Information
Design
Mixed Martial Arts
Year
2024
3rd Semester
Tools
Figma
Illustrator
InDesign
Team
Jan Lauer
Art or pure brutality?
"MMA" is a fascinating and dynamic combat sport that combines a variety of techniques and skills from various martial arts styles. Our goal was to visually represent this dynamism and diversity in an engaging and informative way by using different visualization models, such as diagrams, data visualizations, infographics, illustrations, functional representations, icons and pictograms.
We worked through MMA on the basis of its functions and principles and communicated them using different visualization models. We had a total of eight DIN A3 pages at our disposal on which we could distribute and design our content.
Cover
In order to express the brutality and danger of MMA and draw attention to it, we depicted the cover in a bright red colour. The front and back covers are merged to maintain dynamism through an illustrated, action-packed fight scene. We wanted to present the back cover as the dark side of the sport, as MMA is considered one of the most dangerous combat sports in the world and carries many health risks in the form of injuries.
History and rules
On the first double-page, the various martial arts that MMA originated from are listed and explained by text and matching illustrations. Additionally, the history of its development is explained using a timeline. The rules of the sport are illustrated with diagrams and pictograms.
Techniques
The pages 3 and 4 deal with the content of the various techniques used in MMA. This comprises a total of 4 categories which are divided into the appropriate body region of the illustrated person in the background. At the top left of the arm, for example, the punching techniques are shown, followed by kicking techniques, grappling and ground fighting. However, not everything is allowed in MMA, which is represented in the illegal techniques on the bottom right by icons that are supposed to support the text.
Equipment and demography
The last double-page focuses on the equipment needed for MMA practice and fighting. Both pages feature a side view of an octagon, which represents the cage in which fights are held. In addition, technical drawings, measurements and details of the cage are shown. The right-hand page is about the demography of the martial art, in which the 5 most famous MMA fighters worldwide are compared with each other, such as their origin, their fortune, the number of fights they have won or which fighting style they favour. It is particularly interesting to note that Conor McGregor has the greatest fortune, although he has not fought and won as many fights as the others. From this it can be concluded that to be successful in MMA, it primarily depends on how well you can sell yourself. The site also takes a closer look at the popularity of martial arts, the individual fighting styles and the gender distribution in infographics.
Digital medium
In the digital medium, the execution of the 4 techniques in MMA are explained in more detail by small animations showing the type of a certain technique. Additionally, it is possible to obtain more detailed information, such as the probability of strike targets and associated risks.
Illustrating the characters took up a significant amount of time, as it was important to be careful not to make them overly detailed while ensuring that no important features were lost, especially when depicting differences between martial arts. Structuring and refining the content was particularly exciting, as it involved engaging with various levels of information and devising the best presentation methods.
Contact
Currently, I'm looking for an internship starting in September. Feel free to reach out to me at any time!
I look forward to meeting you or receiving your feedback.
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