map to explore related subjects. In my estimation, among the various issues, environmental pollution—particularly marine pollution and air pollution—constitutes the most critical environmental problem at present. Such environmental pollution serves as a catalyst, leading to numerous concerns such as global warming, sea-level rise, and the issue of marine debris. Therefore, I plan to set the themes of the posters in relation to 'pollution'. Furthermore, by actively incorporating animals that people tend to favour, I intend to draw audience interest towards these posters.
image 1: working title - “save the turtle”
reflection:
The aim of this poster is to represent the issue of marine debris through the image of a turtle. The primary cause of marine pollution is the vast amount of domestic waste discarded into the sea. Frequently, turtles mistake discarded plastic bags for their prey—jellyfish—and consume them. I sought to depict such incidents in this poster. Thus, I drew the plastic bag and jellyfish in similar shapes and placed them side by side for comparison and contrast. Through this grouping and contrast of objects, I endeavored to effectively express composition—a concept I learned in Week 4.
Image 2: working title - ”smoking earth”
Reflection: This poster is designed with a focus on air pollution. I have personified the Earth, depicting it as if smoking an industrial chimney like a cigarette. Moreover, I exaggerated the bags under its eyes to emphasise its suffering state. By placing this image of Earth prominently in the centre of the poster, I aimed to focus on the main object and effectively draw audience attention. Additionally, by placing 'QUIT SMOKING' in large letters at the bottom of Earth, audiences can easily infer the meaning of this poster.
Image 3: working title - “crime board”
Reflection: This poster is designed with the concept of crime boards, which are commonly used in criminal investigations. At the centre of this poster, I plan to place a photograph featuring a silhouette of a person. Surrounding it, various images depicting natural disasters and scattered newspaper clippings will be arranged, with the background gradually darkening towards the edges. Each image will be linked by push pins and red threads to create a sense of grouping. These threads will all lead back to the central image. All elements and negative space within the poster are utilised solely to highlight the centre. As a result, audiences' attention will naturally be focused on the middle. This design strategy encourages audiences to form questions about the connection between these events and the central figure perceived as 'the culprit'.
Image 4
Reflection: I have decided to use Image 2 as the final poster among the three concept designs. I believe it can effectively communicate the current state of the earth to others. In personifying Earth, I drew very thin arms and legs compared to its round body. Instead of colouring the landmasses with typical green, I used a gradient of olive and brown. These elements - emaciated limbs, dark skin tone, and prominent bags under eyes - effectively visualise the suffering state of Earth. Although in my concept art I planned for smoke to come out from its mouth, I changed this so that smoke emanates from a cigarette instead. This change was made in anticipation of collaging on Earth's body in Image 5. While painting with brushes, due to insufficient space for text at the bottom, I reluctantly wrote 'QUIT SMOKE' but will revert back to my original plan in IMAGE 5.
IMAGE 5
The final image for WEEK 4 involved enhancing IMAGE 4 through the use of collage. I decided to use newspaper articles about environmental pollution as the collage source that would best suit this poster. There were two main reasons why I chose to collage newspaper articles onto the Earth that I had already drawn, instead of collaging an entire typical shape of Earth. First, if I were to collage the entire Earth, it could diminish the impression of a sickly planet that I wanted to convey. Also, by integrating actual news articles into my design, I thought it would more effectively communicate to audiences the severity of environmental pollution. Additionally, both the cigarette (industrial chimney) held by Earth and its smoke are also represented using collage techniques. For smoke effects, instead of using typical smoke images, I tore up various photos related to environmental protection and added shadow effects, so they appear as if billowing outwards like real smoke.
Through this project, my understanding and skills in Photoshop have greatly improved which allowed me to complete a satisfying piece. The sense of achievement I feel from this is immensely gratifying.
