This design was for an article about timber being looted to create the stadiums for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. It's a good reminder to me of the importance of being willing to change course even after sinking a lot of effort into a project.
The initial design concept was overly complicated and did not support the content or communicate effectively. It raised more questions than it answered. Fortunately, I was able to realize it and force myself to abandon it and start over.
This initial concept was supposed to be the Japanese flag superimposed over an area of deforestation. It just wasn't communicating as well as I wanted it to despite the effort I sunk into it.
The replacement concept ended up being a more compelling image that was simple and easy to create using vector shapes, clipping masks, and some light editing to blend in the wood grains.
I find that starting a project over from scratch almost always produces better quality results more efficiently. The catalyst is being honest with yourself when it's just not working out like you hoped it would.
