Design Principles: Task 2
23/02/2026 - 13/03/2026 (Week 4 - Week 6)
Choong Yee Leng || 0381980
Design Principles || Bachelor Degree in Creative Media || Taylor’s University
Task 2: Visual Analysis & Exploration
TABLE OF CONTENT
1. Lectures
2. Instructions
3. Visual Analysis
4. Ideation & Sketches
5. Feedback
LECTURES
Visual Analysis
- is a method of understanding design that focuses on the visual elements and principles.
- to recognize the choices that a designer made in creating the design and to better understand how the formal properties of a design communicate ideas, content, or meaning.
Visual analysis phases
- Observation: look at the visual elements, think, and finding good language to communicate what you notice.
- Analysis: think about how the specific visual elements that you’ve identified combine to create design principles that complete that work of design/art, and the effects on the viewer
- Interpretation: giving facts about the design work and historical context that you find in trustworthy published sources.
INSTRUCTIONS
Document 2.1 Module Assessment Task
VISUAL ANALYSIS
Observation
The artwork is formatted in a portrait orientation. The background is dominated by the colour red, which covers most of the canvas. A woman’s silhouette is placed at the center, making it the main visual element. The title “Paprika” is placed near the character and mainly on the red background. The text is coloured white and placed vertically to align with the portrait format of the artwork.
The silhouette is duplicated into three layers. In the outermost layer, the character Paprika is shown facing outward. Her hairstyle and clothing appear in red tones that blend closely with the background. This layer is illustrated in a more realistic style, with smoother shading and clearer details. In the second layer, the character Dr. Atsuko is shown facing inward. The illustration style in this layer is flatter and adopts the animation style of the movie, the addition use of Ben-Day dots makes the layer less realistic. In the innermost layer, only a silhouette is visible. The silhouette is filled with elements from the movie Paprika, presented in background of darker red tones. The illustrated elements appeared in the animation style of the movie as well.
Analysis
When viewing this artwork, the viewer is first attracted by the strong colour contrast between the vivid red background and the other colours with different hues and values. This contrast immediately draws attention to the subject in the center. However, the contrast is not created by colour alone. The artwork also shows clear style contrast between the layers which allows the viewer to distinguish each layer easily at first glance.
The strong colour contrast creates emphasis. The large negative space in the background also allows the complex illustration to stand out clearly at the center of the canvas.
The viewer’s eyes then follow the three repeated silhouettes, which apply the principle of repetition. By repeating the silhouettes, the composition becomes easier for the viewer to understand and accept. If the complex imagery were presented without repetition, it would take more time for the eyes and brain to process the information.
The principle of movement is created through the layered structure. The viewer’s eyes naturally move from the outermost layer to the innermost layer. The outer layer with larger area attracts attention first, followed by the smaller inner layers. Movement is also reinforced by the direction of the characters’ faces which Paprika faces outward, while Dr. Atsuko faces inward. These guides the viewer’s eye through the composition.
Gestalt theory is also applied through the principle of closure. The viewer is able to recognize Paprika’s hair and clothing using simplified shapes without detailed features.
In addition, word and image work well together through clear visual hierarchy. The title “PAPARIKA” is placed vertically in white, creating strong contrast against the red background while remaining secondary to the illustration. Its placement beside the outermost silhouette also further supports the movement principle without distracting from the main artwork.
Interpretation
This artwork is inspired by the 2006 animated film Paprika. The story follows Dr. Atsuko Chiba, who enters patients’ dreams using her dream persona, Paprika, to treat mental illness. The dominant red colour reflects Paprika’s passionate and energetic personality, as red is a key visual element of her hair and clothing. This also creates a contrast with Dr. Atsuko’s calmer and more reserved character.
Paprika’s silhouette is placed on the outermost layer, while Dr. Atsuko’s silhouette appears inside, representing how patients see Paprika in their dreams while she is actually Dr. Atsuko behind the identity. The innermost silhouette contains important elements from the film, including side characters and the antagonist, further strengthening the artwork’s connection to the movie’s narrative.
IDEATION & SKETCHES
Sketch 1
Figure 4.1 sketch 1
This sketch applies the principles of emphasis, contrast, movement, and word & image. The visual hierarchy is established by emphasizing the title “Paprika,” which follows the pattern of the breaking glass. This will draw the viewer’s attention first to the title, then to the main subjects, which is Paprika and Dr. Atsuko, and then to the side characters and surrounding elements. Movement is created by arranging the characters in a curved composition. This guides the viewer’s eyes across the artwork that begins with the most important figures, Paprika and Dr. Atsuko, then moving to Tokita (the orange robot), followed by the doll, and lastly to the least important element, the red mascot. Contrast is introduced through the glass reflective effect applied on Paprika that made her presence slightly less obvious, while Dr. Atsuko is highlighted more clearly. This continues reflect the idea expressed by the original creator that Paprika is essentially the dream-world manifestation of Dr. Atsuko.
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Figure 4.2 Reference 1
source (https://pin.it/ukboUuaql)
Sketch 2
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Figure 4.3 Sketch 2
This sketch applies the principles of contrast, balance, repetition, and word & image. This composition applied principle of balance that is not seen in the original artwork. Paprika and Dr. Atsuko are positioned at the center of the canvas, while the other elements like the side characters and butterflies are distributed evenly around the composition to create a stable and harmonious layout. Contrast is created by reducing the colour value of the elements in the background. By making these elements darker and less detailed, the central subjects appear clearer and more dominant. The principle of repetition is applied through the use of similar silhouettes and recurring elements. Paprika and Dr. Atsuko share a similar silhouette, which again emphasize the concept of two identities sharing in same character. Butterflies that repeat around the composition also applied the repetition principle. The visual hierarchy is further strengthened by placing the title “Paprika” in the center along with the main subjects. This placement will guide the viewer’s attention naturally toward the title and the main characters.
Sketch 3
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Figure 4.4 Sketch 3
This sketch applies the principles of Gestalt theory, contrast, emphasis and word & image. The composition adopts an important concept used in the original artwork, particularly the Gestalt principle of closure. This principle is applied when Paprika’s silhouette appears without detailed features. Even though the figure has no internal details, viewers can still recognize the character through the complete outline. Contrast is created through the use of colour value. The background elements, which represent scenes from the movie are darkened so that they become less visually dominant. This allows Paprika’s silhouette that placed in the center of the composition to stand out more clearly. Emphasis is achieved by using a vivid red colour for Paprika’s silhouette while keeping the surrounding elements darker. The title “Paprika” is presented in white, which is similar to the original artwork to ensure that it remains visible and readable against the vivid red background. Placing the title within Paprika’s silhouette at the center helps maintain a clear visual hierarchy by guiding the viewer’s attention to both the main subject and the title at the same time.
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Figure 4.5 sketch 3 references
source 1 (https://pin.it/YE7yMhpkr)
source 2 (https://pin.it/5Kmjpeg4p)
FEEDBACK
Week 5: No class
Week 6: The first sketch is acceptable that the idea presented is clear. Need 2 more sketch with detailed explanation.
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