Stella neutronica

Illustration, Product Design | Feb-Mar 2024 Madoka Magica's core plot is about a girl named Homura who turns back time to change her friend Madoka's fate, but it ends in tragedy with each attempt. It's a series that is near and dear to my heart, and I took all of that sentimental and symbolic meaning and placed it into this singular clock. Not only does it have the literal meaning of the cyclical loop, but that cycle is related to the cycle of stars. For neutron stars specifically, they form and then die out in a great big supernova before becoming the densest object in the universe, much like the heavy weight of Madoka's fate as her friend desperately tries to save her. The star formation and outcome may be inevitable, but as the saying goes, we're all made of the same atoms and stardust and that cycle will start again.

Concept

There were so many directions to take, and it was so hard picking a singular route 'cause there's so many ways a star's life plays out with so many fitting storylines (Godoka for a neutron star, Akumura for black hole, magical girls in general, this sounds like insanity to someone who doesn't know the series, etc). I also had to take the physical presentation into account since we were allowed to execute that however we wanted, and Homura's main story arc fit really well because of the time loop and how clocks are.

There's more symbolism in the specific route I chose being a neutron star because those are the densest object ever, like how Homura repeating that month over and over again kept converging fate onto Madoka, making it worse and worse.

Process

After identifying the key steps, I sectioned off the clock for each one. In terms of color, I wanted to highlight the main two characters' with their signature colors and accent with a third one against a black base. I knew I wanted a gold clock frame as it would complement the black, pink, and purple within the clock, but my initial color choice of green would be visually dissonant so I changed it to gold as well.

Stylistically, the shift from line art to solid colors represents the shift from being normal girls to magical ones with their lives on the line. The color gold came to symbolize magic itself as the project progressed; their magical weapons are colored in gold, the flourishes and horrible fates Madoka meets are in a backdrop of gold, and the entire timeloop is circled by a gold frame that Homura brought upon herself.

Finding a suitable clock frame was a little difficult since I wanted one that was simple with a bit of the frame on the front, at least 12-14 inches wide, and easy to dismantle. Despite my numerous requirements, I found a perfect 16-inch clock after multiple stores worth of searching, and it was almost a shame to take it apart. Only "almost" though, because I had so much fun conceptualizing and executing this project for a show that really shaped my teenage years.

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