A Case Study In Deep Dimensional Design

Name

DDD is essentially the DLC of what we call the 2-D plane

DDD is not pronounced as 3 separate D's, the way you are supposed to pronounce it is as "3-D". This serves as a test for people who buy this shirt, to see if they understand that the name is a symbolic representation of 3-D designs.

Concept

This design is what I consider the offspring of the previous design "Permutation". However, instead of making patterns with shapes, it is instead making patterns for shapes. I started out with observing the concept of what I called "Incomplete Shapes", where our brains try to complete the shape base off of experience with shapes.

This is the Kanizsa Triangle, and base on this diagram, most people would see this invisible triangle that forms between the 3 Pac-man like circles. 

Progression

So I started my journey by designing a few Incomplete Shapes Like this here

I honestly recommend trying to make shapes like this, because it was extremely fun and addicting to form these invisible shapes with these diagrams.

However, I don't see these designs have any potential in being a part of the shirt industry, therefore I had to scratch them off and try to go a more uniformed design.

With this concept in my mind, I went for an actual 3-D shape and gone for the cube. What is cool about the cube is that it is the easiest yet most prevalent 3-D shape that exists. By combining the Incomplete Shapes with the 3-D plane, I created the following prototype.

I was trying to figure out if I should include lines with the circles or not, and through experimentation, I created this iteration, where I do some lines black and some lines white to create this "complexity" around the shapes created.

Even though it does formulate some cubes in the design, something felt missing. There just isn't enough oomph to this design and it took me a while until I had a crazy idea. Make the design stack like a tower.

And so I created this design, where most of the objects are stacking, while the middle circle is consistently 2-D. The reason why I did that is due to the idea that this design is meant to look 3-D, but it is on a 2-D plane, therefore it shows that stacking could really bring a design out.

However after making the 1st prototype, my friends would tell me that they don't get a sense of the design popping off, and I have to agree. Although there are layers of circles within the design, the distance isn't enough to compensate that feeling of expanding the design, therefore I made one final change that will suffice the problem.

Execution

By maneuvering every circle associated with stacking, it became this as the final design.

By literally shifting the circles in a downwards diagonal, it becomes evident that they look like they are actually stacking in a singular direction. The contrast with the middle circle only strengthens the effect of the 3-D effect that I was going for. 

Similar to Permutation, I don't think this would sell well due to being more of a design, rather than a t-shirt design, however I do think it is an interesting piece that will get people scared of heights.