Brief 1.1: Explorations in Imagemaking (Required) :Fundamentals of Graphic Design (Graphic Design Specialization) Answers 2026

Question 1 – Step 1: Identify a Household Object

Household Object Chosen:
Coffee Mug

I chose a coffee mug because it is a common household object that comes in many varieties—different shapes, sizes, materials, colors, and designs. It is simple in form but highly recognizable and meaningful in daily life, making it suitable for experimenting with multiple imagemaking techniques.

Question 2 – Step 2: Make Images of Your Household Object

✅ Yes, I made at least 10 different images of my object, using a variety of imagemaking techniques.

I created more than ten images of the same coffee mug using different approaches such as pencil sketching, watercolor, photography, digital illustration, collage, continuous line drawing, abstraction, and minimal icon-style representation. I explored both hand-made and digital techniques, focusing on variation in style, texture, and visual interpretation.

Question 3 – Step 3: Evaluate Your Work

Strongest / Most Exciting Image:

The strongest image I created was a surreal digital illustration of the coffee mug using Photoshop manipulation. In this image, the mug appears to melt slightly, with steam transforming into abstract shapes, giving it an emotional and imaginative quality rather than a purely functional one. This technique was exciting because it pushed the object beyond realism and allowed me to explore symbolism and mood, showing how an everyday object can convey meaning and atmosphere through creative manipulation.

Question 4 – Step 4: Share Your Work (Optional)

✅ I completed this step.

I selected several of my strongest images and shared them in the course discussion forum. I also reviewed and commented on my peers’ work, focusing on their use of different techniques, identifying their strongest images, and offering suggestions on how they could further develop their ideas through additional styles or experimentation.