Bachelor of Design(Honous)in Creative Media
Yap Guang You/0363730
05.02.2026~
Week06~Week14/28.05.2025/27.07.2025
Yap Guang You/0363730
Banchelor of Design(Hons)in Creative Design/Art Direction
Fun Run Redesign
This project aims to revamp the visual identity of an existing game by redesigning its art direction, including character design, environments, and user interface, while preserving its original gameplay structure and logic.
In this project, we are required to individually select an existing game and conduct a study on its core aspects, including gameplay style, art direction, music, and key design elements. The goal is to identify areas where the game could be improved visually while keeping its original mechanics intact.
I chose Stardew Valley because it’s an iconic game known for its chill and relaxing atmosphere. I’ve spent some time playing both its single-player and multiplayer modes, and through this experience, I’ve gathered several insights. I compiled all my findings into a visual board for reference and analysis.
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| Game Analyze 1 |
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| Game Analyze 2 |
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| Game Analyze 3 |
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| Game Analyze 4 |
After that, I organized all of these findings into a presentation slide. I also expanded on my analysis by reflecting on possible design directions for the upcoming visual redesign phase.
This includes potential improvements to the game's overall aesthetic, character design, user interface, and environmental elements—while still staying true to the original mood and identity of Stardew Valley.
This slide serves as a foundation for our next steps in the project.
We had a brief team meeting where each member presented their game analysis. After sharing our individual insights, we had a quick discussion about the potential directions and themes for each selected game.
In the end, we decided to proceed with Iman's choice: a game called Fun Run 4—a competitive racing game featuring animal characters.
As a group, we agreed to shift the original nature-themed forest setting into a new direction that leans toward horror, with darker, slightly bloody visual elements to create a more intense and unexpected experience.
After that, we quickly made decisions on the game's new art style and genre. We did a rough mapping of our direction and identified our target audience—focusing on teenagers and young adults.
We decided to slightly shift the gameplay from a 2D platform racing game to a 2D platform escape game, while still preserving the core racing element from the original.
In our version, the player takes on the role of a child who has been kidnapped by a mysterious organization and is trying to escape while being chased by a villain—similar to the mechanics seen in games like Identity V or Dead by Daylight.
As for the visual direction, we chose a gothic Victorian-era aesthetic to match the horror tone. The overall imagery will be kept dark and atmospheric in order to enhance the feeling of tension and fear throughout the game.
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| Direction Maping |
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| Inspiration and Reference 1 |
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| Inspiration and Reference 2 |
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| Inspiration and Reference 3 |
We had a brief meeting to discuss task assignments within the team. Adora and I were assigned to handle the character design for the game.
I began by sketching the initial concepts based on the art style we were inspired by. The first step was to design both a boy and a girl character, which we would later expand into a broader cast. We aimed to maintain a gothic Victorian aesthetic, with a particular emphasis on the Victorian and organized feel.
Given the background story—where the characters are children who have been kidnapped by an organization—we intentionally avoided overly fancy outfits. Instead, the designs focus on making the characters appear as vulnerable, poor little kids, subtly hinting at their tragic situation through worn clothing and somber tones.
After completing the initial sketches, we presented our ideas during the first checkpoint meeting to gather feedback and align our direction with the rest of the team.
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| Sketches 1 |
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| Sketches 2 |
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| Sketches 3 |
Based on the feedback we received during the checkpoint meeting, we were advised to make several changes to our character designs. These included adjusting the art style and proportions to better align with our chosen visual inspiration.
Additionally, we were encouraged to give the characters more distinct personalities and characteristics, so they feel more memorable and expressive. This will help strengthen the emotional connection between the players and the characters, especially given the dark and narrative-driven tone of the game.
After reviewing the feedback, I decided to follow the character proportions that Adora was using in her designs. This decision was based on the suggestion from our lecturer, who mentioned that her chosen proportions better suit the tone and direction of our project.
Aligning our styles also helps maintain consistency across the character designs.
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| The Inspiration Proportions |
I also personally explored an alternative set of proportions—slightly more cute and cartoon-like. My intention was to experiment with a different visual approach that could potentially bring a unique contrast to the overall tone of the game, making the horror elements feel even more unsettling through the juxtaposition of innocence and fear.
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| Proportions Exploration |
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| Sketches 4 |
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| Sketches 5 |
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| Sketches 6 |
After completing the body proportion exploration, I moved on to sketch more character details. I gave the character some expressions and explored their movements and actions. This helped to flesh out the character further and give them more personality.
Then we had our final checkpoint meeting. The feedback we received was quite encouraging—they could start to see a clearer style forming. However, they mentioned that the character lineup still felt a bit lacking. We needed more characters, especially a villain character to balance the story dynamic.
At that point, I had designed two characters. I decided to create a third character, who would serve as the main villain. However, Adora had lost contact with us for several weeks, so the task of expanding the character roster fell more heavily on me. To meet the requirement, I decided to add one more hero-type character and an additional villain.
During the discussion, our lecturer suggested an interesting idea: instead of revealing the playable characters’ faces, why not give them animal masks, while letting the villains show their real faces? We really liked this concept. The contrast could make the masked heroes more visually iconic and mysterious. I decided to adopt this direction and keep the idea in mind moving forward.
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| Character 1 |
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| Character 2 |
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| Character 3 |
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| Character 4 |
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| Character 5 |
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| Character 4 Expressions |
Then we had our final meeting before the presentation to make sure everything was completed and ready. Since Adora was still missing at this point, we decided to keep her character in the background, just in case she returned—we didn't want to fully exclude her yet.
During the discussion, we also talked about how to further enhance the characters. One of the ideas was to give each of them a unique costume design or signature accessory, something that could visually reflect their personality or background. I found this idea quite inspiring, so I moved on to develop those costume and accessory elements for the characters.
For the female character, I experimented with adding a ribboned hat to give her a more distinct and delicate silhouette. As for the male character, I focused on enhancing his mask design, exploring different shapes and patterns to make it more expressive and symbolic.
Regarding their special costumes, since the characters are meant to have been kidnapped by an organization, I took inspiration from hospital gowns. This concept not only adds a sense of mystery and vulnerability but also allows all characters to wear similar outfits, which helps unify their appearance and saves time on costume variation design.
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| Character 1 Accessory |
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| Character 2 Accessory |
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| Character 3 Accessory |
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| Special Costume |
We had our final presentation online. The main feedback we received was that our justification needed to be clearer and more well-explained. One issue pointed out was the lack of visual guidance — some of our design decisions were not effectively supported by visual elements, which made it harder for others to fully understand our concept. Aside from that, everything else was generally well-received. However, there’s still room for improvement, especially in how we communicate our ideas through both explanation and visual storytelling.
Adora joined us at the end of the final presentation, but we had no idea what she had prepared beforehand. After the meeting, I had a personal discussion with her to figure out how we could move forward. She mentioned that she had designed four characters. I reminded her to adjust the colour palette to a brighter tone, as we discussed in a previous meeting — this would help our characters stand out more clearly against the dark background.
She also came up with an idea to explore a new set of proportions for the characters. I agreed with her suggestion and proceeded to create a new proportion style with a slightly more animatic look. However, due to time constraints, I wasn’t able to refine the original proportion set. As a result, Adora will be using the new proportions for her submission.
The lecturer mentioned that our original proportions were still acceptable for submission, even though there was clearly room for improvement. So while we couldn’t polish everything, the changes we made were a good step toward enhancing the visual consistency and appeal of the characters.
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| New Proportions |
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| Character 1 in New Proportions |
This project required a significant amount of communication, and I believe I managed it quite well — with the exception of my coordination with Adora. I take full responsibility for not maintaining better contact with her. Since we were the ones handling character design, this lack of communication created difficulties for the group. Having one person take on the work meant for two, within such a short production timeline, while also managing other module assignments, was truly challenging.
That said, I believe I still deserve some credit. Even though the final outcome didn’t fully meet my personal expectations, I did manage to complete my tasks and even went beyond the original planning — such as designing special costumes and creating two additional characters.
Through this process, I also became more aware of my own limitations. For example, I realised I was only familiar with certain body proportions and initially struggled to adapt to a new one. I also found it difficult to draw highly dynamic poses like running, jumping, or sliding — especially using a proportion style I had just started exploring. I take responsibility for not realising earlier that I lacked this particular skill set, but I see this as a wake-up call — an opportunity to grow and learn.
I’m thankful to the other group members who gave their all and supported each other throughout the project. Special thanks to our lecturer, Mr. Fitri, who provided valuable guidance from a professional perspective. His feedback helped us refine our art direction and understand what makes a design look professional. This has been a tough but meaningful experience, and I truly learned a lot from it.
Week08~Week14/13.06.2025~25.07.2025
YapGuangYou/0363730
UX Design/Bachelor of Design(Hons) in Creative Media
Task 4/Prototype and Concept Testing
At the beginning of the project, we held a meeting to decide on the product or solution we wanted to work on, referring back to the insights and findings from our previous tasks. We began by listing out our problem statement and identifying the core issues we aimed to address. To help us prioritize effectively, we used the MoSCoW method (Must have, Should have, Could have, Won’t have), which was introduced during the lecture. This method helped us clarify what features or goals were essential, and what could be optional or postponed. It provided a clear framework for decision-making and ensured that our team stayed focused on what really matters in the early stages of ideation.
We decided to create an app designed to help Taylor’s University students plan their daily commuting routes more efficiently. The app will include multiple key features such as: Parking availability tracker Real-time campus and traffic map Smart scheduling system One of the main functions will allow users to compare travel time across different modes of transport—such as driving, public transport, or walking—so they can choose the most time-efficient option. Additionally, the scheduling system can be linked to the user’s Taylor’s class timetable, helping students plan their routes based on their actual class schedule. This app aims to reduce commuting stress and improve time management for students.
In Week 10, we conducted a usability exercise where we assigned a specific task to a user and observed how they interacted with our app concept. The goal of this test was to identify whether our product felt too cluttered or complicated, and to understand how intuitive it was for users to achieve their goals. Through this exercise, we realized that we were trying to include too many features and steps, which made the user journey unnecessarily long and confusing. As a result, we decided to simplify the user experience by focusing on a more straightforward approach. Our new guiding concept is: "Click and Go" — minimizing the number of steps users need to take, and keeping interactions smooth and purposeful. From there, we finalized the essential features we want to keep and clarified our next steps: we will be creating both Lo-fi and Hi-fi prototypes of the app. Additionally, based on Vincent’s suggestion, we agreed to include a short animation loading screen to enhance the user experience. I was assigned to handle the design and development of this loading screen.
We held an online meeting to decide on the art direction for our app. As a team, we agreed to use red as the primary color, as it is bold, eye-catching, and aligns well with Taylor’s University’s identity. For the loading screen, we decided to include a duck as a visual mascot to represent our campus in a playful and recognizable way. We also plan to incorporate transport-related elements to clearly reflect the purpose of our app—helping students with commuting and route planning.
I used Clip Studio Paint to create the animation. Since I haven’t tried animating before, I felt quite excited to explore something new. I chose Clip Studio because it’s a software that focuses on drawing and animation, and I saw this as a great opportunity to improve my skills with it. For the animation, I created a scene with a duck swimming calmly on a blue background, followed by a smaller duck trailing behind. This idea came from an earlier sketching phase where we discussed how people are often stuck in traffic, stressed and rushing, while ducks seem relaxed, just swimming around or playing. We really liked this contrast and decided to turn it into a visual metaphor: “Use our app, and you can become the duck.” It’s a fun way to show that our product helps make commuting smoother, simpler, and more relaxed.
So, it became quite obvious that the duck’s movement was a bit laggy, and the background didn’t blend well with the overall animation, which made the entire loading screen feel a bit off. To improve it, I started studying how other apps design their loading screens—especially how they handle motion, color balance, and visual flow. By analyzing professional examples, I hoped to gain insights on how to make the animation feel smoother and more polished, while still keeping our playful concept intact.
After doing some research, I realized that the duck doesn't necessarily need to move actively—the sense of motion can be conveyed through other visual elements. So, I came up with a new idea: instead of animating the duck frame by frame, I placed a single duck in the center of the screen, and added graphic elements that represent water waves, creating the illusion that the duck is floating or moving naturally.
I also discovered that the previous version felt too long and laggy, mainly because I animated it frame by frame, which made the motion choppy. To improve that, I tried a new approach: using the same motion across three frames. This made the animation feel much smoother and more consistent.
One of my teammates suggested adding a title text at the bottom using the name of our app — "EZKommute". I really liked the idea. So, I used the SF Display font, which is commonly used in app design, and made the text red, so it would stand out clearly on both white and black backgrounds.
I also experimented with an 8-bit style font on my own. I felt it matched the playful visual style quite well. However, for the final version, I decided to go with SF Display as it looks more conventional and professional.
For the background itself, I kept it plain black and white this time instead of using a gradient, as it gives a more modern and polished loading screen feel.
Looking ahead, I plan to create different versions of the duck, including a minimalist one and a cute cartoon-style one. I also want to design alternative backgrounds, especially for users who prefer dark mode, to give them a more personalized experience.
Click Here to Ascess Loading Screens
Then we moved on to create our final presentation slides. We continued using the same slide deck we had been updating throughout the project to track our progress. Our final presentation was held online on Monday (21.07.2025).
Figjam Board:Click Me!
Prototype:Click Me!!
Final Presentation Slide:Click Me!!!
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| Loading Screen Black 1 |
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| Loading Screen Black 2 |
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| Loading Screen White |
We didn’t have much time left to work on the prototype, so our lecturer suggested that we focus on the most important feature of our app — the route planning function.
The animation didn’t look quite right — it might be better to try another software or use existing vector assets to improve the result.
Communication really helped us stay on track throughout the project. Even when unexpected things happened, we were able to support each other and keep moving forward. I’m truly happy that we managed to complete this project together. Big thanks to Vincent and Anursar for everything, and also to our lecturer for the guidance and for always being open to our questions.
For a long-term group project like this, staying connected is the key—nothing is more important than that. That’s one of the biggest takeaways for me. I also learned to view every new task as an opportunity. For example, this was my first time creating an animation and designing an app—two things I never imagined I’d try. But I did it, and I think I did quite well. It was a personal breakthrough, and I’m proud of that.
Beyond that, I gained a lot of insight to improve my own specialization. What I’ve learned here is highly valuable for Entertainment Design—especially understanding the target audience, so the content I create can connect with them more deeply.
Another important lesson is to always keep thinking creatively. This is something I learned from another lecturer, Mr. Kannan. He encourages us to always think, explore wild ideas—even if they don’t fit the current project, they might be useful for the next one. That’s why I’ve started writing down every idea I have, so I won’t run out of inspiration when I need it. Thinking outside the box has really helped me a lot, and overall, this has been a fun and eye-opening journey.
Task 3:UX Design/User Journey Map and Ideations
Week06~Week08/26.05.2025~13.06.2025
YapGuangYou/0363730
UX Design/Bachelor of Design(Hons) in Creative Media
Task 3/User Journey Map and Ideations
The User Journey is a simulation of what our users might do and feel in a specific situation. By placing our user persona into this journey, we can imagine their actions and emotions at each stage of the experience. This process helps us identify pain points, areas for improvement, and opportunities where we can step in to offer support or create better solutions. It allows us to see the overall flow from the user's perspective, and understand where meaningful changes can be made to enhance their experience.
We held another meeting and assigned each of the three user personas, following the same approach we used previously. I was responsible for developing the persona of the long-distance driver, while Vincent and Anursar worked on the other two personas.
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| User Journey Map(Short Distance Drive) |
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| User Journey Map(Long Distance Driver) |
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| User Journey Map(Public transport User) |
We have alread done our crazy 8 and how might we in the previous task. So we just expand the idea, and group them based on the catagories such as, Walkway,Parking,Planing, and etc.
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| Our How Might We |
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| Our Crazy 8s |
Don’t be afraid of bold or crazy ideas. What matters is that we explain our ideas clearly and specifically, whether through visuals or text. This helps everyone better understand what we’re doing and makes collaboration more effective.
Keeping open communication within the team is extremely helpful. It allows us to understand each other’s thoughts more clearly, avoid misunderstandings, and stay aligned with our goals. Through discussion, we’re also able to build on each other’s ideas and even come up with new, unexpected directions. Visualizing our ideas—whether through sketches, diagrams, or simple mock-ups—also makes a big difference. It helps turn abstract thoughts into something tangible, making it easier for everyone to grasp and contribute. Overall, clear communication and visualization are key to keeping our teamwork efficient and creative.
Task 1:UX Design/UX Audit & Interview
Task 2:UX Design/User Personas and Empathy Map
Task 4:UX Design/Final Project/Prototype and Concept Testing
Week05~Week06/19.05.2025~30.05.2025
YapGuangYou/0363730
UX Design/Bachelor of Design(Hons) in Creative Media
Task 2/User Personas and Empathy Map
Module Information Booklet
We will begin by synthesizing the data collected during the interview phase(See Task 1). After that, we will proceed to create user personas and an empathy map.
In this week’s lecture, we covered three key topics within the ideation phase: “How Might We”, Sketching, and Feature Prioritization.
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| Crazy 8_Exercise(19.05.2025) |
Today, we learned how to create a user persona and an empathy map. These tools help us deeply understand the people we want to serve and the problems we aim to solve. The empathy map allows us to explore the user's thoughts, feelings, needs, and pain points—giving us a more human-centered perspective. The user persona, on the other hand, is a more specific and detailed representation of our target audience. It helps us define exactly who we are designing for, including their goals, behaviors, and challenges. Together, these tools guide us in designing more meaningful and effective solutions.
In class, we completed our “How Might We” questions and Crazy 8 sketches. Due to time constraints, we quickly categorized our “How Might We” statements based on user types and genres. We are planning to hold a meeting later this week to review both the “How Might We” ideas and the Crazy 8 sketches in more detail. After this discussion, we will be able to move forward with feature prioritization.
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| Our How might we(19.05.2025) |
We discussed who we should target, shared our ideas, and realized we were thinking in a similar direction. We decided to focus on commuters who face traffic issues around school areas. Vincent and I were more focused on drivers, while Anursar leaned more towards public transport users. Since it's still the ideation stage, we chose to include all types of commuters for now. We also worked on the empathy map based on the interviews from Task 1. This helped us understand their needs, challenges, and what they’re hoping to find in a solution.
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| Empathy Map 1 |
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| Empathy Map 2 |
We completed the empathy map on Monday night (26.05.2025). Then, we had an online meeting on Wednesday night (29.05.2025) to discuss our user personas. We decided to create three personas, each representing a different type of commuter:
Anursar will take charge of the public transport persona, since she is a public transport user herself. Vincent and I will handle the two driver personas together.
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| User Persona(Short Distance Driver) |
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| User Persona(Long Distance Driver) |
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| User Persona(Public Transport User) |
The feedback we received this week emphasized the importance of thinking outside the box and not limiting ourselves. We were encouraged to not be afraid of exploring bold or unconventional ideas. In the ideation phase, we were reminded that quantity is more important than quality—the goal is to generate as many ideas as possible without self-censorship.
It’s important to stay aligned with the findings from our interview data.
I found that working on our tasks during online meetings works really well for our team. We’re able to support each other immediately, and it helps ensure that everyone stays on track and completes their part on time. Sticking to the interview data has also been very useful — it gave us a clearer understanding of our potential users. Personally, I realized that it’s especially helpful when one of us is part of the target audience. It makes it much easier to relate to their needs, because in a way, we are them. This perspective allows us to design with more empathy and accuracy.
Task 1/UX Audix and Interviews
Task 3:UX Design/User Journey Map and Ideations
Task 4:UX Design/Final Project/Prototype and Concept Testing
