Category: Graphic Design 2.1: Professional Practice

Brief

Now that you have reviewed your feedback and revisited work produced earlier in the unit, we would like you to create a ‘Process’ book. So what is a process book? Quite simply, a process book documents your research, development, experimentation, use of materials and mediums, testing and finally, resolution. So what is the difference between your OCA Learning log and a process book? Not a great deal with regard to content, however, a process book allows far greater control of how your material is designed and presented. It gives you complete control of layout, typography, format, paper stock and length. The proliferation of digital printers, such as Blurb, allows your process book to be printed as a one off very cheaply. Alternatively companies such as Issuu, can publish your process book as an interactive flip book. So why should I design a process book? As well as giving you complete freedom and control, a process book can become a tangible part of your portfolio. A carefully designed book showcases not only your thinking but your practical command of graphic communication skills. This might seem a daunting task but you already have the written and practical content from the exercises and assignments. So it just becomes a question of organising and editing the material and then creating a layout. To get you started, you will need to use a layout programme such as Adobe InDesign, QuarkXPress or Affinity publisher. All three have powerful tools that will help you to complete the book with speed and consistency. Once you have created the process book, it can become a template for subsequent units. 

Things to consider:

• Unlike your OCA Spaces Journal, a process book has a front and back cover and also a spine. The front cover can include your brand identity, created earlier in the unit. 
• Create master pages (parent pages). This will aid consistency and save you time
• Create a grid to include columns (all can be altered, if necessary at a later point)
• Create character styles. Restrict yourself to four or five. Again this will aid consistency and allows you to make changes universally to the document. As an example, I might create the following: Character styles for titles, body copy, sub-heads and captions.
• Page count: Remember this is entirely up to you but don’t cram too much material into the spreads. Allow the work enough room. A page could just be a single word.

To help you get started:

• Firstly, create a folder on your desktop and title it, Process book assets. 
• Next start to populate the folder with images, development work, (photos screenshots) finished pieces etc. 
• Next copy and paste all your written pieces into a Word or Pages document and then put the file in the assets folder. You now will have all the material in one place which will help you populate the book.
• Next open a new document in your chosen software and indicate size, pages, columns etc. See the example below using Adobe InDesign.

Once you have done this you will have a document ready to populate with your assets. The first page is your front cover. Consider how you want to organise the pages, for example in chapters or the 10 project assignments. You could at this point create a flatplan made up of thumbnails to help with this.

Now that you have started to add content (two or three pages), create four or five character styles as mentioned earlier. Once you have done this, experiment with your layout by editing the character styles, for instance change the title size colour and font — you will see that this will change all instances of titles throughout the document. This allows you to edit a document universally, saving you time and providing consistency to your book.

Spend some time creating alternative layouts and then finally save the document as a PDF. 

Upload it to your learning log. Below are some useful links that will help you create your book:

• Welcome to the InDesign User Guide
• Lynda.com InDesign training 
• Blurb
• The 7 secrets for creating balanced page layouts | Creative Bloq

What is a Process Book?

A process book is a structured and reflective document that records the creative journey behind a design or project. It includes all stages of development such as initial research, brainstorming, experimentation, testing and refinement leading up to the final outcome. The primary purpose of a process book is to show not just the end product but the thinking, problem-solving and decision-making that occurred along the way. It serves as a portfolio piece, learning tool and demonstration of creative strategy and professional workflow (AIGA, 2021).

In educational and professional design settings, a process book helps to articulate and communicate how and why certain choices were made. It can take both physical and digital forms and may include sketches, mood boards, notes, feedback, annotated visuals, and technical development (Shillington Education, 2023).

Inspirations: Analysing some designs

What I really appreciate about this brandbook is how well it balances clarity with visual storytelling. The clean grids and soft lavender tones create a calm and inviting atmosphere that makes the content feel digestible. I also love the consistency in how the visual elements flow, icons, photos, type and shapes all work together in harmony. It inspires me to be more intentional with structure in my own process book, using thoughtful colour palettes and repeated design elements to make everything feel cohesive and easy to follow.

This one immediately grabs my attention with its bold use of orange and black, it feels modern, confident and energetic. I really like how the pages showcase different applications of the brand across posters, merchandise and layouts. It feels alive and connected to real-world use. For my process book, I want to bring that same boldness into how I present my outcomes maybe through mockups, printed material examples or large-scale visuals that make the design feel tangible and impactful.

What really grabs me here is the bold use of typography, how the word “Analog” dominates the page and feels almost sculptural. It’s clean but dramatic and I love how type alone becomes the main visual. This reminds me that I don’t always need images to make an impact. In my process book, I’d like to experiment with oversized type and negative space to create visual pauses between sections or to emphasise key ideas in a way that feels confident and modern.

This layout has a quiet structure and thoughtful pacing. I like how it breaks everything down clearly with clean grids, earthy colour accents and soft photography. There’s a calm, instructional tone that doesn’t feel overwhelming. I want to bring some of that clarity into my own book, especially when explaining my process steps. Using consistent page structure and minimal design will help my content feel more approachable and grounded.

This design just feels joyful and expressive, it’s full of colour, energy and personality. I love the illustrated portraits and how they pair with bold backgrounds to make each section feel distinct. It celebrates individuality in such a playful way. I’d like to bring some of this boldness into my book, especially when showcasing my final work. Even just using bright colour blocks or layering hand-drawn elements could give my layout more warmth and emotional connection.

This one feels friendly and hands-on. I like the muted navy and mustard colour scheme, it’s calming but distinct and the hand-drawn illustrations add a personal touch. What stands out is how it combines information with visual storytelling so naturally. For my process book, I want to incorporate small illustrations or diagrams too, especially when explaining abstract ideas. It makes the content feel more handcrafted and personal, which I think suits the spirit of a creative process.

I love how expressive and bold this design is. The bright imagery and clean layouts feel experimental but still readable. It plays with alignment, scale and colour in a way that feels playful and contemporary. This makes me want to loosen up a bit with my own layouts maybe allowing myself to be less rigid to experiment with layering and asymmetry in places where I want to communicate creativity or emotion.

This one feels lighthearted and fun and I love the pastel palette, it gives the whole portfolio a dreamy and approachable tone. The use of colour blocks, clean fonts and personal imagery makes it feel very connected to the designer’s personality. I think this could inspire the more personal parts of my process book, like the introduction or reflective sections, where I want my voice to really come through in a friendly and honest way.

This design has a really strong presence with the dark backgrounds and punchy contrast. I love how it feels confident and stylish, especially with the graphic elements like arrows and bars. It reminds me that bold colour and sharp layout can create a powerful mood. For my book, I might use this kind of approach for chapter dividers or to highlight final outcomes, anywhere I want the viewer to feel a sense of polish and impact.

What I really like about this layout is how warm and inviting it feels. The soft pinks paired with natural photography give it a calming, almost spa-like quality that feels personal. I also appreciate the structured grid, it balances text and imagery so everything feels easy to read but still visually engaging. For my process book, I’d love to adopt this balance between calm colour palettes and clear sections to make my work feel approachable and well-organised.

The use of flowing lines and minimalistic vector shapes in this design really caught my eye. It’s elegant, fresh and professional without feeling too rigid. I like how each cover has its own unique twist while still feeling like part of the same family. I think I could use similar wave motifs or soft geometric accents throughout my process book to add some visual rhythm and cohesiveness from page to page.

This layout is sharp and striking, especially with its use of diagonals and bold pink accents. It has a more dynamic, energetic feel that contrasts nicely with some of the softer designs I’ve seen. What I want to take from this is the boldness, it reminds me that structure can still feel exciting. I might incorporate some of these angular layouts in my chapter dividers or intro spreads to add more energy to my process book.

There’s something really dreamy and modern about this one. I love how the pink tones are softened with gradients and how the use of circles and overlays gives a futuristic vibe. It feels like something from a digital product brand or startup pitch and that’s inspiring. For my own book, I think I’ll experiment with layering elements like this overlapping shapes or photos to give certain sections more depth and visual interest without overcomplicating the layout.

After spending time looking through all these visual references, I’ve realised that a soft, minimal layout with warm pastel tones, especially pinks, feels like the right direction for my process book. I’m really drawn to that mix of clean structure and gentle, welcoming design. I want the book to feel polished and professional, but also have a personal, approachable touch. Using warm colours, subtle overlays and carefully chosen typography and imagery will help reflect both my thought process and design style. My aim is to keep everything clearly organised while still creating a visual flow that feels calm and engaging throughout the book.

Mind-mapping

Thumbnails

Typeface

For the typeface in my process book I want something to reflect both clarity and calmness. I lean towards clean, modern typefaces that are easy to read but still have personality, nothing too sharp.

I chose Playfair Display and Fira Sans because together they felt like the right balance between personality and simplicity. Playfair Display has this elegant, slightly classic feel that gives my titles a bit of presence without feeling too formal. It adds a nice contrast to the clean, modern look of Fira Sans, which I used for body text because it’s super readable and easy on the eyes. I didn’t want anything too stiff or too plain, just something that felt thoughtful and well-matched to the soft, minimal style of my book. This combo let me keep things looking clear and structured, while still bringing in a bit of character where it counts.

Process Book

Online Flip book
Process Book – Maryam Zahedi

pdf

Self-reflection

Putting this process book together really made me stop and appreciate how much I’ve grown throughout the unit. It’s not just about the final designs, though I’m proud of those, but also about how my thinking and approach have developed over time. Looking back through each project, I can see how I’ve become more confident with research, sketching ideas and making design decisions that feel intentional. I’ve also tried to keep the layout of the book clean and consistent, which I think reflects how much more attention I now give to the overall presentation of my work.

Each project had its own challenges and learning moments. The 21st Century Zoo branding made me think beyond just a logo, and the Spin the Bottle project helped me understand how design connects to everyday use and user experience. I think the self-promotion piece was the most personal, it really made me reflect on who I am as a designer and what I want my work to say about me. Putting that part together felt honest and surprisingly fun.

One thing I noticed while building the book is how important it is to not just show the work but also explain the thinking behind it. If I were to do it again, I’d try to include more notes about the early stages and what was going through my head as ideas were forming. But overall, I’m really happy with how the book turned out. It feels like a true reflection of my journey, not perfect but thoughtful, honest and full of growth.

Resources

• AIGA, 2021. Designing a process book. AIGA Eye on Design. Available at: https://eyeondesign.aiga.org/how-to-make-a-design-process-book/ (Accessed 20 July 2025)
• FlippingBook. (n.d.). Online publication. Available at: https://flippingbook.com/account/online/475275648 (Accessed 28 July 2025)
• Pinterest. (n.d.). Process book. Available at: https://www.pinterest.com/ (Accessed: 22 July 2025)
• Shillington Education, 2023. Why every graphic designer should keep a process book. Shillington Design Blog. Available at: https://blog.shillingtoneducation.com/why-every-designer-should-keep-a-process-book/ (Accessed 20 July 2025)

Most of the coursework you’ve created so far has been a result of specific tasks with clear objectives defining the outcome. However every design or image you produce has a potential value or use beyond the completion of an exercise or assignment. At the end of Unit 1.1: Elements of Design, we asked you to go through the artwork / designs you’ve created throughout the course, and we would like you to repeat this task for this unit. Review your sketchbooks, working drawings and thumbnails as well as the more ‘resolved’ or finished design work. Try to step back from each task’s original context, and its success as measured against your original intentions and aims, and make your selection purely on whether you enjoy the outcome aesthetically or conceptually. Photocopy or scan a selection from your exercises and assignments to make a sample ‘portfolio’ of sketchbook work, images or designs as a showcase for your different visual approaches and styles. Make notes on your choice, it will be a valuable step towards making your selection of creative work and learning log entries when you submit for assessment.

Over the course of Projects 1 to 9, I’ve explored a wide variety of design approaches, from branding and visual identity to layout, campaigns, and interface design. Looking back now, I wanted to take a step away from the original briefs and objectives and instead focus on the work that still resonates with me on a personal level. These are the pieces I either enjoyed creating, learned something important from or still feel proud of whether they were fully finished or just an idea that stuck. What follows is a selection of those moments, showing how my thinking and style have developed throughout the unit.

Project 1: How the Industry Works

This piece helped me make sense of how broad and interconnected the design industry really is. It was a bit of a brain-stretch at first but once I started mapping things out, it became clearer and quite fun. I liked finding a way to visually untangle all that information. It reminded me how much I enjoy turning complex ideas into something people can actually see and understand.

Project 2: Promotional Posters & Your Town Onstage

I chose this piece because it was one of those moments where I just let myself play with type and see where it went. I wasn’t overthinking it, I just liked the contrast between the bold, textured letters in the background and the clean, bright text over the top. It ended up being a fun way to explore type as more than just words, almost like shapes or visual elements in their own right. I like how strong and graphic it feels, even though it’s quite simple. This one reminded me that sometimes the best ideas come from just experimenting and enjoying the process.

Assignment 2: A Sweet Identity

This piece was a fun one, I got to experiment with mixing hand-drawn elements and digital polish, which felt like a good balance between playful and put together. It was one of those moments where the design came together in a way that felt light and approachable but still intentional. I like that it has a bit of personality while keeping things clear and clean.

Project 3: 21st Century Zoo (Logo Evolution)

This was my first real attempt at building a visual identity system and I approached it with the idea that a modern zoo should feel warm, accessible and connected to nature not corporate or cold. I chose a hand-drawn style for the logo to reflect that organic, approachable feel and the large paw print helped ground it in something playful and immediately recognisable. I really enjoyed combining earthy textures with a clean layout, it gave the whole look book a friendly tone. This project made me think more deeply about how design can carry a message beyond just aesthetics, in this case, communicating care for animals and the environment in a way that feels genuine and family-friendly.

Assignment 4: Getting to Know You 

I chose this piece because it feels the most me. It was the first time I really leaned into my own visual style, soft, expressive and handcrafted. And let that guide the design instead of trying to match someone else’s expectations. The combination of delicate watercolour textures with clean typography struck a balance I really love: gentle but confident. It felt like I was introducing myself not just with words but with design that spoke for me. This assignment helped me clarify the kind of designer I want to be; someone who values detail, emotion and a strong personal voice.

Exercise 5.1: Spin the Bottle 

I chose this work because it pushed me to think more commercially and creatively at the same time. Designing for a real brand like Evian made me look closely at how subtle things, like colour, texture or typography can change the feel of a product. I experimented with different visual styles to see how each version could still feel “on-brand” but offer a new twist. It was one of the first times I let myself go through a proper trial-and-error process, exploring multiple outcomes rather than aiming for a single “right” answer. That freedom made the whole project more playful and rewarding and I ended up with results I was genuinely excited about.

Assignment 5: Redesigning a game

I picked this project because it was genuinely fun to work on. Redesigning Dobble into something that teaches maths felt like the perfect mix of creativity and purpose. I liked the idea of making learning feel playful, not like a chore. Playing around with different fonts, colours, and numbers let me be a bit more experimental and I added equations and math symbols to add an extra layer to the game.

Exercise 6.1: The Front Cover – Reading Matters

I picked this exercise because it reminded me how much I enjoy working with stories. Designing a book cover meant thinking about how to capture a whole mood or message in just one image, no pressure! But honestly, I loved the challenge. I spent a lot of time tweaking the layout and typography until it felt balanced and I found myself really caring about the little things. It was one of those projects where I felt more in control of my choices and more confident in trusting my instincts.

Assignment 6: Professional Bodies and Graphic Design Competitions

I picked this assignment because it really challenged me, in a good way. Trying to redesign the cover for Sapiens meant boiling down a huge, complex story into one simple, striking image. I played with the idea of human evolution running along a DNA strand and that visual just stuck with me. It felt like a way to show both where we came from and how far we’ve come, all in one. I ended up making a few versions because I couldn’t settle on just one direction but I actually enjoyed that part of the process. It pushed me to be more critical and intentional with my choices.

Exercise 7.1: Bon Voyage!

I picked this exercise because it just felt really meaningful to make. Designing something for Istanbul Duty Free gave me the chance to represent a place that’s full of personality and culture and I wanted the logo to reflect that without feeling too corporate. The tulip felt like a natural choice, it’s simple but says a lot and adding a hand-drawn touch made it feel more personal. I also played with the lettering to keep it loose and welcoming, almost like a signature. This project reminded me that design isn’t just about looking good, it’s about capturing a feeling, a sense of place. And I really loved that challenge.

Assignment 7: Unlikely Alliances

I chose this project because it let me bring together two things I didn’t expect to combine, a modern cafe brand and the timeless elegance of William Morris–style pattern design. I’ve always loved his work and using that as inspiration gave me a new way to think about texture, detail and how visual identity can create atmosphere. The floral pattern I created felt like a natural fit for Megan’s soft, handcrafted and a little nostalgic.

Exercise 8.1: Taking Creative Risks

I chose this piece because it represents one of the biggest creative risks I’ve taken and also a big step forward. It’s a complete reworking of a design I made in a previous unit but this time I approached it through the lens of surrealism, which gave me the freedom to be more expressive and instinctive. I let go of structure and focused instead on atmosphere, symbolism and emotion. The melting clock, the black hole, the calendar marked with 13, all of it was my way of visualising time as something fragile and distorted. It’s a bit unsettling on purpose. What made this one so important for me was not just the final image but the process of reimagining an old idea in a completely new way.

Assignment 8: Working with a Difficult Client

I chose this project because it tested more than just my design skills, it really challenged my ability to listen, adapt and stay patient. The fictional client had strong opinions and while that was tricky at times, it also pushed me to think more deeply about the purpose behind every design choice. I leaned into bold, gold visuals and ancient textures to reflect the richness and history of the Incan culture, while keeping the layout clean and clear for a public audience. Even though the process felt a bit tense, I actually learned a lot from trying to meet those expectations while still staying true to a vision I could stand behind.

Assignment 9: Take a Stand

The reason I chose this project is because it felt like I was designing with real purpose. Creating a campaign about sustainable fashion gave me the chance to speak up about something that matters to me, not just as a designer but as a person. I wanted the visuals to be loud and hard to ignore, so I went for strong colours, bold typography and simple but impactful illustrations. The idea was to make people stop and think about where their clothes come from, who makes them and at what cost. What I loved most was using design as a tool for awareness and change.

Identify a designer, studio, or collective that is now or has historically participated in design for social impact.

Find examples done well, as well as examples with room for improvement. Comment in your learning log how these might be improved.

Ask questions such as:

What is the design aiming to achieve?

Is the design truly for the public good?

Is it critical?

Is the intention to help or aid a cause?

What is the intention behind the work? For example: Is it purely unbiased information? Is it pushing an agenda or promoting propaganda?

For this research task, I looked into the work of Shepard Fairey, a graphic designer and street artist best known for blending political messages with bold, eye-catching visuals. Through his studio, OBEY GIANT, Fairey has created a wide range of socially and politically charged artwork. His work often challenges authority, sparks public debate, and aims to get people thinking and acting on important issues. Because of this, he’s become a well-known figure in the world of design for social impact (Fairey, 2020).

One of his most iconic pieces is the “Hope” poster from Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign. At a time when the U.S. was facing serious political and economic uncertainty, the poster aimed to inspire a sense of optimism and motivate people to participate in the democratic process. With its bold colours, stylised portrait, and clear message, it quickly became a cultural symbol (Cushing, 2017). It did a great job of engaging the public and encouraging conversation around the election. While its purpose was clearly to support a candidate, it also served a broader purpose by promoting civic engagement. That said, it wasn’t especially critical of the political system as a whole, it was more about uplifting a specific figure than offering a deep, unbiased critique (Miller, 2018).

A more complex example is Fairey’s long-running “OBEY” campaign, which started back in the 1990s. This project was originally meant to question power structures and challenge how we consume media and authority. It used ironic and propaganda-like visuals to get people to think critically about conformity (Fairey, 2009). While it started off as a bold and thought-provoking statement, the message became less clear over time. As the work became more commercial and entered popular culture, on T-shirts, posters, and merchandise, its original meaning began to fade (Edgar, 2016). The campaign started to feel more like a brand than a call to question authority, raising some tough questions about how easily activist design can be co-opted or misunderstood.

Looking at both examples, it’s clear that strong visuals alone aren’t enough for socially impactful design. The message needs to be clear, consistent, and stay rooted in its original purpose. Fairey’s work shows how design can play a powerful role in shaping public conversation, but it also reminds us how easily that power can be weakened if we’re not careful. This leaves me wondering: Can a design still do good when it becomes a material? And how can designers keep their work meaningful when it reaches a mass audience? These are important questions to ask when thinking about the real impact of design in social change.

References

• Cushing, T. (2017) The Obama ‘Hope’ poster: Art, propaganda or both? Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2017/jan/10/obama-hope-poster-shepard-fairey-inauguration (Accessed: 31 May 2025)
• Fairey, S. (2020) OBEY GIANT – The Art of Shepard Fairey. Available at: https://obeygiant.com (Accessed 31 May 2025)
• Goodbody, L. (2024) Icons of Rebellion: The enduring power of Shepard Fairey’s OBEY. My Art Broker. Last updated 11 September 2024. Available at: https://www.myartbroker.com/artist-shepard-fairey/articles/icons-of-rebellion-enduring-power-of-shepard-fairey-obey (Accessed: 31 May 2025)

Knowing what you know now, having developed the skills and confidence through your studies and further refined your personal design process, how might you approach an earlier exercise differently? Revisit any of the work you have completed at level 1. This might be a book cover design, a brochure or some of your first experiments with typography. Try to select an exercise where you have a complete learning log entry and access to your working files and process work. You may select an exercise you really enjoyed, one that you didn’t understand at the time, or you may decide to select an exercise that you would like to improve for your portfolio. Critique your work. Be honest with yourself and also be kind, your early work is not a reflection of your current skills and abilities. The perspective you have gained since you completed the first version of the project will inform how you proceed with this exercise. The goal is to push boundaries, take your work further, and demonstrate how your creative process has matured. Based on your critique, select the option that will best enable you to take creative risks with the work and evolve it beyond what you initially thought possible. Option 1: Scrap it and start over. With this option you go back to the brief and start with a completely new set of ideas, developing the work from the beginning. Option 2: Salvage and refine it. With this option you work with the existing files and continue towards the concept you had initially set out to achieve. You might make adjustments to layouts, colours, or typography but the core idea will remain. Option 3: Pick and choose. With this option you might keep some elements and completely replace others. You may return to a thumbnail sketch that was unfinished or you may dismantle the final layout and keep some elements. Once you have critiqued your work and designed the new, updated, or revised version, compare the exercises side by side. Reflect on how your process has changed and what you have learned since your first attempt at the exercise. Include this reflection in your learning log.

Selecting an Exercise to Revisit

I started by selecting a project from level 1 that I found challenging or less satisfying upon reflection, Magazine illustration. For this project, I didn’t fully understand at the time would be particularly interesting because I could now apply more developed insights to enhance it.

Critiquing the Original Work

Looking back at this magazine illustration project, I can see there were a few things that worked and a lot I could improve. I think I got the theme across quite clearly, the chaos of a child’s messy room as a “disaster at home”, and I liked using Procreate and experimenting with different textures and colour palettes inspired by real natural disasters. Including the character from my previous exercise gave the piece some continuity, and I enjoyed developing that part. However, I really struggled with the composition; it felt too busy and overwhelming, and I don’t think the final piece was very visually strong or creative. The character’s reaction sometimes got lost in all the mess, she looked like she was just stuck on top rather than part of the scene. I also felt limited by the concept, I went for a literal take on “disaster” and wish I had pushed myself to explore more unusual or metaphorical interpretations. Next time, I’d like to simplify the scene, focus more on the storytelling, and not be afraid to experiment with different ideas right from the start.

With my current skills and confidence, I would consider how I now approach design: I feel that the project’s core concept needs a complete overhaul, I would start from scratch, keeping the brief in mind but aiming to develop a fresh set of ideas. This would give me the freedom to explore new creative directions without being constrained by the initial design.

By redoing this exercise, I want to take everything I’ve learned so far and create a piece that feels more honest, refined, and true to where I am now creatively. I’m hoping to move beyond the struggles I had the first time and make something that really reflects how much I’ve grown, both in terms of my skills and how I express ideas visually.

Brief

A magazine wants an illustration on one of the following topics:
Lost – Disaster – Discovery – Guilty secret
They want an illustration based on a still life. You have the freedom to select the items for the still life and are given creative free rein. The rest of the content, the method you use to produce it and the colours you use are all for you to decide.
What to do
Working at a maximum A3 size, produce a well-observed, objective drawing of your set up. Consider the materials to use and do thumbnail alternative compositions to explore variations and formats. Allow yourself to distort your drawing to convey the essence of the word. Each decision you make – choice of subject, arrangement of subject, placing of subject in the frame, choice of media – should contribute to the overall description of the theme you have chosen.
Either trace, scan or photocopy this drawing and then do a tonal version of it. You may choose to totally eliminate the line from the drawing or to build tone around it.
At this stage you may wish to introduce a character or be more specific about a location to suggest a narrative. Alternatively you may continue to work with and modify your original still life.
Create a line visual that should communicate clearly the final artwork. Take this visual through to final artwork.

Choosing the Theme

After reflecting on the potential of each theme, I chose “Lost” for its narrative potential. I could choose objects that tell a story of someone who’s been missing or searching, like pieces of a forgotten life or memory.

Setting up the Still Life

Lost in Time

Pocket watch, sand watch, old calendar pages, dusty book, broken clock, faded photo, old hat, candle, old glasses, key, flower

Inspiration: Surrealism

Thumbnail

Drawing the Still Life

Introducing a Narrative Element

This still life tells the story of a man who was lost during war, someone who left home full of purpose, but never returned and his fate left unknown. The melting pocket watch once belonged to him, now warped by time and memory, symbolising how the truth of what happened has eroded over the years. The torn calendar page, frozen on the 13th, marks the day he was last heard from, a letter that never came, a knock that never followed. His photograph, faded and cracked, is one of the only things his family kept close, while the worn book represents the journal he carried, its final pages empty, stories never written, a life interrupted. I imagined these objects floating on the edge of a swirling void, representing how war not only takes lives, but also leaves behind unanswered questions and emotional absences. With this image, I wanted to reflect on how time doesn’t heal all wounds, sometimes, it just buries them deeper, leaving loved ones to piece together fragments of someone who was never truly found.

Design process

Final Design

Self-reflection

This piece, “Lost in Time,” is my attempt to express the surreal and abstract feeling of time slipping away. I wanted the melting pocket watch to be the central symbol, representing the distortion and fragility of time, and the torn calendar page marked with the number 13 adds an uneasy, unlucky feeling that ties into the theme of lost moments. The swirling black void in the background was meant to create a sense of being pulled into the unknown, as if time is collapsing or disappearing altogether. I tried to guide the viewer’s eye through the piece, starting with the large watch and moving down through the smaller objects, an old book, a worn photograph, and another watch, all of which I chose to represent memory and things left behind. I used warm, cracked textures and a muted palette to give everything an aged, almost forgotten quality. If I were to develop this further, I think including a more personal element, like a handwritten letter or a child’s drawing, could make the piece feel more emotionally connected. Overall, I’m proud of how this artwork turned out, it feels much more intentional and aligned with my creative vision compared to my earlier work.

Resources

• Freepik (2024). Damaged grunge texture. [Image] Available at: https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/damaged-grunge-texture background_160868982.htm#fromView=search&page=1&position=12&uuid=f562e391-1a07-454b-b244-411ff17c501a&query=cracked+texture (Accessed: 15 May 2025).
• Google (2025). Images. Available at: https://www.google.com/imghp (Accessed: 12 May 2025).
• Pinterest (2023). Surrealism. [Image] Available at: https://uk.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=surrealism&rs=ac&len=10&source_id=ac_Ky4o4qsu (Accessed: 15 May 2025).