Art Direction: Task 2 & 3 - Project Proposal & Project Management
Lew Guo Ying / 0365721 / Bachelor of Design in Creative Media
Art Direction
Index
Instructions
This blog is developed in accordance with the Art Direction Module Information Booklet (MIB), combining the requirements of Task 2 (Project Proposal) and Task 3 (Project Management).
The blog documents the following requirements:
-
Each team member defines and documents their individual role/persona, recorded in the Project Management Document.
-
A clear project proposal, including the core concept, art direction strategy, and intended creative outcome.
-
Ongoing project management records, showing task allocation, priorities, and milestone progression.
-
Weekly updates documenting Activities Conducted and Progress Summary for each stage of the project.
This blog serves as an individual e-portfolio record that demonstrates both creative development and project management throughout the semester.
Project 2 Project Management Document
|
| Fig1.1 Project Management Doc and Gantt chat |
At the project management stage, the team focused on planning a clear and structured project timeline. After task distribution was finalized, Winnie led the timeline planning process, organizing milestones and deadlines to ensure the project progressed according to schedule.
Throughout the semester, the team followed this timeline closely. Weekly progress was consistently updated in the Project Management Document, recording task completion and development status. Overall direction, progress summaries, and project consolidation were primarily guided by Winnie to maintain clarity and alignment across the team.
Animation
Pre-Production Setup
Aura Color System
After discussion and refinement, we decided to define the core visual system of AURA using seven primary colors, each representing a key emotional state contained within the aura crystal. These colors form the foundation of our animation language, allowing emotions to be communicated through motion rather than explanation.
Each color is paired with a specific emotional meaning and animation behavior to help users intuitively understand the aura concept.
💙 BLUE — CALM
💚 GREEN — GROWTH
💛 YELLOW — ENERGY
⚫ GREY — STRESS
❤️ RED — MOTIVATION
🌸 PINK — COMPASSION
💜 PURPLE — IMAGINE
|
| Fig2.1 Typography |
The project uses Avenir Next LT Pro as the primary typeface to maintain clarity, neutrality, and modern visual consistency. The typeface supports the emotional animation system without overpowering the visuals.
The following weights are used:
-
RegularUsed for neutral emotional states and subtle information. Its clean and balanced structure supports calm and stable visual moments.
-
BoldUsed to emphasize key emotional keywords. The increased weight adds clarity and presence without appearing aggressive.
-
HeavyUsed selectively to represent strong or intense emotional states. The bold visual mass reinforces emotional impact during high-energy animations.
-
ItalicUsed sparingly to express softer, reflective, or internal emotional moments. The slanted form introduces a sense of motion and emotional nuance.
In animation, typography is used only to display emotion-related keywords that correspond to each aura color. Text appears as a supporting visual cue, reinforcing emotional meaning rather than delivering narrative content.
|
| Fig2.2 Aura |
The aura crystal functions as the container of emotional states, representing the complete emotional system rather than a single feeling. Gradient orbs exist within and around the crystal, visualizing individual emotional energies. Together, they establish a unified visual language for both structure and emotion.
|
| Fig2.3 Fluid |
Motion reflects emotional flow rather than physical realism, reinforcing the abstract and internal nature of the aura world.
Animation prioritizes emotional readability over realism or narrative detail. The project is structured as a cyclical emotional experience rather than a linear story.
AURA does not rely on camera mechanics. Instead, it is structured through world transitions and viewing states. There are two primary visual worlds:
-
External World — Physical Reality
-
Inner World — Emotional Aura Space
The transition between these worlds defines the narrative flow.
The animation begins in darkness. The viewer observes from an external, grounded perspective. The water surface represents physical reality — quiet, distant, and emotionally neutral.
Crystals fall into the water, creating ripples. Emotion is introduced through impact, not explanation. The resulting explosion marks the boundary between worlds. Reality dissolves, and the viewer enters the inner aura space. This moment is not a cut, but a transformation.
Inside the aura world, space becomes abstract and fluid. There is no physical ground — only emotional structures. Orbs represent emotional energy, with each color corresponding directly to a single emotional state. The viewer no longer observes emotion from outside; emotion is experienced from within.
Emotions are revealed through scale changes rather than cuts. For example, calm begins as flowing blue waves before gradually pulling back to reveal the edge of a blue orb.
As distance increases, individual orbs form points, lines, and surfaces, representing emotional systems rather than isolated feelings. The view continues to pull back until the full aura crystal is revealed.
The animation then exits the inner world and returns to reality. The aura falls back into water. Darkness returns. The emotional cycle is complete.
Throughout the animation, the primary subject remains centered to reinforce emotional stability and clarity.
Movement occurs around the center rather than away from it, ensuring the viewer’s focus remains emotionally grounded at all times.
Storyboard Narrative Overview
The animation begins in complete darkness. A quiet water surface slowly emerges, representing a neutral and grounded physical reality.
An aura crystal falls from above and strikes the water, creating expanding ripples. From beneath the surface, the 3D “AURA” typography rises upward, followed by the aura crystal itself. Both elements float together, circling around the word AURA as they ascend. Gradually, they scale down before collapsing into a single explosive moment, where gradient colors burst outward and fill the entire world.
Blue water waves spread in all directions. The word CALM appears and is slowly eroded by flowing water. As the view pulls back, the edge of a blue orb becomes visible. The calm energy begins to freeze, forming an icy orb that falls downward and collides with a grey orb below.
At the moment of impact, the word GROWTH appears. Green energy waves travel downward through the grey orb while growth energy erupts upward, transforming into a tree. The tree grows stronger, branches expand, and fruits begin to form. As the fruits mature, the tree gradually withers.
The fruits transform into a glowing sun. The word ENERGY appears, radiating light and intensity. However, without a sustaining source, the energy begins to fade. The world turns grey as fog fills the space. The word STRESS appears, vibrating in place as cracks form across the environment.
From the fractured space, red energy bursts forth. The word MOTIVATION appears, burning intensely and spreading aggressively to its surroundings, consuming itself in the process.
Soft pink mist then emerges, gently enveloping everything. The word COMPASSION appears, calming and stabilizing the space.
Subtle hints of purple begin to flicker in and out. Purple stars appear, accompanied by the word IMAGINE. The camera continues to pull back as countless orbs shrink into points, which connect into lines and expand into surfaces. These structures intertwine, forming complex emotional systems.
The view continues to retreat until the full aura crystal is revealed once again. It falls back into the water. Darkness returns. The emotional cycle is complete.
|
| Fig2.4 Ideation |
Before finalizing the opening sequence, I explored several visual metaphors to represent how AURA detects a user’s life energy.
Three main concepts were considered:
Among these ideas, the water-based opening was selected as the primary approach, as it most clearly communicates energy transmission in a calm, abstract, and emotionally neutral manner.
Motion & Emotion Mapping
Simple animation behaviors were also defined at this stage:
-
Flow — gentle horizontal and rotational movement
-
Calm (Blue) — slow, continuous motion suggesting stability and persistence
-
Energy (Yellow) — rapid, explosive motion with outward dispersion
The seven aura colors are paired with clear emotional keywords to support user understanding:
-
Blue — Calm
-
Green — Growth
-
Yellow — Energy
-
Grey — Stress
-
Red — Motivation
-
Pink — Compassion
-
Purple — Imagine
Typography appears only to reinforce these emotional traits during the animation.
LowFi
After establishing the aura color system, the color sequence was intentionally reordered based on emotional flow rather than visual preference. The animation follows a gradual emotional progression, allowing each state to transition naturally into the next.
The sequence begins with Blue — Calm, representing stability and continuity. Calm appears within the water, where the word CALM emerges and slowly dissolves, reinforcing a sustained and peaceful emotional state. From calmness, the animation transitions into Green — Growth. Water enables life to develop, and green energy appears as plants begin to grow, symbolizing renewal and steady progression.
Growth leads to Yellow — Energy, where fruits form and mature. Yellow represents a peak of vitality and optimism, expressing active and radiant energy. Suddenly, Grey — Stress interrupts the flow. The environment feels suspended, as if time has paused. Grey pressure fills the space, creating tension and emotional stagnation.
From this disruption, Red — Motivation emerges. Red energy spreads aggressively, infecting its surroundings with intense drive and urgency. As intensity reaches its limit, Pink — Compassion appears. Pink energy moves gently and slowly, merging elements together and restoring emotional balance through care and inclusion.
Finally, Purple — Imagine fades in and out. Purple introduces mystery and attraction, guiding the viewer into abstraction and curiosity, drawing them deeper into emotional reflection.
This ordered flow ensures that emotions are experienced as a continuous cycle rather than isolated states.
HiFi Storyboard
This stage focuses on presenting the final look and feel of each key moment, allowing the emotional flow, transitions, and atmosphere of the animation to be understood more intuitively. The hi-fi storyboard serves as a visual bridge between concept development and animation production.
|
| Fig2.4 Color and orb |
To explore how emotional energy could be visualized, I experimented with creating gradient orbs in After Effects. Various effects were combined and adjusted to achieve a soft, fluid, and luminous orb appearance.
A four-color gradient was used as the base to establish depth and color variation. Colorama was applied to refine color harmony and emotional tone. To introduce organic texture and internal movement, Fractal Noise and Turbulent Displace were used to simulate flowing energy within the orb.
Finally, Blur and Glow effects were added to soften edges and enhance the sense of light emission, creating a more atmospheric and ethereal result. These tests helped define the visual behavior of the aura orbs before final animation production.
|
| Fig2.5 Ripple |
To develop the opening sequence, I experimented with creating water ripple effects in After Effects. By using Motion Tile and Offset, the ripple pattern could repeat and expand seamlessly, simulating continuous wave propagation across the water surface.
Color was further refined by adjusting RGB curves, allowing the ripples to carry subtle emotional color tones rather than appearing purely physical. This helped maintain consistency with the aura color system while keeping the water visually grounded.
These water ripple tests were then integrated into the opening scene to form a 3D-like water surface, where ripples emerge dynamically as the aura crystal enters the water. This establishes the transition from physical reality into the emotional aura world.
|
| Fig2.6 Gradient |
In addition to the initial orb tests, I explored different gradient styles and visual treatments to expand the emotional range of the aura system. Multiple gradient combinations were tested to observe how color blending and softness affect emotional perception.
I also experimented with different methods of defining the orb edge, adjusting softness, glow intensity, and boundary clarity to find a balance between structure and fluidity. These variations helped determine how solid or ethereal the aura should appear in different emotional states.
The gradient orbs were then tested against different background environments, including light and dark scenes, to evaluate contrast, visibility, and emotional atmosphere. This ensured that the orb remained readable and emotionally expressive across various visual contexts.
|
| Fig2.7 Art Guide |
At the initial stage of developing the art guide, it was difficult to find strong visual references. Most available references were text-heavy and focused on written explanations rather than visual systems.
As a result, I began translating all concepts into a system-based structure, organizing colors, motion, typography, and narrative logic in written form. However, this approach quickly revealed a limitation — the guide became overly textual, visually dry, and ineffective as a visual reference tool.
This challenge highlighted the need to transform abstract descriptions into clear, visual-driven systems, ensuring the art guide could function as both a conceptual framework and a practical visual reference.
|
| Fig2.8 First Part in art guide |
After identifying the limitations of a text-heavy system, I began developing the AURA Animation Art Guide with a stronger focus on visual communication. The guide was redesigned to function as a visual and motion reference, rather than a written explanation.
All previously defined elements were simplified, combined, and translated into visual systems, including color, emotional flow, typography, motion rules, orb behavior, storyboard structure, and transitions. Screenshots, mockups, frame sequences, and visual examples were used to replace long descriptions, making the guide clearer, more engaging, and easier to apply during animation production.
The final art guide serves as a concise reference that communicates the emotional logic of AURA through visuals first, ensuring consistency across animation, motion behavior, and atmosphere.
|
| Fig2.9 Final version of animation art guide |
In the final stage of the art guide development, Winnie supported the project by refining the overall layout system, helping to unify the visual structure and balance the contributions from all three team members. This ensured the art guide remained visually consistent, clear, and cohesive as a single reference document.
In addition, I provided a QR code linking to curated music, sound effects, and visual references. This allows animators or designers following the art guide to better understand the intended emotional rhythm, atmosphere, and pacing beyond static visuals.
Submission
Feedback
Reflection
Through this project, I realized that my time management still needs improvement. Initially, I planned to develop several major animation scenes, but due to time constraints and the need for technical research, some ideas were difficult to fully execute. With a longer timeline, these concepts could have been explored more deeply.
I also found that while I am familiar with animation and After Effects, my lack of drawing skills made storyboard development a significant challenge. However, with the support of technology and iterative refinement, I was still able to complete the storyboard with satisfactory results. Overall, this project reinforced the importance of adaptability and learning beyond one’s comfort zone. I am glad that my limitations did not negatively impact the team, and that our final outcomes remained visually unified and well-integrated.
Comments
Post a Comment