Week 2 - A Cube Of Colour and Island Holiday

A Cube of Colour and Island Holiday

This week, surrounded by the serene blues and warm sands of Hayman Island, I felt creatively connected. My personal experience on holiday has become the perfect ideas for the beginning of Assessment 2: Cubes of Curiosity. I’ve chosen to theme my first cube, Colour, around the Great Barrier Reef and island life. This location offers the most vivid and captivating colour palette I’ve ever seen, and I’m excited to bring that vibrancy into my creative process.

I also finished my first assessment!(Yay!) This week i have surprised myself, completing this assessment felt empowering. I wasn't sure how i would manage juggling my kids schedules, uni work, deadlines, and a busy household. It reminded me that i can do hard things and that i'm capable of doing this course. It gave me a boost of confidence as i step into this next hands on project.

Knowledge Gained

This week, we explored how colour influences perception, emotion, and meaning in design. I was particularly drawn to colour theory concepts like hue, saturation and tone, and how these work together to create mood and narrative. I learned that colours aren’t just visual, they’re emotional tools. For example, the turquoise waters I see every day here in the Whitsundays evoke feelings of peace, freedom, and awe.

Challenges

One challenge I faced was limiting myself to just six visual compositions for my cube. With so much natural inspiration, it was tempting to include everything. I had to practice restraint and trust the process. Another hurdle was deciding how to translate natural textures, like coral, sand, and water, into media.

Successes & Strengths

I successfully planned my six cube sides using a mix of handmade elements, including photography from Hayman Island. I also created a mood board that helped clarify my vision and guided my material choices. I feel proud of how I’ve used creative play this week, especially given how nervous i was to "just start".

Application

Everything I’m learning is feeding straight into my assessment. My reef-inspired colour cube will be the first of three, and this week I started gathering early ideas for the other two cubes, Design Principles and Pattern. I plan to carry my island theme across all three cubes for a unified look.

Areas for Improvement

I’d like to strengthen my understanding of tones and colour, especially when combining handmade elements with digital ones. I also want to become more confident in articulating the reasons behind my creative choices using appropriate design language.

Goals for Next Week

Next week, I’ll focus on starting the Design Principles cube by researching visual examples of unity, hierarchy, and contrast using natural elements. I also aim to finalise my first cube in 2D form and begin constructing it in 3D using the template provided.