Information Design / Project 1

February  17, 2025 - March 9 2025

17.02.2025 - 09.03.2025 / Week3 – Week5

Ryoma Kato / 0365874

Information Design / Bachelor of design (Honours) in Creative Media

MIB

WORK

For this project we need to 

( Main poster for reference )

This is the main information design poster that I chose for reference. The title is Smoking and Ill redesign this poster.

( Other poster for reference )

Those are other information posters for more details and design reference.

Next step, I draw sketches for redesigning a poster. I made 3 types of sketches.

( Sketches )

For the redesign process, first, I make icons for the poster.

( Icon editing screen in photoshop )

This is the icons editing screen. Main reference have 8 items so I made 8 icons.

( Icons that I made for making poster )

Those are icons that I made for the poster.

I made left sketch poster first.

( Editing screen for poster 1-1 )

I have decided on the title, background color, and title background color. The title background is yellow, commonly used in warning posters for toxic gases. The main background is gray instead of pure white to give viewers a darker, more serious impression.

( Editing screen for poster 1-2 )

Next, I placed a cigarette illustration in the center of the poster, following the sketch. To emphasize the image of something harmful to the body, I used the same color as the background but in a darker shade than the other background elements.

( Editing screen for poster 1-3 )

Next, I arranged the icons above the cigarette. The order was determined based on the "Alphabet" principle of the LATCH method.

( Editing screen for poster 1-4 )

Finally, I added details to each icon and completed the initial sketch as a finalized poster.

The below images are for centre sketch editing.

( Editing screen for poster 2-1 )

As for the second sketch, once I actually placed the icons and other elements, it felt completely off. Additionally, it was difficult to visualize the animation for the final poster, so I decided to discard it during the production process.

At the end, I turned the third sketch into the final poster.

( Editing screen for poster 2-1 )

I used the same background color and title placement as the first poster. The cigarette illustration and icons are also the same as those in the first poster. However, instead of placing them in the center, I positioned them on the left side to ensure there was enough space on the right for text.

( Editing screen for poster 2-2 )

Finally, I filled in the open space with details for each icon, completing the poster.

( Completed posters 1 & 2)

Those are poster that I redesign it. 

After showed to the lecture, he said I need to edit poster looks more danger so, I edit more.

( Editing screen for poster 1-5 )

So, I changed background color white to black because I thought Black color can I thought black would give the viewer a dark impression. However, simply making the background black didn’t create the eerie feeling as much as I expected.

( Editing screen for poster 1-6 )

After thinking about how to make the poster convey a scarier image, I decided to add a skull to the background. This edit brought the poster closer to the intended image than I expected.

( Editing screen for poster 1-7 )

And then I decided to shift the skull slightly to the left instead of placing it in the center, as this would make the skull more prominent and reinforce the message that smoking is harmful to the body through the design.

( Editing screen for poster 2-3 )

Next, I will also apply the same approach to the second poster design by making the background black and adding a skull to create a scarier impression. From the beginning, I knew that a yellow background for the title wouldn’t match the black background, so instead, I used a lighter shade of black for the title background.

( Editing screen for poster 2-4 )

I also decided that shifting the skull to either the left or right, rather than keeping it centered, would make it stand out more in the poster. I moved the skull slightly to the right because placing it on the left would have caused it to overlap with the cigarette, making it harder to see.

Although I had completed the poster for now, I felt that something was missing. So next, I focused on the color of the text.

( Editing screen for poster 2-5 )

So I changed the words color white to red. By making only the names of the toxic substances red, the color not only enhances the overall impression but also reinforces the association of red with danger. This makes it a suitable choice for the poster. This idea also can use to first poster so I changed that one too.

( Final completed poster 1 & 2 )

Finally, completed posters look like this.

For next step, I start to make an animation to this poster by using After Effect. I decide to make animation first poster. Because, I thought adding animation to this poster would make it a better animated poster.

( Editing screen in After effect 1 )

I will create an animation that transforms the top image into the final bottom image.

( Editing screen in After effect 2 )

First, I added an animation that makes the cigarette gradually shorten, as shown in the top image. This represents the act of smoking and the cigarette burning down over time.

( Editing screen in After effect 3 )

Next, I created an animation where the icons of harmful substances and their details appear on the poster once the cigarette reaches a certain length. Initially, I added an animation where the text and icons appear from the sides of the cigarette, but I found that using opacity adjustments to gradually reveal the icons and details looked better. So, I decided to go with this animation instead.

( Editing screen in After effect 4 )

The main animation part is completed when the last Polonium icon and detailed text are created to the place where it will be displayed.

( Editing screen in After effect 5 )

I created an animation where the skull from the original poster gradually becomes more visible as the cigarette shortens. Here, I intentionally set the maximum opacity of the skull to 80% instead of 100%, creating a slower and more gradual appearance compared to when it is fully opaque. 

( Editing screen in After effect 6 )

Finally, since this assignment requires a looping animation, I created an animation where the harmful substance icons and details, the fully smoked cigarette illustration, and the skull disappear, and a new cigarette appears, allowing the animation to loop seamlessly.

( Completed animation poster )

This is the completed animation for Idea 1 Poster.

FEEDBACK

Week 4:

The lecture said, my poster looks not so danger because of simple design. This is warning about the smoking so I need to edit poster more horrific.

Week5:

Lecture said just ok so no feedback. 

REFLECTION

Through this assignment, I learned that adding animation to a poster can help viewers understand its content more smoothly.  

At first, I struggled to decide on a theme for my poster. I spent several days searching for reference information posters on Pinterest and other platforms. Initially, I considered creating posters about ramen, different types of stray cats, coffee brewing methods, and music. However, no matter how many sketches I created, I couldn’t come up with a final design that satisfied me, which made the process very challenging.  

Even after deciding on the theme of harmful substances emitted from cigarettes, I still had many aspects to consider, such as how to integrate animation into the poster design and how to apply the LATCH principle we learned in class. I had to ensure that all these elements worked together while keeping the poster clear and easy to understand, which was quite difficult.  

However, the time I spent struggling allowed me to learn many things. For example, while searching for reference posters, I realized that animation can sometimes hinder the viewer’s understanding if not used properly. I also learned that by putting effort into the background design, a poster can convey its message not only through text and illustrations but also visually.  

Overall, this project helped me gain valuable insights not only into the effective use of animation for communication but also into poster design as a whole.