Vehicles are required for the inhabitants of a world to travel and even to reach other planets, and can range from small craft to massive ships. The design of these vehicles communicates a lot about how a species constructs objects, as well as how vehicles can fulfil a purpose.When designing vehicles, there is a rule about whether form should follow function, or vice-versa, and this decision is important in making a vehicle feel practical and immersive.
Through the creation of my own vehicles, I want to communicate the history and culture of the species that are a part of my own narrative, as well as their technological advancements and practicality of their vehicles. I aim to make these vehicles immersive by adapting some of the techniques used in existing creations of immersive worlds into my own designs.
One example of immersive vehicles can be seen in the Star Wars film series (1). Throughout the movies, many vehicles have been featured that help to expand the fictional history and world-building of the Star Wars universe. I believe these vehicles to be immersive, with designs that effectively communicate different eras and a clear distinction between the ruling faction and the underdogs in the galaxy.
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| Star Destroyer pursuing the Tantive IV in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (Lucasfilm Ltd, 1977) (2) |
Lucas manages to communicate the struggle between the Rebellion and the Galactic Empire through the use of these two iconic vehicles in a single short scene. The design of the smaller Blockade Runner contrasts with the dominating arrowhead shape of the much larger Star Destroyer - which represents the wide expanse of the Empire and the fledgling ships the Rebellion has at their disposal. The high level of both practical and ornamental detail on both ships makes these vehicles seem almost real - as if the functions and layout of each has been carefully considered.
By reproducing the detail and design of some of these vehicles, I have learnt how functional design can mix with detailed form to create unique vehicle designs. This has helped me to understand that it is important to develop a practical visual identity for the various factions in my narrative, which will make the vehicles feel real and immersive.
The first series of mini-experiments focused on changing the detail and complexity of the designs, and how both form and function play a role in creating realised vehicles. I began by drawing some simplified Star Wars designs and discovered that by keeping the detail to a minimum, the iconic nature of the forms were still effective in portraying what each vehicle was.
Next, I illustrated some different designs with a high level of visual detail and noticed that while the chosen forms might not have been as iconic as the ones I previously referenced, the implementation of detail resulted in designs that felt more immersive than the simplified drawings.
I believe these were effective experiments because by changing the level of detail, I was able to understand how a realistic complexity of detail makes vehicle designs feel more immersive. However, I also found that a simple form can help the viewer to better visualise what is depicted and not get distracted by excessive detail.
The next series of experiments was based around changing the dynamic contrast of the composition and state of some of the vehicles, in order to see whether a different narrative could be communicated. The first element of dynamic contrast that I experimented with was perspective, in which I illustrated the aftermath of a Republic victory on an alien world. During the Clone Wars, the Republic fought against the evil Separatists to maintain peace on many planets, but I have created this image to show the cost of war and defending a world that is caught in the crossfire.
After this, I chose to experiment with role reversal for the two major factions of the Galactic Civil War. Firstly, I produced a scene with a larger Rebellion fleet than is shown in Star Wars, which changed the perception of this faction from the underdog to a competent threat to the Empire. The designs I used are pristine and not dirty and battered - making them seem like new and powerful vehicles when they are usually shown to be salvaged or in smaller quantities.
The other mini-experiment in this series was an effort to make one of the Imperial walkers less pristine and more dirty, which would seemingly change the perception of the Empire to the underdogs. However, making this vehicle look more worn did not help to effectively change the communicated narrative, and ended up making the walker seem more war-torn and intimidating.
I believe these were effective experiments as changing the dynamic contrast showed me that vehicles can be used in various ways to present different ideas, but the condition of these vehicles may not always lend itself to changing what is communicated through the pre-existing design.
The final series of mini-experiments was about how changing the weather can affect how certain vehicles in the Star Wars universe operate, and how a vehicle's interaction with its environment can affect the narrative. I created three illustrations that together show the effects of different weather has on three different vehicles.
The first shows a Republic Gunship in a rainstorm that is using mounted floodlights to illuminate the way, the second is a group of Geonosian fighters that are caught in a sandstorm, and the third is a Republic walker that is attempting to advance through thick layers of snow on an unknown planet.
I believe these were effective experiments because they were able to show how some vehicles operate in harsh conditions, which brings an added layer of immersion into the images, that fits naturally with the realised design of the vehicles.
From these experiments, I have managed to identify the characteristics of Star Wars vehicles, which will assist me in designing my own vehicles that effectively communicate a narrative. These characteristics are a balance between form and detail, a sense of symmetry and practical design. With these aspects in mind, I created an experimental response that relates to one of the fictional worlds from my Final Major Project.
This response is in the form of a poster advertisement for a new spacecraft that has been manufactured on one of the human worlds from my FMP. I have used characteristics of fictional spaceships and adapted them to the future history and technological advancement of humanity. This resulted in a ship that is connected to my story and has a practicality to its design. I also added a price label to the bottom of the poster that uses the in-universe form of human currency.
In summary, this experiment inspired me to explore immersion through vehicles using examples of fictional designs, as well as give some insight into the history and culture of humanity as a space-faring race, which is communicated through the visual language of these vehicles.
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(1) Star Wars. (1977-2017). [Film series] United States: George Lucas, Lucasfilm Ltd / Disney.
(2) Lucasfilm Ltd, (1977). Star Destroyer pursuing the Tantive IV, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. [image] Available at: http://i.imgur.com/Vmzl6Mo.jpg [Accessed 13 Feb. 2017].
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