design tutorial (wip)

May 16, 2013 - 7:22pm — cicadia

wip

Will be much updating...if that bothers you, you may want to track at a later date.
I don't claim to know what I'm doing. These are just things that work for me.

Visual
think about things you have a strong affinity for. no passing phases, no 'newfound loves'. things you'll enjoy forever. compile at least 3 of these to be major components in the design. they can be anything. here are a few categories you can possibly chose from:

-objects (books, trees, feathers, beads, etc.)
-elements (water, wind, etc.)
-smells (smoke, bread, fruits)
-tastes (metal, baked goods, salt)
-feelings (sharp nails, velvet soft, smooth)
-sounds (scraping, shuffling, rhythmic)
-animals (canine, feline, equine)

weave the three together.

in example:
our three words are coal, water, and cat.
what happens when water and coal meet? coal runs and stains. it feels grainy. cat's generally don't like water. coal tends to leave smudges and marks. cats have paws, and tend to leave footprints about. conclusion? a dripping black cat with a foul mood who leaves coal-esque smudges everywhere it goes.

research and physical experimentation can help with this step. life experience is useful.

take a step back, and analyze the design.
my analysis: It seems plain.

fine tune it.

eyes are a prominent part of a cat. what color should the cat's eyes be? bright colors provide contrast, but dark colors are rarely used. compromise? black eyes with a bright gold ring around the pupil. remember, this is a coal cat. coal in the eyes sounds unpleasant. streams of black liquid from tear ducts provide a nod to the fact that foreign substances in the eyes irritate them.

Internal
test