Brogan Swift, Royale Opera House by Brogan Swift

2nd moodboard - Juxtaposition

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Synesthesia response 2, Ink

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Here I did the same as I did for the 1st response but with ink instead, this one was a lot smoother to create and I like the overall look the most out of my other responses.

More ballet sketches - w/out references

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I'm pleased with these sketches despite their lack of quality only because my skills in anatomy had improved using Kandinsky's method - with no reference of an original pose.

Reference image

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Skull reference image from Pinterest for the skulls

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Began creating the chessboard using Adobe tools. I utilized the Line tool to create the grid.

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Changed the design of the king pieces to skulls. I liked the humanization of the pieces, which helped represent them more as characters, adding depth to the design.
Considered adding background pieces but decided against it. I felt that it took away from the visualization I had in mind and detracted from the original concept drawing.

Following series of images are the design/creation process of the final piece:

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Started with a rough sketch of the layout and composition.

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Sustainability in marketing design work from home task

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Research page on sustainability because it’s an important part of the Design Challenge, and adapting our practices to be more sustainable is essential in addressing climate change.

My Vision

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I wanted to jot down my thoughts to get my idea clearly on paper—a way to capture my vision and concept for the final piece. Writing it out helped me understand how my interpretation ties in with the play, making it easier to see the connections and the overall narrative I wanted to explore. It was really about getting everything plain and accessible so that my thought process, from the initial spark to the final concept, could be understood and refined.

Artist Research page 2,Vladmir Kush

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I began researching artists who use symbolism in their work, specifically those featuring chess or chess pieces. This led me to Vladimir Kush, whose paintings 'Taming of the Shrew' and 'CHESS' stood out to me. Taming of the Shrew is not only the title of his artwork but also a well-known Shakespeare play, which was a strong inspiration for me.

Final Concept experiment page

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I jotted down the current ideas I had along the middle drawing which was the newest concept. It felt bolder and more simplified. This new approach stripped the composition down to its essential elements, making it easier to capture attention at a glance. By eliminating some of the more intricate details, and the design becomes more striking. I went with this idea for my final outcome.

Medium experimentation 1

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I experimented with different mediums like alcohol markers, ink, charcoal, fineliners, acrylic markers, and pencils to explore various techniques and see which worked best for my ideas. I focused on drawing chess pieces, testing how each material created depth, texture, and detail. This helped me compare the effects of different tools and decide which ones suited my work best.

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The pencil sketch was of an image on Pinterest of a girl’s face with cracks, which gave me an idea to apply this idea in a way that represents Hermione, potentially incorporating elements of Bohemia or Sicilia within the cracks. However, I decided not to pursue this idea because it strayed too far from the themes I had already been exploring.

Planning my first concept

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Originally, I was envisioning a compostion that incorporates elements like two kings, a split image featuring contrasting background colours (one side representing Sicilia and the other Bohemia). Additionally, I wanted to add various chess pieces to show the other characters in the story.

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I really loved the full illustration/sketch of this concept—it captured so many intricate details that I was proud of. However, I realized that it might be too detailed to catch the eye of someone just passing by. The design needed to be bolder and simpler to stand out quickly. Additionally, the range of colours I used could make mass production expensive, especially when it comes to printing.

Medium experimentation 2

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I experimented with different designs, trying both a skull-inspired chess piece and a more traditional version, but I couldn’t decide which direction best fit my concept. Each design had its own visual appeal and meaning, so I kept exploring multiple versions to find something that felt both symbolic and visually strong.

Concept sketch

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I became fixated on the idea of using a chessboard in the poster, specifically featuring two king pieces to reflect the power struggle in The Winter’s Tale. To add deeper meaning, I included a broken chess piece to represent the mistreatment of Hermione, symbolizing her suffering and the consequences of the king’s actions. This helped tie the chess imagery directly to the themes of the play.

Designer vision moodboard

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I created a small mindmap based on the designer's vision of "juxtaposition" by brainstorming words, concepts, and ideas that fit the theme. Black and white led me to the idea of chess, which also connects to The Winter’s Tale, as the story features two kings - just like in chess. This helped me develop a strong idea of a way to represent contrast and duality. I drew smaller sketches of potential designs for chess pieces in my poster's design just to test how I felt about the concept.

Designer vision uncertainty

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Despite the unique theme of "embodied stories" and my research into Adinkra symbols and Michaela DePrince, I found that the direction I was heading in felt like a stretch. The connections between these elements and the designer's vision didn’t seem to align as well as I had hoped. As a result, I shifted my approach and began exploring the concept of juxtaposition, which allowed me to create more meaningful contrasts and connections that fit better with the overall design vision.

Role of the Designer research page

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Research into Ballet's history

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Small mindmap - coming up with ideas or themes

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This was a small mind-map created after deciding to do the marketing design option, where I attempted to find a focus point in the ballet to come up with an idea for a poster design, but I knew I wanted to do some kind of symbolism of an aspect of the ballet. I had decided to look into themes of jealousy - inspired by King Leontes in the actual story of The Winter's Tale - then searching up literal symbols for jealousy - to which I discovered something called the 'fofo' symbol.

Ballet poses - pencil sketches

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I wanted to explore ballet forms and poses for two reasons, firstly considering I'd be designing for a ballet poster or a set design and also because my chosen director's vision at the time was embodied stories. Drawing these types of dynamic poses were not something I had attempted before, and anatomy has always been a challenge for me, making the fluidity of dance even harder to capture. Studying Wassily Kandinsky’s 'minimizing subject matter' drawings helped me break movement into abstract shapes and dynamic lines, allowing me to better understand and express the forms of ballet.

Synesthesia reponse 5 - felt tips

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I chose another song, Act 3 - 'Clifftop Graves' and again I was visualising based off of the name of the song as well as the actual sound of the music.

Synesthesia response 4, felt tip pens

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This time, we chose the music ourselves, this one was from Act1 - 'Storm and Coast' - When knowing the name of the song I could visualise imagery a lot more, and parts of the song made more sense to me when drawing.

Synesthesia response 3, felt tip pens

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This response I tried using colours that I associated when trying to visualise parts of the music, working outwards in an almost spiral pattern from the top right corner.

Synesthesia response 1, pencil

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Music from the The Winter's Tale soundtrack from the official The Royal Opera House's soundcloud page was played for us, I responded to the music by just drawing to the flow of the sound, rather than a visualisation - although it feels right to say some of the faster or louder parts felt 'sharp' than the slower calmer sounds - hence the different jagged and wavy lines.

William Kentridge's Ink drawing from 'The bird series'

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Small ink experimentation

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I created this drawing in a separate sketchbook and stuck it in on a page after the bird one, but this was made before the artist response to test the use of ink since it's a relatively unfamiliar medium to me.

More ideas/ concept drawings

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These are some smaller concept sketches where King Leontes is depicted as a cat "playing" with other chess pieces. This imagery was meant to be a metaphor for his treatment and behaviour towards the other characters. I really loved the concept, and drawing the different poses was a lot of fun. However, I ultimately decided not to pursue this direction, as I felt the cat metaphor strayed a bit too far from the story's narrative.

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Michaela De Prince

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Considering that the fofo symbol was of West African origins, I originally thought that this would be a unique and interesting theme I could use for the poster design. Therefore, I decided to do more research into West African Ballerinas, which then lead me to Michaela De Prince. Her story is incredible and unfortunate due to her recent passing away - she was born in Sierra Leone in 1995 and lost her parents in the civil war. She also had vitiligo, which made her a target for bullying. But she found hope in ballet after seeing a picture of a ballerina. Michaela was adopted by an American family who supported her dream. She eventually became a well-known ballerina, using her platform to push for more diversity in the ballet world. She passed away at 29 in 2024.

Fofo symbol

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The Fofo symbol is what you call an 'Adinkra Symbol.'

Adinkra symbols are visual symbols from the Akan people of Ghana, West Africa. They represent concepts, proverbs, and values. They are often used in textiles, pottery, logos, and architecture. The Fofo symbol is a flowering plant as described in this photo and it represents warning against jealousy and envy.

First moodboard - embodied stories

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Artist response

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In response to William Kentridge's 'The bird series', I focused on reflecting his style through my own use of ink and mark-making. I experimented with creating bold, loose lines to mimic the texture and flow in his work. Using ink allowed me to explore its fluidity and create a sense of movement, similar to how Kentridge captures energy in his drawings.

Artist Research Page - William Kentridge

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'CHESS' Vladmir Kush

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Pinterest imagery that inspired me

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This one gave me an idea of representing the kingdoms of Sicilia and Bohemia in the silhouettes of two king pieces - which I didn't pursue but I felt contributed to my thinking process of final design concepts - such as representing contrasting themes of the kingdoms.

Pinterest imagery that inspired me

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I looked for more chess-related imagery on Pinterest for inspiration and came across an image of chess pieces with cracks. This got me thinking about how I could use that idea as a metaphor in The Winter’s Tale. The cracks could represent the flaws and mistakes of the evil king, or even symbolize Hermione’s ‘death’ .

Mind map made on the director's vision: Embodied stories

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'Taming of the Shrew' Vladmir Kush

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In his paintings, Kush uses chess as a metaphor for control, strategy, and balance in relationships, reflecting themes from the original play. This connects to my own work, as I am also exploring chess symbolism and Shakespearean themes, particularly The Winter’s Tale. Both plays explore power dynamics and duality, reinforcing my focus on juxtaposition and the interaction of opposing forces both visually and conceptually. Kush’s approach has inspired me to think more abstractly about storytelling and symbolism in my own designs.

Identifying your Target Audience worksheet – group activity

s00001376 — 2025-02-01 01:51:56 UTC

We were given the task to create this sheet on the target audience because in commercial fields like marketing and set design, it's crucial that the audience engages with the work. Designing with a specific audience in mind helps ensure that I communicate effectively and grab their attention in the right way. So I based the sheet off myself, as a young person in the age range of the target audience (14-19).

Identifying your Target Audience back of worksheet

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I was assigned to swap my profile sheet with another group and then review the information on their sheet, focusing on the persona they’ve created and their interests. After that, I needed to also create a moodboard that represents their persona as well. However I had to make the moodboard for my sheet myself due to being absent on the day.

Synesthesia workshop, Drawing to music

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Synesthesia is a neurological condition where stimulation of one sense involuntarily triggers another, like seeing colors when hearing sounds.

start frames of storyboard

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One of the tasks was to create a storyboard depicting the storyline of The Winter’s Tale. Although I didn't finish the entire assignment, I completed four frames that capture some of the play’s key stages. These frames highlight important moments in the narrative. Act 1 scene 2; Leontes suspecting Hermione of adultery, Act 2 Scene 1; Hermione is arrested, Act 2 scene 2; Leontes scends the baby away, Act 3 Scene 1; baby is found by shepherd and shepherds son.

Wassily Kandinsky: Minimizing subject matter images

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The Winter's Tale

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Summary:

The Winter's Tale is about King Leontes of Sicilia, who becomes consumed by jealousy and falsely accuses his wife, Hermione, of having an affair with his friend, King Polixenes of Bohemia. In his rage, he imprisons Hermione, exiles their newborn daughter, Perdita, and causes the death of their young son, Mamillius. Hermione is believed to have died from grief. Sixteen years later, Perdita, raised by shepherds in Bohemia, falls in love with Polixenes’ son, Florizel. When their relationship is threatened, they escape to Sicilia, where Perdita’s true identity is revealed. This leads to reconciliation between Leontes and Polixenes, and in a final miraculous moment, Hermione—who was secretly kept alive—is reunited with her family, bringing the story to a joyful conclusion.

Following images are of the Royale Opera House Trip:

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The Royal Opera House experience was truly unforgettable. Watching 'La Bohème' for the first time was something completely new for me, and the beauty of the building added to the magic of the evening. It was a dream come true to see a live orchestra perform, and I can honestly say I wasn’t disappointed at all and it definitely exceeded all my expectations.

Director's Visions

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Vision 1: A Moment in Time

Vision 2: Juxtaposition

Vision 3: Embodied Stories

William Kentridge

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William Kentridge’s set designs reflect his broader artistic practice, which is known for expressive charcoal drawings, animation, and installations. He adapts his style by incorporating multimedia elements like projections, merging two-dimensional and three-dimensional aspects to tell a story. For example he has used large projections of fire and destruction, which mirrored the opera "Wozzeck's" emotional depth.

Artist response/ experimentation

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I did a small recreation of Vladimir Kush’s Taming of the Shrew to explore his style and experiment with acrylic markers. I wanted to see how I could use the medium to create depth and contrast, but I wasn’t happy with how it turned out. I didn’t use a ruler, which made the lines look uneven, and I regret not taking a more precise approach. However, it was still a useful experiment in trying out a new technique.

Evaluation

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Adobe illustrate trace image experimentation

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Rough chess sketches adobe illustrate

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Typography experimentation

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Typography plays a crucial role in defining a poster’s look and feel. I used the website DaFont, and explored various fonts, including Ruritania, A Gothique Time, Seven Swordsmen BB, Morris Roman, Shakespeare First Folio, Xander Swordfish, and Chernobyl. After experimenting, I chose Xander Swordfish for its bold, fantasy-inspired style, which suited the title’s mystical feel. I was especially drawn to the star elements incorporated into the letters, as they added visual interest.

To refine the composition, I played with the letter placement, resizing some to make them fit better while maintaining balance. This approach made the title look more dynamic and visually satisfying, ensuring it blended with the overall design.

Mock up final piece

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I made the mock-up using Adobe Illustrator and started by applying Image Trace to two separate images of chess pieces and chose the grayscale option. Afterward, I cleaned up the images by removing the background, leaving only the chess pieces. I then placed them onto a black background. For the chessboard, I used an image I found on Google and added the title to complete the draft.

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The crowns were drawn on a separate layer and in yellow to emphasize their role as king pieces.
This choice of a cooler yellow shade was intended to add visual interest and enhance the overall composition. I selected this tone rather than a warmer one to avoid overwhelming the design, as the cooler yellow blended more harmoniously with the colour palette.
The crowns also help draw attention to the poster itself due to the contrast of the harsh black background and only using grayscale colours in the image.

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This is how they look combined together

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Once the chessboard was completed, I added a black background to the design to complement the pieces and bring the visual together.

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This screenshot of the process was taken after the final illustration was complete, but its showing I shaded the chessboard from dark to light on a separate layer, going from left to right, to emphasize the black chess pieces as a representation of Leontes.

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Afterward, I used Shape tool to create black squares, then Free Transform tool to position the black squares into the correct perspective.

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Added the title text and accented it with yellow to tie it into the crowns and the overall illustration's colour scheme. I also included the ROH logo to complete the design and further connect the elements.

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Created a separate layer from the chess pieces to work on the skull designs.
Swatched colours from the white chess piece drawing to maintain consistency in the colour palette.
Drew the white skull design using reference from pinterest.
For the black one I copied and pasted the white skull, then lowered the opacity to blend it seamlessly with the black chess piece's colours.
Added highlights to the black skull piece to enhance depth and contrast and look natural.

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I compared my design to the original pencil sketch and noticed that I had strayed from the composition - the digital one being more refined and neatened up.

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(I forgot to screenshot the sketch process of the chess pieces)

To create the chess pieces, I traced the outlines from my initial paper sketch.
For colouring, I picked colours directly from reference images of chess pieces.
I focused on building shadows and highlights to give the pieces more depth and dimension

Completed Final Outcome

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I’m overall satisfied with the completed illustration, as it visually represents my idea well and the duality of the kingdoms of Bohemia and Sicilia through their leaders, symbolized by the contrast of black and white, good and bad. However, I do feel that the detail could be more refined and less messy, and the elements could blend more smoothly into the surrounding background. Despite these areas for improvement, I’m pleased with the outcome because it captures the essence of the concept. The illustration reflects the complex nature of the two ruler -while Polixenes is not perfect, Leontes stands as the more deeply flawed character, especially considering his mistreatment of Hermione, his envy, harsh decisions, and abandonment of his child.

Reference 1 image from mock ups

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reference 2

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Brogan Swift, Royale Opera House by Brogan Swift

2nd moodboard - Juxtaposition

Synesthesia response 2, Ink

More ballet sketches - w/out references

Reference image

Following series of images are the design/creation process of the final piece:

Sustainability in marketing design work from home task

My Vision

Artist Research page 2,Vladmir Kush

Final Concept experiment page

Medium experimentation 1

Planning my first concept

Medium experimentation 2

Concept sketch

Designer vision moodboard

Designer vision uncertainty

Role of the Designer research page

Research into Ballet's history

Small mindmap - coming up with ideas or themes

Ballet poses - pencil sketches

Synesthesia reponse 5 - felt tips

Synesthesia response 4, felt tip pens

Synesthesia response 3, felt tip pens

Synesthesia response 1, pencil

William Kentridge's Ink drawing from 'The bird series'

Small ink experimentation

More ideas/ concept drawings

Michaela De Prince

Fofo symbol

First moodboard - embodied stories

Artist response

Artist Research Page - William Kentridge

'CHESS' Vladmir Kush

Pinterest imagery that inspired me

Pinterest imagery that inspired me

Mind map made on the director's vision: Embodied stories

'Taming of the Shrew' Vladmir Kush

Identifying your Target Audience worksheet – group activity​

Identifying your Target Audience back of worksheet

Synesthesia workshop, Drawing to music

start frames of storyboard

Wassily Kandinsky: Minimizing subject matter images

The Winter's Tale

Following images are of the Royale Opera House Trip:

Director's Visions

William Kentridge

Artist response/ experimentation

Evaluation

Adobe illustrate trace image experimentation

Rough chess sketches adobe illustrate

Typography experimentation

Mock up final piece

Completed Final Outcome

Reference 1 image from mock ups

reference 2

Identifying your Target Audience worksheet – group activity