Final Group Assignment: The Carnival

031213 Tues.
So here comes our very last assignment for Principles of Design: a group project based on colour theory (how time flies! >_<). We had chosen "Carnival" as our theme and our group, led by Jessy, formed by me, Yueh, Michelle, Assel, Pei Yan and the only boy Bryan eventually decided to go with ferris wheel. :)

This is the basic idea of our ferris wheel which contains 8 colours: Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, violet and pink.

Since we would be having an exhibition for this final project, just like a real carnival, all items need to be BIG BIG BIG!! We were quite confused about the size, the height, the width of our ferris wheel at first @@ We eventually decided to make it 10 feet tall and we really hope that we could achieve it.

The height of our ferris wheel would be 10 feet and the width would be 7 feet in total. :)

 We were all super excited and confident at first during the group discussion. :p However I'm afraid I have to say we were wrong, totally wrong. Building a 10 feet tall object was absolutely, NOT EASY. Our biggest challenge as well as fear was actually how to prevent it from falling. Since the year is ending the wind would be really really strong. We cannot use something too light like carboard nor something too heavy like iron. As this is an happy carnival none of us would like to see any accident happen. >_< After another brainstorming, we came out this idea:

We planned to use wood for the base, motor rim for the center and pvc for the wheel.

We bought 2 second-handed motor rims which costed us less than RM 20 for two. The diameter of one motor rim is almost 18 inches. The steel used to hold 2 motor rims together was recycled object, we took it from a factory. All the PVC were welded to the motor rim they were therefore super stable no worries ^_^ As welding need license, we found professionals to help us to do the welding part.

Although most of the materials were recycled items, we still needed to buy PVC pipe for the wheel. These are the receipts haha XD

Our leader Jessy (right) and Yueh (left) were cutting the PVC pipes. :D

This was the structure of our ferris wheel! We eventually used steel to replace wood for the base(also recycled). In order to make the pipes curved, we put them into boiled water. Since we were beginners and not that skillful, we failed quite some times and the wheel was not perfectly curved. >_< 

Here comes the spraying part! We bought a pail of white paint to spray. :p

When the structure was done, it's time to do the "lanthern". We did them at Yueh's house. :)

We used cardboard to make the lantherns at first, but they looked very unstable and ugly. One day before the final presentation, we suddenly pop out this idea: change the cardboard by using mounting board. Mounting board was harder to cut compared to cardboard. But one of us cut one so we managed to finish them within one afternoon. Moreover, we added paper cutouts (which we learnt before from our previous assignment) to our lantherns. We put light bulb inside the lantherns so that the paper we cut could be shown beautifully when the lights were on. The paper cutouts were based on the theme Carnival as well, they are ferris wheel, balloons, merry-go-round, popcorn, clowns, bumper car, haunted house and roller coaster. ;)

This is the process of our ferris wheel. A round of applause to our new born baby!! :D and YEEEEESH, IT CAN TURN!! :D

The ferris wheel, and us. <3 :) (Photo credits to Danny.)

This assignment was really fun and awesome. Our teamwork was just beyond compared, what I can only say is EXCELLENT! Well done everyone, we can't do it without any of you guys. This assignment has shortened the distance between us and made us closer than ever. Thank you Ms. Lisa and my group members! For everything. :') See you all next semester! ;)

Colour Theory

151013 Tues.

As far as a designer is concerned, we all know that colour in design is very subjective. With colours, we can set a mood, attract attention, or..make a statement. We can use colour to energize, or to cool down. By selecting the right colour scheme, we can create an ambience of elegance, warmth or peace. Colour theory is a science in itself. (Sir Issac Newton was one of the first scientists to investigate colour theory.) Sometimes, something as simple as changing the exact hue or saturation of a colour can evoke a completely different feeling. Wondering what is hue? Saturation? Keep scrolling. :)

Hue

• A hue is any colour on the colour wheel.
• Hue defines pure colour in terms of "green, blue, red".
• Hue also defines mixtures of two pure colours like "red-yellow, blue-violet". 
• Hue is the name of the colour.

Value

• Value is the lightness or darkness of a colour.
• All hues can be made in all values.
• Adding white paint will make the pigment lighter; adding black paint will make most pigments darker.

Saturation

• Saturation can also be called a colour's intensity.
• A saturated colour is high in intensity, it looks rich and full.
• A unsaturated colour is low in intensity, it looks dull and grayish.

Secondary Colours

• Secondary colours are the colours formed by mixing two primary colours.
• Yellow + Red = ORANGE
  Red + Blue = VIOLET
  Blue + Yellow = GREEN

Tertiary Colours

• Tertiary colours are the colours formed by mixing a primary and a secondary colour.
• Yellow + Orange = YELLOW-ORANGE
  Red + Orange = RED-ORANGE
  Red + Violet = RED-VIOLET
  Blue + Violet = BLUE-VIOLET
  Blue + Green = BLUE-GREEN
  Yellow + Green = YELLOW-GREEN

Analogous Colours

• Analogous colours are colours that are next to each other on the colour wheel.
• An analogous colour contains one primary colour, one secondary colour and one tertiary colour.
• e.g. Yellow, Yellow-Orange, Orange

Tint

• A tint is a colour produced by the addition of white.
• The more white added, the lighter the tint.
• Tints are also known as pastels.

Shade

• A shade is a colour produced by the addition of black.
• The more black added, the darker the shade.

Monochromatic Colours

• Monochromatic colour schemes use a single hue (purple above) and then use various tints and shades of that original colour.
• They are very low in contrast.

Warm & Cool Colours

• The colour wheel also visually illustrates colour "temperature": warm vs cool.
• Vivid hues that bring about a sense of warmth are labeled as warm colours. This includes hues from yellow to red-violet.
• Hues that generate the exact opposite feeling are called cool colours. They tend to be associated with cool temperatures and relaxation. This includes hues from yellow-green to violet.

Colour Symbolism

1. Royalty

• The colour purple has been associated with royalty, power and wealth for centuries.
• Purple was the colour worn by Roman Emperors and magistrates, only wealthy rulers could afford to buy and wear the colour.

2. Freshness

• Green is the colour of nature and represents growth, harmony, freshness, hope and fertility.
• Green has great healing power and it is the most restful colour for the human eye, it can improve vision.

3. Passion

• Red is the colour of fire and blood.
• It is associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire and love.