A useful distinction in my research is the difference between artistic and commercial illusion. Although both use ambiguity, layered meaning, and delayed recognition, they are built around different intentions. Commercial illusion is outcome-oriented: it has to support brand recall, clarify identity, and direct the viewer toward a specific message. Artistic illusion does not carry the same obligation. It can remain open, unresolved, and more dependent on the viewer’s own interpretation.
This distinction is important because it clarifies the split between the theoretical and practical parts of my project. The theoretical part is moving toward a more structured question: how visual form directs attention and emotional response. The practical part, however, will not try to imitate branding logic. I am more interested in building an experience in which meaning is not fixed in advance, but develops through the viewer’s own reading.
That is why, in the practical outcome, I want to work closer to artistic illusion. I want to leave space for uncertainty, projection, and multiple interpretations instead of leading everyone to the same conclusion. The value of the work, for me, lies precisely in that openness. If the viewer immediately arrives at one closed answer, the experience becomes shorter and less personal.
