Project Statement
The goal of this project was to create a cohesive narrative though redesigned chess pieces. My partner and I carried this out through recreating an ethereal war between astrology zodiacs and chinese zodiacs. My portion of this project concerned the chinese zodiacs. My goal was to create easily distinguishable silhouettes so that anyone would be able to tell what each piece was without having to know information about the zodiacs. For this I made sure to choose reference images that were detailed enough to see the animal, without being overly detailed and distracting. I also kept in mind that our pieces would only be, at most, 1.5” wide. Along with wanting the silhouettes to easily distinguishable, my partner and I also make sure to add small embellishments to the tops of our pieces so that the player would easily be able to tell which pieces they were playing with. With the use of the laser cutter, the silhouettes of my pieces were cleanly cut, and the symbols and animal silhouette can be clearly seen. The color chosen for my pieces was red, reflecting the color of the Chinese flag. The color red also represents luck within the Chinese culture, and is believed to ward off evil. This plays into the narrative of the game with how the Chinese zodiacs are warding off the “evil” astrology zodiacs. Along with this, the player using these pieces would want luck on their side in order to win the game.
Process
View detailed project process at Chess Redesign: Process
Reflection
I learned though this project how to bring a narrative to life through inanimate objects. I also learned how important it is to fully consider the materials being used for a project while designing. My partner and I’s pieces were originally going to be made out of bristol, however we decided after testing our designs on a piece of cardstock to change our medium to chipboard for its sturdy qualities. This change was made after we designed our silhouettes. Therefore the process of cutting our pieces out was extended due to multiple changes we had to make in order to accommodate the chipboard. Planning ahead was also a lesson learned through the process of this project. Although I normally plan ahead in order to finish projects on time, I had underestimated how long it would take to cut our pieces out. Therefore my partner and I fell slightly behind in our plans for the project. Overall I believe the lessons learned through this project will be beneficial to my future career.