Mundane

 Instructions

Design a Visual Metaphor: Choose an abstract idea or theme (for example: time, freedom, anxiety, hope, or teamwork). Your task is to represent this idea in a single image using metaphor or symbolism – without relying on text. Start by brainstorming: list objects, scenes or animals that you associate with the idea. Pick one approach and sketch it out or create a simple digital collage. For instance, if your concept is “time flies,” you might draw a clock with wings like a butterfly. If your theme is “brainstorming ideas,” you might show a human brain as a literal storm cloud with bolts of lightning (insights) striking. Be as imaginative as possible – even surreal combinations can work (like “hope” as a tiny green sprout growing out of a concrete pavement). After creating your image, write a brief sentence or two explaining the metaphor or symbols you used. This exercise will train you to turn concepts into visuals and ensure that the meaning can be inferred by others. Share your metaphor image with a peer and see if they catch the intended meaning; if not, adjust and refine the imagery. Goal: Simplify a complex idea into a clear visual metaphor.

Content 

 Reflection

For me this exercise was a bit of a doozy to really try and pick a single topic to base a design around, and especially without text or captions. But after some deliberation I picked the word mundane. The kind of word that sounds exactly like it feels: repetitive, routine, gray. The image is a split-scene of a man walking one side in black and white, the other side bathed in warm color. Same man, same step, same shadow. But the environment changes, and that does something to the weight of it all.

The black and white half represents that autopilot mode most of us fall into the sleepwalk of everyday life. It's flat, it’s a bit heavy, and it doesn’t offer much variation. The color side? That’s what happens when just a tiny bit of intention creeps into your day. Same walk. Different light. Nothing dramatic just a reminder that even the smallest shifts in how we see things can change how they feel. 

But for you guys I want to know something in your life that feels gray right now? And if you could add just one bit of color to it a small change, a habit, a perspective shift what would it be? Drop your thoughts below or just sit with the image a while. For me my goal with this image has really just begun, and I would like to know what you guys think.