ILS1ARTB

Week 8: Poster

This week, we were introduced to Assessment B which include A3 Poster and Reflective Journal will be printed out, also 800 words evaluation for both Assessment A and B. The poster need to be quality, professional and clear about the content. We can use Illustrator, Photoshop and Indesign to make it. I will use Photoshop becuase it is the most familiar software.

The poster will be about my journey in BCUIC, so I need to answer these questions:
+ What were your expectations before starting the course? I think mostly about I can become an art student as I have always wanted because I was a logistics student in Vietnam. Also, I hoped this course could help me develop myself, I want to be a strong art student then I will not be easy to break down when I come to the Ba course.

+ What has been your favourite module so far and why? My favourite modules is ART102 and ART104 which is pratical module. This is because I like making models, drawing which do not cost me much energy to do. I can spend whole week making models or drawing without being stressful, but when it come to research modules, I breakdown immediately after just 3 days.

+ What is your favourite workshop or technique and why ? I enjoy making models becuase it is neccessary to develop models skills when I come to my Ba course. I also like spending time on it becuase it is less stress. Also, in semester 1, I was taught and introduced to the print workshop which allowed me to print what I draw into fabric. It was so interesting.

+ What has been the most challenge aspect of this year? I think it is about the weather and my mentality which was not well. I hate hot weather so much that I am easier to be breakdown and depressed ( England does not have AC for meeee). Mostly, my mental health was really bad, I felt that I am being weaker because I got burnout easier than last semester and the first semester which made me need more time to rest, but sometimes I rest in the feeling of guilt which also made me did not rest and heal 100%. This semester, I also broaden my perspective alot which develop myself more mature, however It also made me more overthinking. ( I think I need a therapist after this semester)

+ What has been your favourite outcome? I like my outcome this semeter which related to my country (Vietnam). This allows me to show my culture and the architecture in Vietnam to my internationall friends.

+ Has this year gone way you expected? Has your plans/ideas changed? How have you changed? Not really, I did not expected much because I think art is something unpredictable and I just want to enjoy what I made or will made. My plans changed alot, I planned based on what I want to do but after that everything become so difficult and I need to change my stratergy to adapt and continue it.

10 posters

I like the colours of this poster which is a combination of a mottled blue-gray tone and the crimson red. It brings a vintage vibe.

I like the gap of the poster which made the audience focus on the main objects and I also like the diversity of green colour in this poster.

The poster’s layout looks like a shot of a small corner of the city, evoking a very natural, everyday feel.

I like the blur of the background which makes audiences feel it is a oil on canvas painting.

I like the white robbon of the poster which make me focus on the information of the poster.

I like the color of this poster which is cool color but it also bring a vibrant feeling of the landscape background.

I like the idea of half blank and half image of the poster. And the connection of the title with the image below.

It brings me the feeling of old cover of japanese comic book from 90s, nostalgia mood.

I like the landscape background of the poster which bring a natural and peace mood.

This the anime film poster of Beyond Journey’s End (Sousou no Frieren), published in 2023. The sub-title is ” To meet is to part” which perfectly encapsulates the spirit and the poignant yet deeply meaningful message of the film regarding the transience of life and the value of human encounters. This part is also supported by the images below which is above ground (Present) depicts Frieren’s current traveling team (herself, Fern and Stark) walking together along the road. In the puddle (Past) shows the reflection shows not the current group, but Frieren’s past team of heroes ( herself, Himmel, Heiter, and Eisen).

While Fern and Stark walk forward with their gazes fixed ahead, Frieren is the only one who glances back. This action not only draws the viewer’s eye but also subtly implies that she carries the memories of her long past journey with her as she moves forward into the present.

The vast, serene natural landscape and the stretching road evoke a sense of an endless adventure that feels epic and fantastical, yet deeply gentle and healing.

The word “Frieren” features a stylized design: the horizontal stroke of the lettering connects to the image of her signature magic staff, forming a line that cuts across the title.

reference:

Crunchyroll (2023). Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End TV Anime Recreates Manga’s First Cover for Main Visual. [online] Crunchyroll news. Available at: https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/latest/2023/7/19/frieren-beyond-journey-s-end-tv-anime-recreates-manga-s-first-cover-for-main-visual [Accessed 20 July 2026].

I like the dark ocean colour of the poster and the font title which also brings a nostagia mood.

The central image features a young man holding an electric guitar and playing music on the seabed, reflecting the film’s setting in a coastal fishing village in Central Vietnam. The poster employs a deep ocean blue palette that envelops the entire scene, evoking the mystery and profound depths of the ocean or perhaps the character’s own inner world. A single beam of light streams down from the surface, illuminating the central figure. This shaft of light not only draws the viewer’s gaze to the young man and his guitar but also serves as a metaphor for hope, guidance, or artistic transcendence.

The phrase “đàn cá gỗ” is rendered in a stylized, soft typeface featuring wavy lines as reminiscent of flowing water or handwriting that evokes a sense of intimacy, rustic charm, and narrative quality.

I think this poster demonstrated the meaning of the film when rhe images of the sea and the musical instrument serve as two contrasting symbols, reflecting Cuong’s internal struggle. While the sea is associated with responsibility and a sense of being trapped, the instrument symbolizes freedom, passion, and unformed artistic aspirations.

Reference:

ELLE Feature Team (2025). [Review phim] “đàn cá gỗ”: Chuyện kể về những giấc mơ bị mắc cạn. [online] ELLE. Available at: https://www.elle.vn/the-gioi-van-hoa/review-phim-dan-ca-go-elle-2025/ [Accessed 20 July 2026].

Identify at least 5 key events since you started at BCUIC. Explain why they stand out to you and what makes them important.

For me 5 important keys events are:
+ When I first started the course. This is because I was an 18-year-old girl living away from her family for the first time. I was really shy and scared.
+ The studyskill’s presentation in my first semester. That was my first presentation I did in English which I was so shy, shaken, worried and anxiety. I thought “I will be fail, I am not going to make it” but after finishing the presentation, there were 2-3 pre-master students came to me and gave compliments. I thought I was not deserved those compliments. But that was a big encouragement for me to develop myself, I became less shy afterward.
+ At week 2 or 3 in the second semester, in the art workshop, Bhavik told me to do 10 designs in 30 minutes based on my origami models but I just had 1 because I did not have any ideas at that moment. Bhavik was really mad and he said “You need to change the way you study, Mango”. I was so scared, questioned myself and thought that I was not good enough.
+ The midterm of the second semester. It showed that I grew up from the very shy girl to be more mature and talkative (I am still an introvert person). I have closer relationship with my classmates.
+ Around week 2-3 of the third semester which I learnt so much new knowledge and broaden my perspective. But I also became more overthinking.

Identify at least 3 areas you want to improve regarding your creative practice. These could be in relation to certain techniques or research. Why do you want to improve on them? How do you plan on doing this?

+ I want to learn more about Eastern and Western architecture. This semester I’ve done some research on it (Britain, France, Vietnamese, and Chinese), but there’s much more to learn, so I simply want to gain more knowledge. To plan on it, I will spend 30 minutes a day, 6 days a week to read document or resource of them in the break before BA course.

+ I want to develop my digital skill, Autocad, because I know that I will learn it in my BA so I want to understand and be proficient in it before coming to BA. To do it, in the 1 month break before coming to BA I will spend 2 hours a day and 3 days a week on this software. Another reason is I did not have much time to learn this semester which I am little bit regret about it.

+ I want to research and have knowledge green infrastructure which is necessary in my career because recently I read in the news that there is a project in Vietnam that they are doing a tourist resort in Hai Van pass where I cut down many trees. I am so concerned about it because Hai Van is the majestic nature of Vietnam. Plus, in BA (second year) I will learn a module named designed ecology which explores multi-layered systems, combining and integrating social and ecological elements into spatial design. So, I think it is necessary to have knowledge about it. To plan, in my first year of BA, I will include ecology factors in my project to practice with it.

Reference:

BBC News Tiếng Việt (2026). Chân đèo hải vân bị cạo trọc: Dự án ở làng vân là gì, vì sao gây tranh cãi? [online] BBC News Tiếng Việt. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/vietnamese/articles/cz7dq9welzdo [Accessed 28 July 2026].
Birmingham City University (2026). Landscape architecture – BA (hons). [online] Birmingham City University. Available at: https://www.bcu.ac.uk/courses/landscape-architecture-ba-hons-2026-27#course_in_depth [Accessed 28 July 2026].