Major Project 1
Siam Siew Yong 0358399
Bachelor of Design in Creative Media | Taylor’s Design School | Taylor’s University
Bachelor of Design in Creative Media | Taylor’s Design School | Taylor’s University
Instruction
module information
proposal guidelines
Major project is the first stage of the Final Year Project, where students
apply the knowledge and skills gained throughout their studies to a
self-directed design project. Students are required to identify a design
problem or opportunity, develop a comprehensive project proposal, and
demonstrate effective design thinking, research, project management, and
independent learning through regular consultation and studio practice.
As a Graphic Design student, I wanted my final project to be more than just
a visual identity. From the beginning, I was interested in creating a brand
that addresses a meaningful social issue, particularly mental health and the
everyday challenges faced by Gen Z. I believe graphic design has the power
to start conversations and build emotional connections through visual
storytelling.
and this is the guideline of this project for the graphic design students
guidelines
Task 1: Proposal development
During the first few weeks, we were required to develop the concept for our
major project. As I wanted to focus on a meaningful and relatable social
issue, I decided to explore campaign ideas that address the everyday
challenges faced by young people.
My initial idea was to create a campaign centred on the emotional
experiences of young people. However, after conducting further research and
receiving feedback from my lecturers, I decided to narrow my focus to
deadline anxiety, as it is a common issue faced by students and
aligns more closely with my project's objectives.
My initial project name: DDL PERSONAS
After discussing my concept with Ms Noranis, she advised me to consider a
shorter and more relatable brand name that could create a stronger connection
with the audience. She also encouraged me to further develop the brand
strategy, ensuring that the brand had a clear identity, message, and value
that people could easily remember.
So I started to work on my proposal for the project, and came out with a new
name--DDL ZONE
For this project, I designed four characters to create a stronger connection
with Gen Z audiences. Each character represents different deadline
personalities, and I hope the project could help students recognize their own
experiences and feel less alone when facing stress.
Here's my initial sketches of the characters
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| sketches of characters |
And I also digitized the characters and logo in Adobe Illustrator
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initial logo |
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final characters |
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| final logo for task 1 |
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| color palette |
Task 2: Design Proposition & Final Presentation
After the presentation, I continued developing my design proposition by
refining the brand strategy and creating design mockups that will be further
developed and applied in Major Project 2.
At first, I started to refine my logo first
I changed my logo from vertical layout to horizontal layout. Besides, I also
replaced the original black-and-white logo with my brand color palette
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| final logo with guidelines |
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| final logo |
After that, I explored the development of the brand pattern and brand
assets.
The brand pattern was a new addition to my final presentation, as I
wanted to expand the ddl zone identity beyond the logo and characters.
This pattern system will be further developed and applied to packaging,
print assets, merchandise, and spatial graphics in Major Project
2.
I also created three brand assets — letterhead, business cards, and
brand stickers
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| progress in Illustrator |
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| pattern 1 |
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| pattern 2 |
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| pattern 3 |
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| pattern 4 |
After that, I worked on the merchandises
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then I continued the digital mockups progress in Photoshop
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| progress in photoshop |
After complete my merchandises mock-up, I also designed my applications of
the campaign which includes the social media posts, character cards and
animated poster.
I work on the animated poster first
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| progress in illustrator |
After that, I imported the AI files into After Effects to develop an
animated campaign poster. Using features such as loopOut, 3D layers, and
motion blur, I added movement and depth to bring the visual to life.
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| progress in after effect |
After completing the animation, I exported the MP4 file and created
environmental mockups in Photoshop. By using the timeline feature, I was
able to showcase how the animated poster would work in different
environments, allowing me to evaluate the effectiveness and adaptability
of the design in real-world applications.
the output of environmental graphics
For the social media posts, I created a feed strategy for my campaign
Awareness phase-
Post 1: Reveal of Brand ddl zone
Post 2: Teaser of characters and campaign
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post 1 & post 2
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Interest phase-
Post 3: Core Identity Hook, introducing the central question
"TURN ON SURVIVAL MODE: TODAY I AM ____?
Post 4: Reveal officially introducing Calm Sis, Panfrog, Plssy, and
Angoose
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post 3 & post 4
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Understanding phase-
Post 5: Hero campaign post, showing all 4 characters coping at 11:59
PM
Post 6: interactive scenario quiz carousel, to let audience test
what's their persona
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| post 5 & post 6 |
Action phase-
Post 7: Interactive goal commitment post, drop goal in comments
> Lock in & work > Return & reply "DONE "
Post 8: Announcement of physical booth and the drop anxiety activity.
Call to Action: Drop anxiety memo at the booth to claim a free
Survival Pass Ticket Bookmark.
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| post 7 & post 8 |
Last post
The reveal of merchandise- the collectible lenticular RPG Game
Character Cards
After I finished the mockups and applications, I compiled them to a
new presentation slide.
And follow the requirement set by Ms Noranis.
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| requirements of final presentation slide |
Here's my final presentation slide
And the final mockups pdf
final mockups pdf
Feedback
Reflection
Experiences:
Major Project 1 was a meaningful challenge where I explored how graphic design could address a real social issue. I wanted to create a brand that goes beyond aesthetics and connects with Gen Z’s experiences, especially the stress and anxiety caused by deadlines. To make the concept more engaging, I developed four characters — Calm Sis, Panfrog, Plssy, and Angoose — representing different deadline behaviours and emotional responses among students.
One of the highlights of this project was exploring motion design. I imported the Illustrator files into After Effects and used techniques such as loopOut, 3D layers, and motion blur to bring the campaign poster to life. I also created environmental mockups in Photoshop to visualize how the animated poster could work in different real-world settings.
Observations:
During the development process, I learned that a strong brand requires consistency across all visual elements. I refined the logo by improving the layout, typography, and colour application to better match the personality of DDL ZONE. I also standardized the character styles and incorporated brand elements into their designs to strengthen recognition.
Besides the main identity, I expanded the brand system by creating patterns and brand assets such as letterheads, business cards, and stickers. These elements helped demonstrate how DDL ZONE could be applied across different touchpoints, including future packaging, merchandise, and spatial graphics in Major Project 2.
Findings and Future Vision:
The biggest challenge of this project was balancing the fun and energetic personality of DDL ZONE with the sensitive topic of deadline anxiety. Through continuous feedback and refinement, I learned the importance of creating designs that are not only visually appealing but also emotionally meaningful.
Major Project 1 helped me establish the foundation of DDL ZONE’s concept, strategy, and visual identity. Moving into Major Project 2, I hope to further expand the brand through physical experiences such as booth design, merchandise, packaging, and interactive campaign elements.
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