Major Project 1
Major Project I PRJ64904 / Bachelor in Design (Hons) in Creative Media / Taylor's University
CONTENT LIST
- Instructions & Brief
- Lecture notes
- Task 1: Proposal Slides
- Final Presentation slides
- Project Management Docs
- Overall Reflection
Module Brief:
Lecture Notes
- In week 1, Ms Anis briefed and guided us through what we are all going to do in Major Project
- Makesure think properly of the topic and whether we want to do individual or group because this is going to continue until a year and graduation.
- Major project is all about combining all the skills we have learnt through all our modules before and applying them all here.
Task 1: Project Proposal
Task 1: Mid Term - Project Proposal Slides:
Final Presentation Slides (Current Major I Stage):
Compiled Weekly Project Management
Final Reflection
Experience
To begin with, Major Project I has been one of the most challenging, stressful but exciting experiences throughout my Graphic Design degree. At the start of the semester, I honestly felt overwhelmed by the amount of work required because i knewthis project would continue until my final graduate showcase next year and is heavy. Unlike previous assignments that focused on one specific outcome, this project required me to bring together almost every skill I have learnt throughout all the previous modules ive done in university into one complete branding system. It was the first time I truly understood what it means to build a brand from the ground up while ensuring every touchpoint communicates the same identity and purpose.
Choosing BloominHive as my final project was also a personal challenge because I intentionally wanted to step outside my comfort zone. In many of my previous design projects, I used to gravitate towards soft pastel colours and gentle visual styles. However, after discussions with Ms. Vitiya, I realised that this project would be a valuable opportunity to explore and challenge myself with a completely different design direction. Instead of creating another stereotypically feminine space, I challenged myself to develop an industrial-inspired visual identity that represents women through confidence, strength, creativity, and individuality. This decision pushed me to experiment with new colour palettes, materials, typography, layouts, and branding approaches that I had never fully explored before.
During the early weeks, I spent a significant amount of time researching, observing existing brands, analysing women's spaces, and finding inspiration from architecture, interiors, lifestyle branding, packaging, editorial design, and environmental graphics. Through this process, I realised that as a designer, inspiration can be found everywhere. Every building, product, texture, colour, or everyday interaction has the potential to inspire new ideas. This project taught me that designers should never stop observing their surroundings because creative ideas often come from unexpected places.
One of the biggest challenges throughout this semester was ensuring consistency across every design output. Whether I was designing the logo, posters, brochures, website mock-ups, merchandise, packaging, stationery, launch event collaterals, or environmental graphics, I constantly reminded myself that every element should feel like it belongs to one complete design system. Rather than designing individual pieces separately, I learnt to think about how everything would work together as one cohesive brand experience. This became much easier after completing my BloominHive Brand Guideline Book, which I consider one of the most important milestones in Major Project I. Here in Major Project I i mostly spent time for the first weeks coming up with my logo designs. Having a comprehensive guideline allowed me to make more confident design decisions and ensured that future deliverables would remain visually consistent as the project develops further.
Although I was unfortunately sick for several weeks during this semester, I continued trying my best to make steady progress whenever I could. There were moments where I genuinely felt worried that I had not accomplished enough compared to what I originally hoped to complete. Seeing how ambitious this project is sometimes made me feel anxious that I was falling behind. However, instead of allowing that feeling to discourage me, I reminded myself that this project is a year-long journey. Every week I continued documenting my progress, seeking feedback from my lecturers, refining my ideas, and taking small but meaningful steps forward. Looking back, I am proud that despite the setbacks, I remained committed to the project and continued developing BloominHive into something that I genuinely believe in.
Observations
Throughout Major Project I, I realised that graphic design is far more than simply creating attractive visuals. Every design should solve a problem, communicate a message, and create meaningful experiences for its audience. As I developed BloominHive, I became much more aware that every design decision required a clear rationale. Colours are not chosen simply because they are visually pleasing, they communicate emotion and meaning. Typography influences personality and readability. Packaging creates memorable user experiences. Environmental graphics shape how people navigate and interact with a physical space.
One of the most valuable lessons I learnt was the importance of designing with consistency. As the project became larger and more complex, there were many occasions where I had too many ideas at once. Initially, I felt overwhelmed because I wanted to create everything immediately. However, I gradually understood that successful branding requires prioritisation. Rather than rushing to produce countless outputs, I learnt to ask myself an important question before designing anything: "Why am I creating this?" Every poster, brochure, merchandise item, website page, or packaging design should exist because it fulfils a specific purpose within the BloominHive experience. This mindset helped me become more intentional in my creative process instead of designing purely for decoration.
Another important observation came from discussions with Ms. Vitiya, who encouraged me to begin visualising my final graduate exhibition from the very beginning of the project. This advice changed the way I approached my work. Instead of thinking only about individual deliverables, I started imagining how my final showcase would look as a complete exhibition space. I began considering how every printed material, merchandise item, packaging prototype, environmental graphic, website presentation, and branding application could be arranged together to create one cohesive and immersive experience. This made me realise that designing the project is only one part of the process; presenting it effectively is equally important. Every display should work together as one visual system that reflects the identity of BloominHive.
Throughout the semester, I also became more confident in exploring new digital tools beyond the Adobe Creative Suite. I discovered IKEA's free online planning platform to visualise interior layouts and experimented with different rendering websites to communicate my spatial ideas more effectively. These experiences reminded me that becoming a designer also means continuously learning new software and technologies. Being open to exploring unfamiliar platforms can greatly improve both workflow and the quality of design presentations.
Regular consultations with my lecturers also reinforced the importance of documenting my progress every week. Their feedback continually challenged me to think deeper about my concept, improve my rationale, and refine my designs. I realised that design development is rarely a straight path, it is a continuous cycle of experimenting, receiving feedback, making improvements, and learning through the process.
Findings
Major Project I has significantly strengthened my confidence in approaching large-scale branding projects. It has allowed me to combine the knowledge and technical skills that I have developed throughout my Graphic Design degree, including branding strategy, typography, editorial design, packaging, illustration, UI/UX design, website design, environmental graphics, visual storytelling, and publication design. Instead of treating these subjects as separate disciplines, this project showed me how they work together to build one unified brand experience.
More importantly, this project has reinforced the importance of designing with purpose. Every design decision should contribute to a meaningful narrative and create value for its intended audience. Through BloominHive, I wanted to communicate that women do not need to be represented only through soft colours or delicate aesthetics. The industrial-inspired environment symbolises confidence, resilience, and empowerment, while the vibrant furniture and graphic elements represent the individuality, diversity, and creativity that every woman brings into the space. Understanding this relationship between visual communication and symbolism has made me a more thoughtful and intentional designer.
As I move into Major Project II, I know there is still a great deal of work ahead. There are moments where I still worry that I did not accomplish as much as I originally intended during Major Project I, particularly because my illness slowed my progress during several weeks of the semester. However, rather than dwelling on what I could not complete, I choose to view this as motivation. I am genuinely excited to continue developing BloominHive over the coming months, and I am determined to dedicate myself fully to producing the strongest outcomes possible.
Moving forward, I plan to continuously refine and expand the project by completing the responsive website, packaging systems, environmental graphics, promotional campaigns, merchandise collections, publication designs, and exhibition presentation. I also want to ensure that every printed piece and every display within my final showcase works together as one cohesive design system that truly reflects the BloominHive identity. By the time I present my graduate exhibition next year, I hope to look back knowing that I gave this project my absolute best effort and created a body of work that I can genuinely be proud of.
Finally, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Ms. Anis, Mr. Shamsul, and Ms. Vitiya for their continuous guidance, constructive feedback, encouragement, and patience throughout this semester. Their advice has challenged me to think more critically, push beyond my comfort zone, and grow not only as a graphic designer but also as a more reflective and purposeful creative thinker. I am excited to continue this journey throughout Major Project II and bring BloominHive to life as a complete and meaningful branding project for my final graduate showcase.
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