26/10/2025 - 16/11/2025 / Week 5 – Week 8
Gabriella Grace
Christyanti / 0371915
Vehicle and Props Design / Creative Media /
School of design
Project 1: Pre-production
1. Instructions
2. Lectures
3. Process Work
3.1 World Explanation
3.2 References
3.3 Thumbnail Sketches
3.4 Silhouettes
3.5 Rough Value Painting
3.6 Design Breakdown (Old)
3.7 Design Breakdown (New)
3.8 Color Exploration
3.9 Final outcome
4. Feedback
5. Reflection
1. INSTRUCTIONS
2. LECTURES
All lectures were explained during class
Setting
Location: Snowy, mountainous regions of the Antarctic Peninsula in the
Overwatch universe
Environment: Extreme cold, unstable terrain, high-altitude winds, and
frequent blizzards
Aesthetic
Engineering Style: High-tech sci-fi, reinforced to withstand deep snow,
rocky formations, and constantly shifting ice
Motion System
The vehicle uses crawler tracks instead of wheels or chained tires to
maximize traction on unpredictable ground.
This configuration enables movement across uneven terrain, debris
fields, and jagged snow layers.
Geography
Terrain Adaptation: Designed for hostile environments inaccessible to
standard wheeled vehicles, steep slopes, crevices, compressed ice dunes,
and rocky corridors
Base Operations: Deployed from an Overwatch Antarctic research outpost,
allowing rapid response to emergencies along mountain trails and remote
areas
3.2 References
Because my concept is a land crawler, I gathered references of real crawler vehicles to understand track systems, machinery, and proportions. I also studied vehicles from my source universe—Overwatch—focusing on mechs and high-tech machinery to ensure my design aligned with the world’s visual language.
3.3 Thumbnail Sketches
I sketched multiple thumbnail concepts based on these references. During this phase, Sir Kannan encouraged me to study spider anatomy, examining how spiders move, support their weight, and structure their limbs. He also suggested close-up studies of spider legs to uncover small design elements, such as spikes or joint structures, that could inspire functionality or form. This exercise helped me fine-tune small details and better understand how mechanical movement could mimic natural motion.
Next, I selected promising sketches and developed silhouette variations. This process allowed me to explore shape language and understand how each form conveyed personality, whether aggressive, sturdy, fast, or defensive, without relying on interior details.
3.5 Rough Value Painting
I selected five silhouette designs and added simple value shading. Applying lighting helped define volume and made each concept appear more three-dimensional, which supported visual decision-making for the next stage.
3.6 Design Breakdown (Old)
I then created a structural breakdown based on one of the designs. Initially, the concept leaned heavily into organic spider-like forms, but after further testing, the mechanics felt unclear and lacked believability. Additional research and leg breakdown studies revealed that the design needed to shift toward a more engineered approach.
3.7 Design Breakdown (New)
The revised design focuses on mechanical logic and clearer functionality. I simplified the leg structures while maintaining movement capability, resulting in a design that reads more clearly as a machine rather than a creature. The updated breakdown also identifies and explains each major vehicle component and its role within the system.
3.8 Color Exploration
For color studies, I experimented with two directions. One explored bright, visible colors that would stand out sharply against the snowy environment for safety and clear visibility. The other tested more muted white and blue snow-themed palettes to see how camouflage or environmental integration might look.
3.9 Final Outcome
4. FEEDBACK
Sir Kannan gave feedback that highlighted the need to clearly establish the world, culture, purpose, and persona of my vehicle, and to compile everything into a complete PDF. I was advised to confirm my mech’s overall design direction and study real references, particularly spider anatomy and crocodile jaws, to understand movement, hinging, weight support, and functional details. Small mechanical elements inspired by nature, like spikes, joints, and textures, should be translated into believable machinery. I must consider what the crawler actually does, whether it transports, defends, traps, or climbs, and relate scale back to the user or character. Finally, I was reminded to expand my moodboard and be intentional with materials, choosing metals like gold, brass, titanium, or tungsten based on function and storytelling.
Experience
Working through this project pushed me to expand my approach to vehicle design beyond simple form development. Instead of jumping straight into drawing, I had to consider world-building first, which shaped many of my later decisions. Understanding the harsh Antarctic environment in the Overwatch universe helped me justify why the vehicle needed a crawler configuration and how it should behave in extreme snow conditions. Throughout the stages—world building, reference studies, sketching, silhouettes, breakdowns, and color testing—I encountered several challenges, especially when transitioning from organic, creature-inspired ideas to mechanical solutions. However, with continuous refinement and feedback, I gained a clearer process for designing vehicles that feel purposeful, functional, and grounded in their environment.
Observation
Throughout the project, I observed how interconnected each step of the design process was. Researching the Overwatch world and real crawler machines gave me a practical foundation, while studying spider anatomy revealed how natural forms could translate into mechanical movement. Thumbnail sketches evolved into silhouettes, and those silhouettes helped communicate personality and function before any details were added. I also noticed how much visual clarity improved once value shading and structural breakdowns were introduced. The biggest shift came when I realized that believable design depends on balancing inspiration from nature with engineered logic—moving from purely organic shapes to more functional mechanical structures strengthened the final concept.
Findings
From this project, I learned that successful design comes from aligning function, world context, and visual language. Clearly defining the environment and purpose of the vehicle informed every choice—from crawler legs to material considerations. I discovered that natural reference can spark unique ideas, but translating those forms into mechanical systems requires simplification and problem-solving. Silhouettes, values, and break-down sketches proved essential tools for testing clarity before committing to final designs. Finally, I found that design becomes more convincing when every component has a reason to exist, whether it supports movement, survival, or storytelling. This process helped me understand that world-building and functionality are just as important as aesthetics in creating a strong vehicle concept.
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