Week 1 - Week
23/9/2024 - //2023
Leong Jiahui / 0353469
Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media
GCD62104 / MAJOR PROJECT
Instructions
Week 1
This week, I tossed around ideas on what I can work on for my FYP. I mainly wanted it to be something I'll have a lot of fun doing, something that won't require too much technical exploration yet still can wow people. My initial plan was an expansion on my previous Design Exploration module, except make it Malaysian, and introduce more characters to the lineup. I'm not too keen on working with 3D, and want to focus more on illustrations. I also thought about working on a Vtuber model to tie the whole idea together.
However, after consulting with Ms Anis, apparently Vtubers are a no go among lecturers. She encouraged me to work more on 3D as that will be the skillset the industry will be looking for (oh naur) On one hand I'm flattered that ms seems to be confident in my skills and believe that I can do more, but I'm not sure if I believe in myself all that much yet hhh.
After more discussions, I decided that hell, I can't be doing this alone. I recruited my fellow ED friend Raemi, and we decided to work on a set of blindbox figurines together, combining character design, 3D modelling and branding all in one. We wanted to produce the figurines physically as we felt it was always more attractive to have something physical to show at an exhibition. I'm not straying too far from my Malaysian theme, but we really liked the kuih-muih theme Ms Anis suggested. It's cute, niche, and most importantly, representative of Malaysian culture.
It may be week 1, but we got straight to work to come up with mood boards and concepts to solidify the idea. We are optimistic about the idea, and excited to work on colourful kuihs together.
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| fig 1.1 week 1 brainstorming |
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| fig 1.2 FYP timeline skeleton |
Week 2
This week, Raemi & I continued working on solidifying our ideas after feedback from Ms Anis & Mr Kannan. After receiving comments that our idea should be expanded further as an IP to have better sustainability as a brand in the long run, we started brainstorming potential character lore and world building. With help from our trusty not so secret 3rd member Mr ChatGPT, we decided that we could potentially turn this project into a series of collectible figurines, something resembling the Sylvanian families. We also decided to package them as a series part of the "Guardians of Malaysian Heritage", where they each represent a blessing. This increases it value for tourists and gives them a reason to get them as potential souvenirs and collectables.
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| fig 2.1 concept reconstruction |
Moving on, we started researching the history and cultural significance of each kuih to better portray them through our designs. With that in mind, we also started compiling moodboards for each character. However, due to limited timing, we weren't able to sketch much designs for all of our 12 characters. We pretty much just freestyle whichever that had some degree of inspiration hit us.
I worked on these 4 kuihs, reimagining them according to their silhouettes and main features. I tried adding a bit more fantasy elements to them to make them more interesting.
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| fig 2.2 kuih sketches |
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| fig 2.3 3D model on Nomad |
Feedback
Ms Anis
- come up w a stronger rationale, focus more on creating a fun experience
- steer away from raising awareness on kuih
- references on using mascots (japanese mascots)
- Suggest to focus the project on being a fun souvenir & experience for buyers
- Suggestion to build an IP similar to the Sylvanian families, but localise it so maybe something like kampung
Mr Kannan
- Determine our target audience & age group
- Think about what problem the project can solve
- Think about the sustainability of the project. Can it be repurposed for other causes? Further developed into different series?
- Build up character lore for each character. Give them a story and think of it as creating an IP.
- Show sketches next week to give a more solid idea of the project’s look & feel.
Week 3
This week, I worked on finalising the design for Kuih Bahulu so Raemi could start working on the 3D model. We find this work mode a lot more efficient rather than working on all the sketches at once first and then the 3D later. Worried about how the design might not translate well onto a small figurine, I decided to keep everything simple. However, we later realised the character lacked some complexity, that the simplicity was not unique enough to hold its own.
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| fig 3.1 kuih bahulu character sheet, chibi reference and splash art draft |
I also started working on some possible colour combinations for the character, but none of them are quite hitting the way I hope they're hitting.
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| fig 3.2 kuih bahulu colour tryouts |
Moving onto the next character, I started working on Kuih Lapis. I wanted to capture her youthfulness and playfulness through her outfit, while also portraying the layers of kuih lapis prominently in the design. I added a flowy ribbon to the outfit to complement the "magic kuih lapis carpet" prop that I gave to the character.
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| fig 3.3 Kuih lapis character design sheet |
On the 3D side, Raemi made good progress in sculpting Kuih Bahulu into our figurine style. We also tried out the colour schemes on the figure, and it further confirms to us that this colour scheme simply does not work, good lighting or not. We will have to try to fix both the design and colour scheme next week. It was also confirmed that we will be doing our presentations on Week 7, so we will have to start working on getting our slides ready.
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| fig 3.4 Kuih Bahulu 3D progress |
Feedback
Ms Anis
- Look up other heritage dolls as a reference when pitching
- Go wild on the fantasy elements for character design. It doesn’t have to make sense.
Mr Kannan
- name the series and brand
- presentation should emphasize the IP backstory to be more convincing
- come up with a potential merch line & world expansion
- Determine story & primary target audience
- think about how promote and build a following for the brand
- think about customizations & potential skins & outfit change (just a suggestion, need to think further abt practicality)
- if not detachable/poseable, no point separate parts for printing
- Do a test print of model
- Suggestion to do a stop motion animation promo video
- Get a test print model done by W5 for test print in campus
Week 4
This week, I continued working on the colour palette for Kuih Bahulu. Following the feedback from the previous week, I worked with more warmer tones. I also tried out slightly different shapes to give some variation to the silhouette.
After some discussion with Raemi, we decided to go for option 3, which gives more contrast in our opinion. Then begins the rendering. We wanted to polish up kuih bahulu so we will have a complete set of outcome for our proposal presentation.
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| fig 4.1 Kuih Bahulu sketches |
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| fig 4.2 Kuih Bahulu 3D chibi |
I also worked on some silhouette sketches of other kuihs. This week was a bit slower as I wasn't able to work during the weekend. I referred to
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| fig 4.3 character sketches |
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| fig 4.4 chibi silhouette test |
Feedback
Ms Anis
- More details is needed to make the character pop
- Try a better colour scheme for Kuih Bahulu
- Consider giving the model a subtle get impactful pose. Hero pose at the moment seems a bit huge to produce and may seem unbalanced when lined up with the rest of the dolls
- Proposal should include 2-3 character examples, will be presented to lecturers that are completely unfamiliar with our project
Mr Kannan
- Can try out better colour scheme to sell the character better
- Try out gradients
- Not enough distinctive feature for kuih bahulu
- Consider exaggerating body parts of the model (ex: big feet)
- Give characters different body types to showcase difference in personality?
- Use adobe colour/ dribbble to generate more
- Draw over the 3D model to explore more designs
- Make sure to test out the silhouette
Week 5
This week, I worked on finalising Milk Peda's hero pose. I also tried out different colour schemes, but most of them did not encapsulate Milk Peda's essence. Ms Anis recommended us to try the kuih to be able to translate not just the look but the taste and texture into the character.
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| fig 5.1 milk peda (palkova) design |
Feedback
Ms Anis
- exaggerate the pose & expression a bit for the hero pose
- a bit more accent colour (add some red)
- market it as collectables & local identity
- come up with a different name
- Try out vibrant and fun pupil shape, making eyes more expressive
Mr Kannan
- Overlay (paint over) gradient over the 3D model to see the colour effect
- can make the figurines one color (spray paint it gold/silver) and brand it as pewter Selangor if the cost is too high
- Cut out inner hidden parts for printing to save cost, make sure no gaps tho
- Make sure to get a quotation and the processing time this week
- Try out IdeaMaker to test whether the file is printable
Week 6
Feedback
Ms Anis
- For presentation, focus more on the project instead of the wordy parts. Many parts can be combined and simplified
- It would be better to include the naming and branding overview in the proposal presentation
Mr Kannan
- Overlay some gradients to give the colours a bit more depth and pop
- Can consider printing and painting one figurine, and spraying the rest a solid colour if budgeting constraints
Week 7
Proposal presentation to Mr Kamal
Major Project Proposal by Jiahui Leong
Major Project Proposal by Jiahui Leong
Mr Kamal
Week 8
Ang ku kueh hero pose
Finalise hee pan design
Finalise Pulut Taitai design
Finalise Bingkai Ubi design
Week 9
refinalise onde-onde design
Feedback
Ms Anis
- Onde-onde design works, can add some more white (maybe socks?) to balance out the bottom
- Good progress :D
- Keep working on getting the figurine done
- Think about how we want to sell the idea when we present, don’t just focus on making eye candy without a deeper substance
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