Will is the Interaction Design winner of the Thread Global Design Graduate Show in collaboration with Gucci. His expert use of technology to create mesmeric designs illustrating art deco influence and concepts such a space wealth, fascinate us. We spoke to him about his art and process a design for a film adaption William Gibson's 1984 sci-fi cyberpunk novel 'Neuromancer'.
The primary influence was the novel itself, a 1984 sci-fi novel written by William Gibson that essentially created the cyberpunk sub-genre. I had a copy of the text that I would constantly refer back to for reference and to make sure my design would be able to facilitate the story being told in a visually compelling way, complementing the already incredible narrative.
3D design has become a fundamental part of how I communicate ideas. Through modelling the sets in Sketchup and rendering them with Twinmotion, I am able to create virtual spaces that can be used to show in real-time what is to be built in a studio.
This is useful as a means of pre-visualisation, so that directors can see what to expect and sign off on it before the budget is spent on actually building it. It also allows for the planning of shots and creation of storyboards using the virtual camera tools. These can then be distributed throughout a production and they make sure that everyone is on the same page about the film/show they are making and what they are collectively aiming for.
The 3D aspect adds a speed and versatility that 2D images simply cannot offer, as to change a view on an image, the concept art must be redrawn from scratch. In 3D, the view can be moved in seconds, which is vital given the speed that productions move at. Furthermore, animations that demonstrate the layout and style of a set can only be practically produced from 3D models, and they are the best way of visualising a set, save for actually standing in the physical space once built.
Villa Straylight is meant to be the ultimate beacon of wealth – part of a space station owned by a family that runs one of the world’s largest mega corporations. As such, I wanted the design to convey a sense of opulence in every detail. For this, I looked to the grandeur of art deco and in particular, some of the works of architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The detailed patterns and geometric forms were adapted to create ornate pillars, walls and tiling for the various interior sets of the Villa Straylight.
The harsh lines and sharp edges of these shapes also added a sinister overtone to make the space seem unwelcoming and hostile to the protagonists who have snuck aboard. The aim was to have no space left without ornamentation of some sort, to really reinforce the idea of the seemingly infinite wealth required to construct such a space.
Technology touches almost every aspect of my design process. While the core concepts start with ideas and sketches on bits of paper, realising those ideas and communicating them to others is something that I can do so much faster and to a much higher standard through the implementation of technology in my workflow.
The ability to design sets in 3D and rearrange shapes and forms at the click of a mouse to test out variations allows me to trial multiple ideas and refine them into a finished concept without starting from square one every time. It’s also an invaluable asset to be able to visualise the set with materials and textures that can’t easily be conveyed in a drawing. Choices can then quickly be made about what would be the most appropriate colour/finish/texture etc to be used on a set. Being able to make all these changes at speed on a virtual model leaves more time to spend on enhancing the underlying ideas to make the design the best it can possibly be.
Both designs contribute towards the same larger story, so although they show drastically different architectural styles, I didn’t find myself thinking of them as being hugely separated. Each one was enjoyable for different reasons and tested my capabilities in different ways.
For example, Chiba City was interesting for its variety and how asymmetrical and disjointed everything was, with over 60 unique buildings displaying crumbling facades of all kinds of architectural styles.
Meanwhile, Villa Straylight had a much bigger focus on interior sets and it was a challenge to try and make something that was faithful to the book, while also adding in new elements and making sure that the changes could still work with the narrative taking place. The scale of the Villa Straylight design – at over a kilometre in every direction – was also a daunting yet exciting aspect of the design to grapple with. I really enjoyed designing both sets though, and I can only hope to be involved if a film adaptation of this novel ever does come to pass.
