Bookform – A Process Journal by Carolina Ganon

BO O K FO RM A PROCES S JOURNAL BY CAROLINA GANON

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B OOK FORM A PROCES S JOURNAL BY CAROLINA GANON

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The yin and the yang are opposite forces.

Yet, they exist together in the harmony of a perfect orb. The colors black and white represent these complementary forces visually. This semester was a mixture of design love and design anxiety. However, I eventually found harmony in these feelings, and I am constantly learning how to deal with them, allowing me to grow as a student and designer.

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B OOK FORM A PROCES S JOURNAL BY CAROLINA GANON

CONTENTS

PART ONE Xylo.........................................006 Steadfast...................................008 The Toy.....................................010 Good vs. Bad Design.....................018 The Logo..................................020 The Package................................024 Constraints................................026 Type.........................................028 The Booklet................................032 The Poster..................................038 Design is Powerful........................040 AIGA The Show..........................042 Thoughts...................................052

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PART TWO Folio........................................054 Layout Research..........................056 Inluence & Culture.....................058 Dutch Design..............................060 Iris Van Herpen...........................062 Petra Vonk.................................064 Lenneke Wispelwey.......................066 Change the World........................068 The Folio Project.........................070 More Research............................072 More on Process...........................074 Figuring Things Out is Fun............076 Mystery.....................................080 Smile.......................................082 Changes....................................084 Being Mindful............................088 The Folio...................................090 Thoughts....................................100 Wrapping Up.............................. 102 Index and Credits.........................104

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Part One

X YLO T H E $ 5 TOY P ROJ EC T

Part One /

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The big idea of this project was to build an imaginative toy, the promotional poster and info brochure to go with it. With only $5 and a trip to the hardware store, our class had to conceive of and build a toy to be used as content for this project. As a inal result, we had to design a 17x22� double-sided poster that would fold down into a 5.5x8.5� informative booklet about the created toy.

Whereas the ront side should be a single image poster, the backside should be a booklet with long-form text, headers, formatting and imagery.

A sound grid structure was paramount to develop the inside part of the booklet. In this project, I developed the toy, and all branding, logo, slogan, and copy, at all times keeping in mind my audience.

Along with the creation of this assignment, our class had to listen to one podcast every weekend, read pages rom the book Layout Essentials and

relate our thoughts about those learning to what we were working in class. The podcasts usually gave me insights on design as a whole, and it got me thinking about my role as a designer.

The readings provided layout and grid learnings, which was important for the development of each project.

As learning point objectives for this project, we had: development of grid structure and layout concerns, both conventional and unconventional; creation of visual branding on a small scale; generating a great deal of written copy about the product, which also fulill long-form text requirements in this course; addressing visual hierarchy concerning typography and image; developing fully functional print piece with a central theme; maintaining a consistent mood, theme, color scheme and typographic treatment throughout a single printed piece.

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STEAD. FA S T /’stead fast/ adjective

1: irmly ixed in place: immovable; not subject to change 2: irm in belief, determination, or adherence: loyal <her followers have remained steadfast>

Part One / Steadfast: Podcasts – Hold Out and Chris Ware’s interview

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To be steadfast means to be undoubtedly devoted or loyal to a person, belief, or cause. In better words: not changing. Although it is good to be open to new ideas and inluences, it is important as a designer to be loyal to one’s original point of view in a project. In life, everyone faces repression or feelings of insecurity in some way, and it is paramount to understand the importance of staying grounded in one’s core values and point of view.

With the same mindset, Chris Ware shared his own perspective on how to be steadfast in Building Stories. Ware communicates real human experiences and relects multi layers of consciousness while interlocking stories of ordinary people that are remarkable in their own way. In his interview, Ware states that sometimes one does not ind the most receptive audience, but it is important to stay loyal to your cause, to be steadfast.

People can be steadfast in their own unique ways. The story of Edith Maceield and her unwillingness to give up the place she called home illustrates the power of following one’s motivation and staying true to one’s perspective.

It also expresses how building sympathetic relationships throughout life is critical to fulill “the human experience”.

Design is about devoting yourself to your work and your ideas. Design is a constant balance of logic and intuition, of micro and macro understanding of a project. Design is about trying to understand other people, being empathetic to their needs and visions. Design is about being lexible, it is about being patient.

DESIGN IS ABOUT ALL THAT, AND AT THE SAME TIME BEING STEADFAST WHEN APPROPRIATE.

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THE TOY Part One / The Toy

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This is the irst week of classes. I am excited to begin a whole new semester. I am anxious too, because I missed the irst day of classes due to my light delay that made me get stuck in Houston.

I e-mailed Meena and some of my classes mates and I knew I had to listen to the podcasts (the one in the previous pages), and I knew I had to go to the hardware store and spend ive dollars to build a toy.

I felt confused and I kept thinking...Why do we have to build a toy? This is a book forms class.

However, I only had one day to igure this out: it was Tuesday night and I needed my toy done by Thursday morning.

On my way to Home Depot, I could not think of anything because I had no idea what I would be able to it in a ive-dollar budget. When I got there, I started to search the pipe aisle, looking at the diferent sizes and shapes and trying to have an idea. Nothing great there.

I kept walking and thinking, until I got to the wood aisle. I love working with wood. When I still lived in Brazil, I used to do a course where I was building a wooden sailboat and it was like meditation to me, I felt so relaxed when I was working with wood. I think that having that memory made me realize that I should do something with wood. And I found let-over wood that was 70% of in a corner of the store: perfect! Now I just had to think what I would be able to make out of that.

First I thought I could make an airplane to mount, but that would be really hard, and I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a lot of tools here. Then I had the idea of the yo-yo. The only thing I would have to buy would be the wood, a small piece of tube and string. Everything it in my budget, leaving space to buy a dollar more if I needed.

To cut the wood, I used a door knob cutter to cut two circles of wood. Then, I assembled both of the pieces with the tube, using super glue to put everything together. To inish, I tied the string in the center of the yo-yo, around the tube, and it was working perfectly!

When I was done with the toy, I realized I had to make it unique and I had the idea of creating diferent covers that would allow the costumer to customize the toy, changing the cover whenever they would like. The problem was how to make that happen.

Ater watching a lot of youtube videos and thinking about possible ways to attach the covers, I inally came up with an idea! I cut and sanded thin round pieces of wood with the same size as the sides of the yo-yo. I drew mandalas in the computer and found out how transfer the drawing to the pieces of wood. To attach the covers, I used a little piece of velcro on both sides to allow them to be changed easily.

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Part One / The Toy

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Part One / The Toy

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I FELT SO RELAXED WHEN I WAS WORKING WITH WOOD, AND HAVING THAT MEMORY MADE ME REALIZED THAT I SHOULD BUILD SOMETHING WITH WOOD.

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Part One / The Toy

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GO OD VS . B This weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s podcasts kept me wondering: what makes a design good or bad?

Part One / Good vs. Bad Design: Podcast Design Matters with Massimo Vignelli

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BAD D ESIG N First, we have to understand the complexity of the word design. Design is everything we make, but it is also everything in-between those things.

It is the use of crat and science, creativity and theory to resolve a certain problem or achieve a certain goal. Like Steve Jobs once said, “design is not only what it looks like [it] and feels like, but it also needs to work.” So really, a “good design” is one based on visual theories to achieve a speciic goal. But does one’s particular taste also interfere when judging design?

In the podcast Structural Integrity, the 59-story City Corp Center is used as an example of “bad design” even before anyone knew about its problem. Although the building presented an innovative design, the ultimate law stood in its architectural engineering, which made this design visually possible, but physically unsafe.

The engineers were not able to successfully design a building compatible with the architect’s innovative vision while keeping its “structural integrity”. This, without a doubt, is an example of “bad design” due to the grave calculation errors in the architectural plan. This example enforces how important theory and science is to design.

For us, graphic designers, a “bad design” would [thankfully] not kill anyone like a falling building would, but I could not help but smile when

Massimo Vignelli stated that “there should be a prison for bad designers” in the podcast Design Matters. According to Vignelly, the majority of the design out there is bad; it is bad because people do not follow design theories, or because the willingness to make money is greater than to design something really good. I admire Vignelli for him showing so much efort in making good design and sharing about good design with the world. Vignelli talks about forceful design, a design that is emotionally charged and is beyond harmonious, it has intensity and is provocative at the same time. This type of design is beyond just a “good design” because of its powerful presence; and that’s what he did.

This week in our class, we started to move rom the crated part of our assignment to the creation of logo and packaging for each one’s toy. Now, theory is also to be put in practice along with creativity. It is always important to balance both of these features and aim for a forceful design.

Ater all, taste does not interfere that much when thinking about design. If a design works perfectly, has presence and comes rom the heart, then it is probably ree rom Vignelli’s “jail of bad designs”.

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THE LO GO Part One / The Logo

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In my irst logo approach, I was thinking about using a rounded typeface to relect the yoyoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shape, but it felt heavy and even kind of corporate. It wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t working with the delicate feeling that I also wanted to incorporate to the brand. Then, I started playing with my second idea, which felt a lot more in tone and appropriate for the brand. The typeface used has a high contrast of thick and thin, and the rounded ends allowed me to make a reference to the yo-yo and the string, keeping a playful and delicate feeling to the logo. Here is the logo process and evolution since I decided to stick with my second idea.

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Before the logo design process began, I had to come up with a name for the yo-yo brand.

To get some inspiration, I googled the history of yo-yos and I found out that they were invented in ancient Greece! Ater that, I went to Google Translator to igure out what is wood in Greek.

Guess what? Wood in Greek is xylo. Xylo seemed to me like an easy and catchy name for the toy/brand, so I chose it.

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Part One /

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SKETCHES AND MORE SKETCHES....

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TH E PACKAGE Part One / The Package

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At irst, I was planning to use a clear glass box as the package, that would display the product in the store. However, ater our in-class critique, Meena told me that I could try using a package that would relect better the organic shape and nature of the product. That made total sense to me, my irst idea was actually making the product look like a museum display piece, plus I was missing the mystery of hiding what is inside, which could create interest in clients.

My second idea is the one that I went for (the images below). The shape, materials and colors used complemented the product, I was pretty happy with the inal result. In two weeks, I built a toy for ive dollars, created the logo and the package for it, now of to the booklet desgin!

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Part One / Podcast Design Matters – Massimo Vignelli

C ONST RAI NTS Part One / Constraints: Podcast 99% Invisible–The Broadcast Clock

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Constraint can sound like a negative word, because it can limit you and it can take away reedom and remove options. Constraints, however, are paramount to design. A designer without any restriction to his/her project can feel like Alice in Wonderland falling down the rabbit hole.

A grid is a great example of constraint in graphic design. According to Layout Essentials, “A grid is used to organize space and information; it maps out a plan for the overall project”. Learning how to use the grid is also learning how to create constraints that determine order to the layout of a project.

Constraints can be a great help to creativity when facing a blank canvas. It is overwhelming to have unlimited possibilities in ront of us, and setting constraints is a good start to have a basis so you can start creating.

This week we started to sketch some options for our poster/booklet design. The setting of a grid will not only help with the irst project decisions, but it will also help to organize the information for the reader.

The irst decisions in a design project are always more arbitrary, even when you have certain limitations to the project. Each successive choice becomes less and less arbitrary because they should correlate with the past ones. Constraints are fundamental to design because they force early decisions and, therefore, make the arbitrariness of the irst design choices less vague.

Decisions made in harmony can lead to a whole that is more than the sum of its parts, giving them direction and focus. Ater all, constraints may have a negative connotation but they are good and helpful for designers. They help one to begin to ill a blank canvas by forcing decisions when there is no basis for choosing.

In the podcast 99% Invisible, the clock is an example of constraint to the radio industry. Each show has a clock –a set template– rom which the show is organized accordingly. A radio system clock works like a grid does for graphic designers.

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T YPE “Design and typography are like a well-tailored suit: the average person may not speciically notice the handsewn buttons (kerning); the tailored darts (perfect alignment); or the ine fabric (the perfect type size). They only know instinctively that it looks like a million bucks.”

–Marian Bantjes

Part One / Type: Podcast Design Matters with Jessica Hische

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Lettering, calligraphy and type design have diferent meanings. Calligraphers and letterers create custom artwork, calligraphers write words and letterers draw them. Type designers, on the other hand, create systems of letters (called typefaces) that must work in endless combinations. Whichever kind of typographic art a designer is using, the letters and their arrangement need to visually express a certain feeling or style that is appropriate for the design.

“Design and typography are like a well-tailored suit: the average person may not speciically notice the hand-sewn buttons (kerning); the tailored darts (perfect alignment); or the ine fabric (the perfect type size). They only know instinctively that it looks like a million bucks.”

This quote by Marian Bantjes is a perfect way to depict typography as an important part of design. Many design projects are designed by professionals, but will be mainly utilized by nonprofessionals, who probably do not even know the exact meaning of typography or have no idea what kerning is. However, a layout that displays a good use and arrangement of typography, transmits a feeling of harmony that even those who know nothing about graphic design are able to feel that it is pleasant to the eyes.

Every typography consideration should be carefully thought throughout the design, and this

attention to details helps with the organization of space and passing information to the reader.

Typography and grid are “coworkers” that should work on a project with ainity, in order to form a layout design that has a sense of unity and harmony.

When speaking of typography, it is easy to think about Jessica Hische, known for her lettering arts.

Jessica is on the list of my design heroes. She enjoys communicating through social media and talking about her points of view and experience with graphic design. She made up a term called “procastiwork”. Procastiwork is the work you do when you are putting of the work you are supposed to be doing. Jessica says that the work you do while you procrastinate, is the work you should be doing for the rest of your life. When I came to know about this term, I began to pay attention to my own procastiworking habits and it still helps me guide myself toward my style and career in graphic design.

Understanding that procastiworking can be a good thing does not mean that you should forget about design rules. The rules of good use of type should dress up every work you design with a well-tailored suit, even your procastiwork. Ater all, you never know if a passion project will lead you to a bigger event.

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Part One /

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TH E B O OK LE T Part One / The Booklet

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The class was assigned to start the sketches with small dummies to better understand the format and folding. Ater I made the irst dummy in class, I preferred to start designing my ideas in a 100% scale: for me, the hard part would be itting the content (images and text), and it would be easier to see that in real scale. Setting up the grid and lowlines was the easiest way to get out of the scary beginning of not knowing what to do.

Here are some layouts rom the beginning...

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M ANDALA Mandalas are so special! The word Mandala (pronunciation mon- dah- lah) means “circle”.

A Mandala represents wholeness, a cosmic diagram reminding us of our relation to ininity, extending beyond and within our bodies and minds. Mandalas are circular designs symbolizing the notion that life is never ending.

Many mandalas have spiritual signiicance to an individual or group of individuals. The Hindus were one of the irst people to use a mandala as a spiritual tool, but the mandalas most individuals are familiar with are ones made by Buddhists.

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YO -YO We know, we know… It’s probably been a while since you have used a yoyo. Maybe you were never good at it, but that doesn’t matter when you have such a unique xylo in your hands. We’ll refresh your mind! All you have to do is hold the free end of the string known as the handle by inserting one inger into the slip knot, allowing gravity or the force of a throw to spin the xylo and unwind the string, then allow the yoyo to wind itself back to your hand, exploiting its spin.

When you are not playing with your xylo, leave it standing on your desk as a decoration piece.

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Xylo is beautifully fun.

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MORE THAN IT LOOKS There is more…with every purchase of a xylo or any of its covers, half of the money is going to be donated to help reforest damaged eco- habitats.

So you are also helping nature!

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Did you know that xylo means wood in Greek?

Yoyos were irst invented in ancient Greece and have such a fascinating story. We decided to reinvent yoyos and give them a unique twist. Our handmade xylos are crafted with perfection, made with reforested wood. They also come with customized covers so you can change your yoyo’s style whenever you want.

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FUN Do you remember how much fun it was to play with yoyos when you were a child?

Can you imagine having something beautiful to decorate your desk, which you can also play with whenever you need a break?

Xylo is perfect for a desk or in any living space!

B EAUTIFUL Each season we produce limited covers with a unique theme. This is the mandala collection, that you can play with different mandala designs and watch them spin up and down with your xylo. Stay tuned to our social media to know which is our next limited collection.

Xylo is nostalgia.

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BUY MORE XYLOS AND COVERS If you want to buy additional covers or more xylos, you can go to our website to order online. You can also ind our products at the following stores: Urban Outitters and Pottery Barn.

CO N GRAT UL AT I O N S ON RECEIVING YOUR XYLO Our handmade xylos are crafted with perfection, made with reforested wood.

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Informative booklet: First spread.

Part One / The Booklet

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Informative booklet: Second spread.

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Informative booklet: Third spread.

Part One / The Booklet

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Informative booklet: Back and ront cover.

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TH E PO STE R Part One / The Poster

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I let the poster to be designed ater I inished the booklet. Big mistake... I had a hard time trying to igure out what to do, and ended up having to spend a whole night to inish the poster.

In my irst ideas, I was trying to use the big type and some of the environment images, but it did not seem that it was a poster for the product. I inally had the idea of using a mandala to relate to the product, it was a much better direction.

As I igured out later, I missed the opportunity to relate the poster and the booklet in a better way. That opportunity came back two weeks later, when I decided to review my work and send it to the AIGA Louisville competition.

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DESIGN I S Design is really powerful, maybe a lot more than we think. People oten overlook design; it is everywhere, all the time, so people end up taking design for granted.

Part One / Desgin is Powerful: Podcast 99% Invisibleâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;Revolving Doors

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POWE R FU L Design was born with Mother Nature. In nature, the fauna and the lora bring out innumerable forms that are followed by amazing functions that help living creatures survive and evolve.

In the ield of architecture, the construction of a building blends with the design of visual elements: again, form and function work together in harmony (ideally). In the ield of graphic design, designers have the power to inform with visual elements. A designed piece is always designating a piece of information to users, and any alteration can change the way the information is perceived. Talk about power!

Designers can make a company look reliable or retro with a simple logo design. They can go even further by applying branding standards and building brand recognition. Designers can make people buy a food that they have never tried before because the package appeals to them and it makes them feel that it tastes good.

Designers help people make choices, and that is a huge deal. Take the story about revolving doors in the podcast 99% Invisible, for example. The fact that there was a sign informing people about the advantage of using the revolving door totally changed peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s action when they had to choose between the two doors.

Yes, this whole â&#x20AC;&#x153;huge dealâ&#x20AC;? thing is great, but this power also gives us, designers, a huge responsibility. We can change the world and we can also make the world prettier and more useful with beautiful and purposeful design work. The responsibility, however, comes in following design principles and using our knowledge to spread good use of design and make people better informed.

As our irst project comes to an end, we also conclude one big step on our journey to becoming designers. We worked on visual hierarchy, alternating formats and consistency, layout organization and visual representation of our ideas to inform about our product. It started as a ive-dollar toy, but now it looks like it is worth a lot more. The most successful design looks simple but is subtly versatile.

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AI GA TH E SH OW Part One / Desgin is Powerful

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THERE IS ALWAYS A WAY TO MAKE IT BETTER.

When the work submissions for the AIGA Louisville competition The Show were open, I talked to Meena to discuss the possibility of sending my Xylo work. However, I knew it needed some improvement. I wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t 100% satisied when I handed in the work in class, I knew I could do better then that.

So, during the irst weeks of the other project, I was also working on this. With Meenaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s feedback and constant dialogue, I changed a few parts of the text, included/changed some images and improved the layout. I worked until I felt happy and conident to send it to the competition. The following spreads showcase my inal work on this project, which I submitted to The Show.

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Part One /

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17X22’’ POSTER, UNCOATED PAPER.

Poster folded: Informative booklet (cover).

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Part One / AIGA The Show

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5.5X8.5’’ BOOKLET SPREAD, UNCOATED PAPER.

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Informative booklet: First spread.

Part One / AIGA The Show

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Informative booklet: Second spread.

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Informative booklet: Third spread.

Part One / AIGA The Show

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Informative booklet: Back and ront cover.

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Part One / Thoughts

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THO U G HTS The ive-dollar toy project was diferent rom all the other projects I had done before in class.

At irst, I was araid of spending ive dollars in a hardware store without knowing what to do with it. However, while I was walking through the storeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aisles I began to have a lot of diferent ideasâ&#x20AC;Ś I learned to trust my creativity more and try to let go of some fears that can hold me back at the beginning of a project.

Another part that was kind of scary was when I had to start designing the booklet. It was when I had to know what direction I wanted to take with my project and which style I wanted for my design. I learned that the sketchbook and dummies are indeed a really helpful tool for that. I used them a lot more this semester than I had used before.

The use of grids and choosing typefaces was also another tool to help generating constraints in the beginning of the layout design. The use of low line in the grid and consistency in the layout made me realize how important it is to generate trust with the reader. It was amazing to realize that ater I compared my irst sketches and design with the booklet when it started to take form.

Every podcast we had to listen to and pages rom the book we had to read, made me more aware of graphic design as a whole and also of the project itself and the things we were working on each week.

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Part Two

FO LIO THE DUTCH FOLIO PROJECT

Part One /

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And so we move on to the to the next assignment.

This project started with a broad research of Dutch designers in the ields of fashion, architecture, product, industrial, environmental and landscape designs.

Ater the research, each person in the class had to choose 3 designers, compile visual and written research about all three designers. In our research, we also had to reach out to the 3 designers via e-mail with questions about their work. Ater that, we had to design one spread for each designer, with a few requirements such as: an image of them, images of some of their work, and 200â&#x20AC;&#x201C;500 words with some information that we gathered about them. OK, that was only the irst part, it was only a warm up!

The second part of the project was to choose one of the designers and extend the research about their life and work. As a inal goal, we had to produce a folio of 3 spreads, self-covering, with the following requirements: exhibit interactive fold-out element, ater binding size of 8.5x11â&#x20AC;?, use paper used in printing industry, imagery, biography, experimental typography, timeline, di-cut and colophon.

This part of the journal is dedicated to this interesting assignment, that consisted of diferent stages of research and production. Along with that, our class had to continue to listen to one podcast every week, read pages rom Layout Essentials, and relate our thoughts about them to what we were working on in class.

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LAYOUT R E COLOR WAS ESSENTIAL TO MATISSE’S WORK, AND MILLER’S DESIGN FOR THE BOOK UTILIZES A BRILLIANT PALETTE INSPIRED BY THE ARTIST.

Part Two / Layout Research

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S EARC H When searching for a good example of â&#x20AC;&#x153;perfectâ&#x20AC;? layout, I came across the book Matisse in the Barnes Foundation, designed by Pentagram.

First, the color palette its really well with the theme. They relate to some of Matisseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s collages, and the use of alternating colors in the cover and inside, relates to collages as well. The colors also it well because they do not clash with the paintings, the colors used only support them and do not ight with attention. The use of duotone in the personal pictures also diferentiates them rom the paintings and relates to a sepia photo treatment.

The use of narrow columns and white space in the layout is pleasing to the eyes. They use really big type or numbers to indicate important information such as titles or chapters. These techniques help with text hierarchy and the low of information in the pages.

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IN FLU EN C E

Part Two / Influence & Culture: Podcast Design Matters with Maria Popova

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& CU LTU R E Ok, I have to be honest. This week was the irst time I got to know Maria Popova and her work.

And I was fascinated.

First, I immediately identiied myself with her story because she is not American, she struggled with her journey of coming to the U.S. rom Bulgaria and building her life here, in a totally diferent culture and far away rom her family. It takes a lot of courage to leave everything behind and I feel that the best way to do that is following your instinct and working hard. I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to deal with communism as Maria Popova did, but Brazil has a diferent economy and society in the way of diversity of brands and the way of how people consume. It was so diferent for me to have so many diferent possibilities of the same product, opportunity to choose and afordability when I irst moved here.

It is also beautiful to see the inluence that her grandmother has on her, and it is also a funny coincidence that my maternal grandmother was the one that taught me English in Brazil. My grandmother loves to learn new things and I got the same learning will and pleasure rom her and my mom. They are inspirational women for me and they inluence me in many ways, especially when I have to approach problems in my life with rationality and be detail-oriented.

Although I can see that my own perspective, my Brazilian culture blended with the culture that I am absorbing here in the U.S., shapes my design work, I believe I still have a long way to understand how my unique origins and my diferent perspective of life (everyone has their unique perspective) can translate into my design and anything I create. Hearing Maria Popova inspired me to pursue that, and maybe it will be a good challenge for a next design project.

Speaking of the next project, our new assignment is also about inluences and culture. As designers, we have to be able to absorb the feeling of what or who we are designing for. Now our class has to research Dutch designers, absorb the feeling of their work and translate these feelings into spreads layouts that give information about them and showcasing their work. It will be an exercise of absorbing diferent kinds of work and understanding how culture can have impact on design. I am hoping this will be a great start to understand how my own culture can also be translated in my language and style as a graphic designer.

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DUTCH DESIGN Part One /

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I had the week of fall break to research the Dutch designers and design the three diferent spreads.

To begin the research, I glanced at all the websites that were on the designerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s list that Meena gave us, and then I decided to focus on the three designers that I felt were more inspiring and that impressed me the most: Iris van Herpen, Lenneke Wispelwey and Petra Vonk. The other reason I decided to choose them was because they have diferent styles, so I could experiment with diferent directions for each of my spreads.

The following pages are dedicated to showing my spread designs and highlighting keywords that inspired me to design their spreads. The challenge in this assignment was to start thinking about merging my own style with the designersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; style, that were so diferent rom mine. I also used a binder to gather written and visual research, which was really helpful.

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IRIS VAN H E R PEN 3D printing; use of diferent textures; focus on women and complemented shapes; movement + stillness;creative process: tradition/ crat + innovation, technology and collaboration; innovative materials.

Part One /

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The email that I sent the designer included the following questions: When you were at the beginning of your career, were you ever araid of creating something so diferent and unexpected in the world of fashion? Have you ever wondered what people would think of your collection before you presented it to them?

Is there an artist that is a big reference and inspiration for you? If so, why?

Do you have a favorite creation or collection?

“NORMAL RULES DON’T APPLY.”

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PE TRA VONK

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REPETITION, GEOMETRIC PATTERNS, TACTILE EXPERIENCE, COLLABORATION WITH ARCHITECTS, ACOUSTIC SOLUTIONS.

The email that I sent the designer included the following questions: What is your creative process? Do you usually go through the same steps or does they difer rom project to project?

Do you have a main source of inspiration?

What do you do if you feel like you need new and resh ideas?

How did you ind and develop your own creative style and voice? How did you come up with the idea of fabric as an acoustic solution of some of your projects?

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LENNEKE WI S PELWEY Part One /

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The email that I sent the designer included the following questions: When you think about an idea for a project, do you usually “see” it inished in you mind? Or does it change a lot during the creative process?

What part of the creative process do you enjoy more?

How did you begin with your geometric/ mathematical approach to ceramics? Was it something experimental or do you hav a background in math?

VINTAGE AND DELICATE STYLE GEOMETRIC PATTERNS PASTEL COLORS FAMILIES OF PRODUCTS

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C HAN GE TH E WOR LD Part Two / Change the World: Podcast 99% Invisibleâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;Guerrilha Public Service

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Since I was younger, I had this dream of changing the world and making it a better place.

In Brazil, the high-school system is totally diferent than it is here in the U.S. There are no art classes for example, no sports in school, and everybody has to take the same classes to prepare for the “SAT”s. So, when I was 17 years old, and I inally had to choose my career (In Brazil you have to choose your major before you get into college), I was totally confused with all the possibilities that I had in ront of me.

I decided to try Law irst…1 year passed by and I was sure that it had nothing to do with me.

Architecture? Let’s give it a try… Another whole year passed by, and I knew I was getting closer to what I wanted but it was not quite there yet.

Graphic design seemed like a cool thing to do, but I wanted to make sure I was going to change and stick with it.

So I decided to have a talk with a designer that is a close riend of my family: Fred Gelli, his company, Tátil, designed the 2016 Olympics logo. Ater he gave me a tour at his company and explained the diferent stages of the creative process and what they did there, he asked me if I had any questions. Of course, I had millions of questions, but I remember that I irst asked him: do you feel that you can change the world with design? He answered me that if you love what you do and it keeps you inspired, you can change the world, even with small actions.

These words came back to me ater this week’s podcast 99% Invisible. The Guerrilla Public Service story reminded me how amazing it is to do something you love. If you work with what you love, you can have the magic power to change the world; even with small changes, you can make a big diference in someone else’s life, and yours.

The story also reminded me to have less fear of taking chances on what you believe is the right thing to do, and I feel that having this in mind can make a lot of diference in my design. I know that design theory is essential to good design, but sometimes when I think too much about them, I feel more araid of creating with my own style. This week’s story reminded me of the importance of taking chances, and to remember that I can make a diference with small steps. All the Dutch designers that I have been researching this week are also amazing inspirations and lessons to be diferent and have your own style.

“THE GREATEST MISTAKE YOU CAN MAKE IN LIFE IS TO BE CONTINUALLY FEARING YOU WILL MAKE ONE.” –ELBERT HUBBARD

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THE FO LI O The spread designs were only a warm up to prepare us for the actual project that was about to begin. In our irst class ater fall break, we presented our spreads and decided which of the three designers we were going to choose to make our folio about. I chose Lenneke Wispelwey. I felt really inspired about her work and the way she explained how she viewed the world. Everything she creates has a whimsical approach and I thought that would be a great feeling to explore in my folio design.

I remember I let class feeling really overwhelmed by all the thoughts and possibilities for this project. The fact that I had to choose the paper rom a printing company and design an interactive element for the folio for the irst time was making me excited and nervous at the same time. I had a lot of diferent ideas, but I didn’t know how to actually do a lot them. Plus, I had to choose a direction for this project and I didn’t know where to begin.

I was lucky that Lenneke’s website was full of information, I had pretty much everything I needed there: for the biography, images, and the timeline.

Part Two / The Folio Project

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PROJ ECT

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MOR E R ESEAR C H Part Two / More Research

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Lenneke Wispelwey (1979) founded her studio in 2008 in Arnhem. Till now she has mainly focused on working with porcelain. Her pastel coloured products with mathematic/geometric patterns are the result of a very low-tech way of designing. Lenneke inds a basic, simple approach to techniques and materials very important to communicate her vision and her way of working. She prefers creating a family of products because as an only child she had always a desire for a bigger family.

Her work is also known for the use of diferent shades of one colour, and playing with the contrast between biscuit and glazed porcelain.

Her love for curiosa, vintage and other remarkable items is showing in how she poetically displays her work in a bigger picture. She creates honest and harmonious designs, inspired by her own memories and found pieces rom every day life. She feels her work should make people smile.

Things that she loves: Foamfountains, daisylower-necklaces, shooting stars, Amelie, roadtrips, tropical cocktails, Portugal, put a smile on a sad face, mix and match, inding treasures, walk-in closets, handmade, old black and white family pictures, dinnerpartyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s with riends, receiving mail the old fashioned way, foreign postcards, going to the theatre alone, pastel colours, leemarkets, porcelain cups with colourful lowers and a golden rims, old records, cuckoo clocks, contrast, things that are so ugly they become beautiful again, clouds that look like bunnyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, italian icecream, my mothers apple pie, surprising a riend, dancing my butt of, Prince himself, kitsch.......

DESIGN, CERAMICS & STYLING

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MO R E ON PROC ESS Part One / Lennke Wispelwey

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As the next step, I decided to start my research on papers and how I would print my work. I e-mailed Welch Printing Company, which I visited last semester for another class and asked them about the printing process. Since I would only print about 2 or 3 copies, I had to print them digitally and I would have to fold and diecut manually. They were kind enough to give me a little tour, show me the digital printer (their printer was indigo) and some paper samples.

However, I had to use their paper if I wanted to use their service. I kept this information in mind, because I was pretty sure that I wanted to buy paper instead of using theirs.

I had a clear idea in mind that I would like to use not only white paper, but also pink and blue papers in pastel tones, to relect Lenneke’s use of these pastel colors in her own work. As a metaphorical image, I wanted to use candies because her approach is so sweet and the colors she uses reminded me of ice-cream, Kitchen-aid and marshmallows. Coincidentally, while I was researching for papers in diferent companies’ websites, I found this amazing paper line called Pop-Tone rom French Paper Co. that had the exact colors that I was looking for. And they even had names based on candies! Even though I wouldn’t have enough time to order samples (and they would be really expensive with 2-day shipping), I felt really comfortable about ordering the papers and I knew they would work well. Meena brought some samples rom French Paper Co. to class and I had a pretty good idea of diferent paper thickness, their quality and feel.

The next step was to focus on the form. My Pinterest board had so many diferent visual ideas. I wanted to do so well in this project, that I was postponing the design because of my anxiety.

Focusing on the form of the folio and how it would fold was a good start to know where to begin with the layout. Ater cutting and folding a lot of paper, I was satisied with the result, at least enough to start designing…

My process rom there was basically sketching, using InDesign, and always keeping my dummy in hand to understand how everything would function. I also had to print everything many times, and mount everything to have a better idea of how the folio would look.

At the end of the process, I realized that I could print the folio with my printer, which would be a lot more convenient to print as many times as I would need (specially keeping in mind that I had to make a lot of cuts, and had to igure out how to lay out the pages in InDesign to print them in the right place.

The main goal with my Dutch folio was to create a piece that would narrate Lenneke’s story by engaging the viewer with the qualities that I saw in her work: whimsical and fun in a delicate way.

Although the parameters of the project didn’t allow us to use more than 6 pages, I found a way to create diferent layers to give a sense of narrative and mystery as the viewer discovers more and more facts about the designer.

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FI G U RING IS FU N The Design Matters podcast where Debbie Millman interviews Marian Bantjes itted perfectly as an inspiration for this week.

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TH I NGS OUT We are set for another project, a folio with 3 spreads and a list of other requirements but endless possibilities. My folio is going to be about the Dutch designer Lenneke Wispelwey. She works with ceramics in a very diferent way, with repetition of geometric shapes, creating families of products with pastel colors. Her work has a whimsical approach, delicate and so beautiful.

Bantjes careful treatment with textures to create a rich visual and tactile experience shows how seducing and magical print design can be. The patterns and textures make the readers turn each page. Bantjes said she spent a lot of money on the book, good printing paper and materials are expensive, but it was worth it to achieve the goal she was looking for.

Lenneke says she feels that her work should make people smile, so I think my folio about her should do the same thing. I have been constantly thinking about ideas for this project and hearing Marian Bantjes talking about her creative process with her book I wonder, has inspired me to go all out with this project.

Bantjes talks about experimental typography, intricacy and time invested in work, and that is what I want to take with me to produce this folio, to touch in some way any person that might be looking at the folio.

I love working with print design, I love reading books and collecting books that have beautiful design. I really believe that web design does not replace printing design; they are totally diferent experiences when designed well.

Marian Bantjes says: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Figuring things out is fun.â&#x20AC;? I totally agree with her, so I would like to make this project a learning experience on how to create intriguing work. Communicate visually and out of the box. Not being superluous about text, and inally, when speaking about something visual, not just showing the visual but representing the entire piece in a visual sense.

Last note on this: I ordered her book I wonder for my book collection =]

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Part One / Podcast Design Matters – Massimo Vignelli

MYSTE RY glimlach means smile

Part Two / Mystery: Podcast 99% Invisible–Awareness

Think about ceramics.

Some preconceived images may come to your mind, but the work of Lenneke Wispelwey is probably nothing like you would imagine. It’s more like merengue, pastel colors and a touch of happiness.

Her work consists mainly in geometric patterns and pastel colored products, which are designed in a very crafted way. With the use of different shades of one color, and playing with the contrast, Lenneke is able to produce a big variety of shapes and products. And make you smile with her witty splash of humour.

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THE RESULT IS A MYSTERY UNTIL NOVEMBER 10, STAY TUNED.

Are you familiar with the meaning of the expression Zeigarnik efect? It is a scientiic term named ater a Soviet psychologist who discovered that humans’ memory is ine-tuned to remember incomplete stories and tasks. How many times couldn’t you put down a good book or stop watching your favorite TV show?

It is proved that human beings dislike uncertainty and will actively try to reduce it by any means, and this could be used to a graphic designer’s advantage. The pattern of creating tension and then releasing it, is intrinsic to us. The tension and release patterns in music creates rhythm, in novel there is suspense and resolution, in the visual arts, including design, it means things such as hierarchy, focal points, and low. As graphic designers, we should build mystery to grab the viewer’s attention and lead the reader to the lip to next page.

This week’s 99% Invisible podcast Awareness, and the story about the creation and growing popularity of ribbons to represent causes, called my attention to the power of mystery to catch people’s attention. When people wore red ribbons in the Tony Awards in 1991, but no one explained the ribbons on-air, the degree of mystery provided a great good press because people were wondering about the meaning of the ribbons (Zeigarnik efect)!

I intend to keep this thought in mind when designing my folio. I think it is not only about the type of folding we are making with the folio but a lot about the elements and details such as texture, diecut, pattern, visual hierarchy, that we use in each page to create mystery, guide the reader and narrate a visual story.

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SM I LE Two things that I have heard this week kept me thinkingâ&#x20AC;ŚThe irst one was Stefan Sagmeister saying that thinking is so important to design.

The other one was Debbie Millman saying that if design is good, then it is art and it is something breathtaking.

I could not agree more with them. I would even add that these ideas complement each other: every design that has a concept behind it and is well done, then it is powerful enough to be breathtaking. It seems so simple, but actually itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not.

Design means problem solving and, therefore, thinking is paramount to achieving every design goal. However, design also deals with visual aesthetics, and this means that there isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t one right answer to the problem. At the same time this is fascinating, it also requires a lot of thinking, trying, and trying again until (you think) you got it right.

Part Two / Smile: Podcast Design Matters with Stefan Sagmeister

This semester I have been experiencing a new phase as a design student: I have two design classes with a lot of projects and, for the irst time, I am dealing with 15 hours a week of my internship, where I have even more projects.

It is being great but challenging at the same time, since I have to juggle so many design projects for the irst time. This means I am 24/7 thinking of diferent solutions to these design problems; and I found out that trying to have great ideas all the time, although fun, can also be really stressful. From my experience, stress can get in the way of creativity, so I am trying to ind ways to ight this feeling.

This brings me to another point that I have noticed this week. I noticed that reading about design theory and listening to designers talking about their work, experience and design concepts, gives me some peace in my heart, and more conidence that I am on the right path to making great design one day. The more I practice, the closer I will be to make a breathtaking work, and make people smile.

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Experimental typography: twizzler and sprinkles.

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C HANG ES

Part Two / Changes: Podcast 99% Invisible â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Ten Thousand Years

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As designers, we learn all kinds of theories to help us achieve desired goals. Aesthetic and theory conventions lead us to some answers in our design adventures. Plan for interruptions by doing this. Allow for drama by doing that.

Let instinct rule. Now, set up a system…and the list goes on.

But when we talk about design, there is a thin line between the rational and the emotional.

We have to explain all of our design decisions: we learn how to describe why we like this or dislike that. But what if symbols we use today have diferent meanings in 10 thousand years rom now? Changes are a lot more requent with Adobe sotware that we use to design today, for example. Technology runs at a fast pace.

Communication is shaped by culture, and culture changes, not only geographically but also over time. So communication also changes. The world around us is constantly changing.

I think that every designer has a need for control, ones more than others… But the fact is that we all want to make a world ree of bad designs. We all want to make the best design, communicate in the most beautiful or impactful way. We all feel the need to leave our marks in the world forever with our designs, and in a certain way, be in control.

To realize that things are ephemeral (and we also are) might be unsettling, but it can also be liberating. We can realize that design is a problem-solving task, and we are here to solve it the best way we can, with the best tools we have today.

Design is a constant learning and we oten look back and see all the things we can correct in our own work. Design is complicated, and designers might be even more complicated. We never settle until we think we have found the right answer to a problem; only until we see that there is an even better solution to it.

Design is in constant evolution, and so are we.

So let’s embrace changes and do the best design we can do for now. It’s the last week of the Dutch folio project and there is so much to do.

CAN I BE BACK IN CONTROL NOW?

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BEIN G M I N DFUL Mindfulness and design inspirations were this weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s theme. I felt a great relief when I heard this podcast looking back at this recently acomplished assignment and looking forward for future challenges.

Part Two One / Being Mindful: Podcast Design Matters with Tina Roth Eisenberg

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Tina Roth Eisenberg, or Swiss Miss, is one of my new design heroes ater listening to her podcast interview this week. I was listening to the podcast while running yesterday at 6:00 am, before going to class and presenting my Dutch Folio project that was inally done. A lot of things that she said got me thinking about our assignment and future semesters.

Her project and point of view about looking at things you don’t notice anymore is amazing!

This year I started to do a lot of mindfulness exercises, which essentially is about not worrying about the past or future and being present at all times, and it totally relates to her point of view of being grateful for the little everyday things.

Some exercises are like meditations, but others are simply trying to notice all the little things while doing the most ordinary things like washing dishes for example: feeling the smell of the soap, the feeling and sound of the warm water passing through your ingers, the touch of the porcelain dishes in your hands…

Trying to live my life in a mindful way has helped me to design too. It’s about being focused during the creative process, being less anxious about whether or not you will have an idea, enjoying the process even if you have no idea of how it is going to turn out, noticing every little detail when crating your inal piece, and being grateful for little things like the existence of Photoshop or sharp X-acto knives.

When I got back rom my run, the irst thing I did was to open the Swiss Miss’ blog to check it out. I’ve been thinking a lot about having a personal project for next semester, something that I can post on social media somehow and create interest in other people around there to get to know me and how I think. This semester’s podcasts were really helpful to get me thinking about design, knowing new designers, and writing better and faster in English.

Getting to know the Swiss Miss’ blog and how she is able to create visual inspiration inspired me to actually do something about this idea in my head.

She mentioned “people just want to connect to a person”, and this is totally true! I want to connect people to me and the things I create, and I think it will also hold me accountable so I can actually make my ideas happen and not just keep thinking about them.

Oh, and she is the one that began Creative Mornings! I didn’t know that and I have been attending Creative Mornings in Louisville almost every month this year, and I love it.

Listening to creative people talk about their work and ideas is not only inspiring, but it also gives me hope that I can get there one day. Observing masters and making a close study of the work of graphic pathinders can allow me to give my own resh interpretations to my own design.

That’s what this semester’s podcasts and readings and Creative Mornings are all about. They are tools to help me grow as a designer and help me understand how to get my own ideas out there.

I JUST HAVE TO KEEP DESIGNING, TRY TO GET BETTER EVERYDAY, AND BE POSITIVE THAT IT WILL PAY OFF IN THE FUTURE.

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TH E FOLIO Part Two / The Folio

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FOLIO: COVER WITH BELLY-BAND.

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The folio: On the let, the bellyband opened. On the right, a detail with the interactive element.

Part Two / The Folio

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The folio: On the let, the irst spread. On the right, a detail with the interactive element.

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The folio: On the let, the second spread. On the right, the back cover, which contains the timeline and the colophon.

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THO U G HTS The Dutch Folio project was a process that required a lot of research, a lot of thoughtfulness on form, content, and also a lot of crat. In graphic design, the good thoughts usually add up to build a good impression of the work. One little mistake, however, can be a lot louder to the viewer’s eyes than everything else that the designer got right.

With this thought in mind, I tried to be careful and thoughtful throughout my creative process.

This carefulness may have required me to slow down my productivity in the beginning because I was feeling araid to make mistakes, but later I was able to pass that obstacle, I was able to feel better about the work I was creating.

I learned that if you maintain focus and thoughtfulness through the whole process, things low smoothly and you don’t have to be super stressed at the end of it!

Dealing with interactive elements in book forms was a great challenge, but it also created a big interest on my part. It seems like I have activated a part of my brain to start thinking about the possibility of interactive elements in a layout that I hadn’t thought about before (or didn’t think I was able to create something like that). All the challenges of the assignment have made me aquire new design assets, and made me feel more conident of my capabilities as a designer.

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As our folio project came to an end, we started our last assignment of this course: the design of this process journal to include all the content done and learned throughout this semester. Ater so many challenges, I felt good about working on this project, everything lowed more smoothly, and the creation process didn’t include a lot of anxiety as the others did. It’s like they say: “a smooth sea never made a skillful sailor.” This semester was a huge challenge, but it couldn’t have been better.

In one of our last classes, we received a guest to talk a little bit about building her own business, her work, and creative process. Elise Welsh has recently graduated rom UofL with a Marketing major. She decided to follow her passion for lettering design, which she learned on her own, and opened Old Glory Paper Co. with her husband Mike. She creates cards, wedding invitations and other paper goods, with a lot of care and passion in what she does.

She also did a little demo with watercolor and guache, and we had the opportunity to try doing it ourselves and to ask her for some tips.

The way Elise talked about her work and process was so genuine that I was really happy to listen to her talking about her experiences. When people do what they love, and they create something authentic, other people will be more likely love what they do as well. As I also learned with Lenneke Wispelwey, if you smile, your work will make people smile.

In this course, I have learned to incorporate things that I make with my own hands to my design projects. I have also realized the importance of keeping records of diferent parts of my creative process and I have practiced putting in words my beliefs, values and thoughts about graphic design. There is still a lot to practice and improve, but I am happy to look back and see how much I have grown this semester.

IF YOU SMILE, YOUR WORK WILL MAKE PEOPLE SMILE.

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This is the irst week of classes. I am excited to begin a whole new semester. I am anxious too, because I missed the irst day of classes due to my light delay that made me get stuck in Houston.

I e-mailed Meena and some of my classes mates and I knew I had to listen to the podcasts (the one in the previous pages), and I knew I had to go to the hardware store and spend ive dollars to build a toy.

Part One

X YLO T H E $ 5 TOY P ROJ EC T

The big idea of this project was to build an imaginative toy, the promotional poster and info brochure to go with it. With only $5 and a trip to the hardware store, our class had to conceive of and build a toy to be used as content for this project. As a inal result, we had to design a 17x22” double-sided poster that would fold down into a 5.5x8.5” informative booklet about the created toy.

Whereas the ront side should be a single image poster, the backside should be a booklet with long-form text, headers, formatting and imagery.

A sound grid structure was paramount to develop the inside part of the booklet. In this project, I developed the toy, and all branding, logo, slogan, and copy, at all times keeping in mind my audience.

Along with the creation of this assignment, our class had to listen to one podcast every weekend, read pages rom the book Layout Essentials and

I felt confused and I kept thinking...Why do we have to build a toy? This is a book forms class.

However, I only had one day to igure this out: it was Tuesday night and I needed my toy done by Thursday morning.

relate our thoughts about those learning to what we were working in class. The podcasts usually gave me insights on design as a whole, and it got me thinking about my role as a designer.

The readings provided layout and grid learnings, which was important for the development of each project.

On my way to Home Depot, I could not think of anything because I had no idea what I would be able to it in a ive-dollar budget. When I got there, I started to search the pipe aisle, looking at the diferent sizes and shapes and trying to have an idea. Nothing great there.

As learning point objectives for this project, we had: development of grid structure and layout concerns, both conventional and unconventional; creation of visual branding on a small scale; generating a great deal of written copy about the product, which also fulill long-form text requirements in this course; addressing visual hierarchy concerning typography and image; developing fully functional print piece with a central theme; maintaining a consistent mood, theme, color scheme and typographic treatment throughout a single printed piece.

THE TOY

I kept walking and thinking, until I got to the wood aisle. I love working with wood. When I still lived in Brazil, I used to do a course where I was building a wooden sailboat and it was like meditation to me, I felt so relaxed when I was working with wood. I think that having that memory made me realize that I should do something with wood. And I found let-over wood that was 70% of in a corner of the store: perfect! Now I just had to think what I would be able to make out of that.

First I thought I could make an airplane to mount, but that would be really hard, and I don’t have a lot of tools here. Then I had the idea of the yo-yo. The only thing I would have to buy would be the wood, a small piece of tube and string. Everything it in my budget, leaving space to buy a dollar more if I needed.

To cut the wood, I used a door knob cutter to cut two circles of wood. Then, I assembled both of the pieces with the tube, using super glue to put everything together. To inish, I tied the string in the center of the yo-yo, around the tube, and it was working perfectly!

When I was done with the toy, I realized I had to make it unique and I had the idea of creating diferent covers that would allow the costumer to customize the toy, changing the cover whenever they would like. The problem was how to make that happen.

Ater watching a lot of youtube videos and thinking about possible ways to attach the covers, I inally came up with an idea! I cut and sanded thin round pieces of wood with the same size as the sides of the yo-yo. I drew mandalas in the computer and found out how transfer the drawing to the pieces of wood. To attach the covers, I used a little piece of velcro on both sides to allow them to be changed easily.

A PROCES S JOURNAL BY CAROLINA GANON

Part One / The Toy

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I FELT SO RELAXED WHEN I WAS WORKING WITH WOOD, AND HAVING THAT MEMORY MADE ME REALIZED THAT I SHOULD BUILD SOMETHING WITH WOOD.

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Part One / Good vs. Bad Design: Podcast Design Matters with Massimo Vignelli

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My second idea is the one that I went for (the images below). The shape, materials and colors used complemented the product, I was pretty happy with the inal result. In two weeks, I built a toy for ive dollars, created the logo and the package for it, now of to the booklet desgin!

C O NST RAINTS

Constraint can sound like a negative word, because it can limit you and it can take away reedom and remove options. Constraints, however, are paramount to design. A designer without any restriction to his/her project can feel like Alice in Wonderland falling down the rabbit hole.

A grid is a great example of constraint in graphic design. According to Layout Essentials, “A grid is used to organize space and information; it maps out a plan for the overall project”. Learning how to use the grid is also learning how to create constraints that determine order to the layout of a project.

Constraints can be a great help to creativity when facing a blank canvas. It is overwhelming to have unlimited possibilities in ront of us, and setting constraints is a good start to have a basis so you can start creating.

This week we started to sketch some options for our poster/booklet design. The setting of a grid will not only help with the irst project decisions, but it will also help to organize the information for the reader.

The irst decisions in a design project are always more arbitrary, even when you have certain limitations to the project. Each successive choice becomes less and less arbitrary because they should correlate with the past ones. Constraints are fundamental to design because they force early decisions and, therefore, make the arbitrariness of the irst design choices less vague.

Decisions made in harmony can lead to a whole that is more than the sum of its parts, giving them direction and focus. Ater all, constraints may have a negative connotation but they are good and helpful for designers. They help one to begin to ill a blank canvas by forcing decisions when there is no basis for choosing.

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(right): Jamie Ryan Curtis, https://jamiecurtisdesign wordpress.com. (let): Angie Muldowney, Unsplash project.

“Design and typography are like a well-tailored suit: the average person may not speciically notice the handsewn buttons (kerning); the tailored darts (perfect alignment); or the ine fabric (the perfect type size). They only know instinctively that it looks like a million bucks.”

In the podcast 99% Invisible, the clock is an example of constraint to the radio industry. Each show has a clock –a set template– rom which the show is organized accordingly. A radio system clock works like a grid does for graphic designers.

Part One / Constraints: Podcast 99% Invisible–The Broadcast Clock

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At irst, I was planning to use a clear glass box as the package, that would display the product in the store. However, ater our in-class critique, Meena told me that I could try using a package that would relect better the organic shape and nature of the product. That made total sense to me, my irst idea was actually making the product look like a museum display piece, plus I was missing the mystery of hiding what is inside, which could create interest in clients.

Part One / The Package

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This week in our class, we started to move rom the crated part of our assignment to the creation of logo and packaging for each one’s toy. Now, theory is also to be put in practice along with creativity. It is always important to balance both of these features and aim for a forceful design.

Ater all, taste does not interfere that much when thinking about design. If a design works perfectly, has presence and comes rom the heart, then it is probably ree rom Vignelli’s “jail of bad designs”.

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Massimo Vignelli stated that “there should be a prison for bad designers” in the podcast Design Matters. According to Vignelly, the majority of the design out there is bad; it is bad because people do not follow design theories, or because the willingness to make money is greater than to design something really good. I admire Vignelli for him showing so much efort in making good design and sharing about good design with the world. Vignelli talks about forceful design, a design that is emotionally charged and is beyond harmonious, it has intensity and is provocative at the same time. This type of design is beyond just a “good design” because of its powerful presence; and that’s what he did.

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In the podcast Structural Integrity, the 59-story City Corp Center is used as an example of “bad design” even before anyone knew about its problem. Although the building presented an innovative design, the ultimate law stood in its architectural engineering, which made this design visually possible, but physically unsafe.

The engineers were not able to successfully design a building compatible with the architect’s innovative vision while keeping its “structural integrity”. This, without a doubt, is an example of “bad design” due to the grave calculation errors in the architectural plan. This example enforces how important theory and science is to design.

In my irst logo approach, I was thinking about using a rounded typeface to relect the yoyo’s shape, but it felt heavy and even kind of corporate. It wasn’t working with the delicate feeling that I also wanted to incorporate to the brand. Then, I started playing with my second idea, which felt a lot more in tone and appropriate for the brand. The typeface used has a high contrast of thick and thin, and the rounded ends allowed me to make a reference to the yo-yo and the string, keeping a playful and delicate feeling to the logo. Here is the logo process and evolution since I decided to stick with my second idea.

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First, we have to understand the complexity of the word design. Design is everything we make, but it is also everything in-between those things.

It is the use of crat and science, creativity and theory to resolve a certain problem or achieve a certain goal. Like Steve Jobs once said, “design is not only what it looks like [it] and feels like, but it also needs to work.” So really, a “good design” is one based on visual theories to achieve a speciic goal. But does one’s particular taste also interfere when judging design?

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Before the logo design process began, I had to come up with a name for the yo-yo brand.

To get some inspiration, I googled the history of yo-yos and I found out that they were invented in ancient Greece! Ater that, I went to Google Translator to igure out what is wood in Greek.

Guess what? Wood in Greek is xylo. Xylo seemed to me like an easy and catchy name for the toy/brand, so I chose it.

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Lettering, calligraphy and type design have diferent meanings. Calligraphers and letterers create custom artwork, calligraphers write words and letterers draw them. Type designers, on the other hand, create systems of letters (called typefaces) that must work in endless combinations. Whichever kind of typographic art a designer is using, the letters and their arrangement need to visually express a certain feeling or style that is appropriate for the design.

“Design and typography are like a well-tailored suit: the average person may not speciically notice the hand-sewn buttons (kerning); the tailored darts (perfect alignment); or the ine fabric (the perfect type size). They only know instinctively that it looks like a million bucks.”

This quote by Marian Bantjes is a perfect way to depict typography as an important part of design. Many design projects are designed by professionals, but will be mainly utilized by nonprofessionals, who probably do not even know the exact meaning of typography or have no idea what kerning is. However, a layout that displays a good use and arrangement of typography, transmits a feeling of harmony that even those who know nothing about graphic design are able to feel that it is pleasant to the eyes.

Every typography consideration should be carefully thought throughout the design, and this

attention to details helps with the organization of space and passing information to the reader.

Typography and grid are “coworkers” that should work on a project with ainity, in order to form a layout design that has a sense of unity and harmony.

When speaking of typography, it is easy to think about Jessica Hische, known for her lettering arts.

Jessica is on the list of my design heroes. She enjoys communicating through social media and talking about her points of view and experience with graphic design. She made up a term called “procastiwork”. Procastiwork is the work you do when you are putting of the work you are supposed to be doing. Jessica says that the work you do while you procrastinate, is the work you should be doing for the rest of your life. When I came to know about this term, I began to pay attention to my own procastiworking habits and it still helps me guide myself toward my style and career in graphic design.

Understanding that procastiworking can be a good thing does not mean that you should forget about design rules. The rules of good use of type should dress up every work you design with a well-tailored suit, even your procastiwork. Ater all, you never know if a passion project will lead you to a bigger event.

–Marian Bantjes

Part One / Type: Podcast Design Matters with Jessica Hische

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(let): Photograph by Meena Khalili, art direction by Carolina Ganon. (right): Photograph by Meena Khalili, art direction by Carolina Ganon.

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(let): Helena Price, http:// jessicahische.is/anoversharer.

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TH E BO O K LET

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Informative booklet: First spread.

The class was assigned to start the sketches with small dummies to better understand the format and folding. Ater I made the irst dummy in class, I preferred to start designing my ideas in a 100% scale: for me, the hard part would be itting the content (images and text), and it would be easier to see that in real scale. Setting up the grid and lowlines was the easiest way to get out of the scary beginning of not knowing what to do.

Here are some layouts rom the beginning...

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Informative booklet: Second spread.

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M A N DA L A Mandalas are so special! The word Mandala (pronunciation mon- dah- lah) means â&#x20AC;&#x153;circleâ&#x20AC;?.

A Mandala represents wholeness, a cosmic diagram reminding us of our relation to ininity, extending beyond and within our bodies and minds. Mandalas are circular designs symbolizing the notion that life is never ending.

Many mandalas have spiritual signiicance to an individual or group of individuals. The Hindus were one of the irst people to use a mandala as a spiritual tool, but the mandalas most individuals are familiar with are ones made by Buddhists.

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YO -YO We know, we knowâ&#x20AC;Ś Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s probably been a while since you have used a yoyo. Maybe you were never good at it, but that doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t matter when you have such a unique xylo in your hands. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll refresh your mind! All you have to do is hold the free end of the string known as the handle by inserting one inger into the slip knot, allowing gravity or the force of a throw to spin the xylo and unwind the string, then allow the yoyo to wind itself back to your hand, exploiting its spin.

When you are not playing with your xylo, leave it standing on your desk as a decoration piece.

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There is moreâ&#x20AC;Świth every purchase of a xylo or any of its covers, half of the money is going to be donated to help reforest damaged eco- habitats.

So you are also helping nature!

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Did you know that xylo means wood in Greek?

Yoyos were irst invented in ancient Greece and have such a fascinating story. We decided to reinvent yoyos and give them a unique twist. Our handmade xylos are crafted with perfection, made with reforested wood. They also come with customized covers so you can change your yoyoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s style whenever you want.

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FUN Do you remember how much fun it was to play with yoyos when you were a child?

Can you imagine having something beautiful to decorate your desk, which you can also play with whenever you need a break?

Xylo is perfect for a desk or in any living space!

B EAU T I F U L Each season we produce limited covers with a unique theme. This is the mandala collection, that you can play with different mandala designs and watch them spin up and down with your xylo. Stay tuned to our social media to know which is our next limited collection.

S Xylo is nostalgia.

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If you want to buy additional covers or more xylos, you can go to our website to order online. You can also ind our products at the following stores: Urban Outitters and Pottery Barn.

CON G RAT U L AT I ON S ON RECEIVING YOUR XYLO Our handmade xylos are crafted with perfection, made with reforested wood.

Part One / The Booklet

Part One / The Booklet

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TH E POSTER

Informative booklet: Back and ront cover.

Informative booklet: Third spread.

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D ES I GN IS POWE RFU L

I let the poster to be designed ater I inished the booklet. Big mistake... I had a hard time trying to igure out what to do, and ended up having to spend a whole night to inish the poster.

In my irst ideas, I was trying to use the big type and some of the environment images, but it did not seem that it was a poster for the product. I inally had the idea of using a mandala to relate to the product, it was a much better direction.

Design is really powerful, maybe a lot more than we think. People oten overlook design;it is everywhere, all the time, so people end up taking design for granted.

As I igured out later, I missed the opportunity to relate the poster and the booklet in a better way. That opportunity came back two weeks later, when I decided to review my work and send it to the AIGA Louisville competition.

Design was born with Mother Nature. In nature, the fauna and the lora bring out innumerable forms that are followed by amazing functions that help living creatures survive and evolve.

In the ield of architecture, the construction of a building blends with the design of visual elements: again, form and function work together in harmony (ideally). In the ield of graphic design, designers have the power to inform with visual elements. A designed piece is always designating a piece of information to users, and any alteration can change the way the information is perceived. Talk about power!

Designers can make a company look reliable or retro with a simple logo design. They can go even further by applying branding standards and building brand recognition. Designers can make people buy a food that they have never tried before because the package appeals to them and it makes them feel that it tastes good.

Yes, this whole â&#x20AC;&#x153;huge dealâ&#x20AC;? thing is great, but this power also gives us, designers, a huge responsibility. We can change the world and we can also make the world prettier and more useful with beautiful and purposeful design work. The responsibility, however, comes in following design principles and using our knowledge to spread good use of design and make people better informed.

As our irst project comes to an end, we also conclude one big step on our journey to becoming designers. We worked on visual hierarchy, alternating formats and consistency, layout organization and visual representation of our ideas to inform about our product. It started as a ive-dollar toy, but now it looks like it is worth a lot more. The most successful design looks simple but is subtly versatile.

Designers help people make choices, and that is a huge deal. Take the story about revolving doors in the podcast 99% Invisible, for example. The fact that there was a sign informing people about the advantage of using the revolving door totally changed peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s action when they had to choose between the two doors.

Part One / The Booklet

Part One One // Desgin is Powerful: Podcast 99% Invisibleâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;Revolving Doors

Part One / The Poster

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17X22â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122;POSTER, UNCOATED PAPER.

T H E R E IS ALWAYS A WAY TO M AKE IT B E T T E R.

5.5X8.5â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122; BOOKLET SPREAD, UNCOATED PAPER.

When the work submissions for the AIGA Louisville competition The Show were open, I talked to Meena to discuss the possibility of sending my Xylo work. However, I knew it needed some improvement. I wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t 100% s s

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was also working on this. With Meenaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s feedback and constant dialogue, I changed a few parts of the text, included/changed some images and improved the layout. I worked until I felt happy

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Poster folded: Informative booklet (cover).

Part Part One One // Desgin is Powerful

Part One / AIGA The Show

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Informative booklet: First spread.

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Informative booklet: Third spread.

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THOU GHTS

Informative booklet: Back and ront cover.

The ive-dollar toy project was diferent rom all the other projects I had done before in class.

At irst, I was araid of spending ive dollars in a hardware store without knowing what to do with it. However, while I was walking through the storeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aisles I began to have a lot of diferent ideasâ&#x20AC;Ś I learned to trust my creativity more and try to let go of some fears that can hold me back at the beginning of a project.

Another part that was kind of scary was when I had to start designing the booklet. It was when I had to know what direction I wanted to take with my project and which style I wanted for my design. I learned that the sketchbook and dummies are indeed a really helpful tool for that. I used them a lot more this semester than I had used before.

Part One One // AIGA The Show

Part One One // AIGA The Show

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(let): Wayne Robinson, Unsplash project.

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Part One Part One // Thoughts

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The use of grids and choosing typefaces was also another tool to help generating constraints in the beginning of the layout design. The use of low line in the grid and consistency in the layout made me realize how important it is to generate trust with the reader. It was amazing to realize that ater I compared my irst sketches and design with the booklet when it started to take form.

Every podcast we had to listen to and pages rom the book we had to read, made me more aware of graphic design as a whole and also of the project itself and the things we were working on each week.

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Part Two

FO LIO

And so we move on to the to the next assignment.

This project started with a broad research of Dutch designers in the ields of fashion, architecture, product, industrial, environmental and landscape designs.

Ater the research, each person in the class had to choose 3 designers, compile visual and written research about all three designers. In our research, we also had to reach out to the 3 designers via e-mail with questions about their work. Ater that, we had to design one spread for each designer, with a few requirements such as: an image of them, images of some of their work, and 200–500 words with some information that we gathered about them. OK, that was only the irst part, it was only a warm up!

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INFLU ENC E & CULTU RE

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The second part of the project was to choose one of the designers and extend the research about their life and work. As a inal goal, we had to produce a folio of 3 spreads, self-covering, with the following requirements: exhibit interactive fold-out element, ater binding size of 8.5x11”, use paper used in printing industry, imagery, biography, experimental typography, timeline, di-cut and colophon.

COLOR WAS ESSENTIAL TO M A T ISSE’S WORK, AND MILLER’ S D E SIGN FOR THE BOOK UTILIZES A BRILLIANT PALETTE INSPIRED BY THE ARTIST.

This part of the journal is dedicated to this interesting assignment, that consisted of diferent stages of research and production. Along with that, our class had to continue to listen to one podcast every week, read pages rom Layout Essentials, and relate our thoughts about them to what we were working on in class.

THE DUTCH FOLIO PROJECT

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Ok, I have to be honest. This week was the irst time I got to know Maria Popova and her work.

And I was fascinated.

When searching for a good example of “perfect” layout, I came across the book Matisse in the Barnes Foundation, designed by Pentagram.

First, the color palette its really well with the theme. They relate to some of Matisse’s collages, and the use of alternating colors in the cover and inside, relates to collages as well. The colors also it well because they do not clash with the paintings, the colors used only support them and do not ight with attention. The use of duotone in the personal pictures also diferentiates them rom the paintings and relates to a sepia photo treatment.

First, I immediately identiied myself with her story because she is not American, she struggled with her journey of coming to the U.S. rom Bulgaria and building her life here, in a totally diferent culture and far away rom her family. It takes a lot of courage to leave everything behind and I feel that the best way to do that is following your instinct and working hard. I didn’t have to deal with communism as Maria Popova did, but Brazil has a diferent economy and society in the way of diversity of brands and the way of how people consume. It was so diferent for me to have so many diferent possibilities of the same product, opportunity to choose and afordability when I irst moved here.

The use of narrow columns and white space in the layout is pleasing to the eyes. They use really big type or numbers to indicate important information such as titles or chapters. These techniques help with text hierarchy and the low of information in the pages.

It is also beautiful to see the inluence that her grandmother has on her, and it is also a funny coincidence that my maternal grandmother was the one that taught me English in Brazil. My grandmother loves to learn new things and I got the same learning will and pleasure rom her and my mom. They are inspirational women for me and they inluence me in many ways, especially when I have to approach problems in my life with rationality and be detail-oriented.

Source: http://www.pentagram.com/#/ projects/128071

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Part Two / Layout Research

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The following pages are dedicated to showing my spread designs and highlighting keywords that inspired me to design their spreads. The challenge in this assignment was to start thinking about merging my own style with the designers’ style, that were so diferent rom mine. I also used a binder to gather written and visual research, which was really helpful.

Part One /

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3D printing; use of diferent textures; focus on women and complemented shapes; movement + stillness;creative process: tradition/ crat + innovation, technology and collaboration; innovative materials.

I had the week of fall break to research the Dutch designers and design the three diferent spreads.

To begin the research, I glanced at all the websites that were on the designer’s list that Meena gave us, and then I decided to focus on the three designers that I felt were more inspiring and that impressed me the most: Iris van Herpen, Lenneke Wispelwey and Petra Vonk. The other reason I decided to choose them was because they have diferent styles, so I could experiment with diferent directions for each of my spreads.

Speaking of the next project, our new assignment is also about inluences and culture. As designers, we have to be able to absorb the feeling of what or who we are designing for. Now our class has to research Dutch designers, absorb the feeling of their work and translate these feelings into spreads layouts that give information about them and showcasing their work. It will be an exercise of absorbing diferent kinds of work and understanding how culture can have impact on design. I am hoping this will be a great start to understand how my own culture can also be translated in my language and style as a graphic designer.

P art Two / Influence & Culture: Podcast Design Matters with Maria Popova

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Although I can see that my own perspective, my Brazilian culture blended with the culture that I am absorbing here in the U.S., shapes my design work, I believe I still have a long way to understand how my unique origins and my diferent perspective of life (everyone has their unique perspective) can translate into my design and anything I create. Hearing Maria Popova inspired me to pursue that, and maybe it will be a good challenge for a next design project.

The email that I sent the designer included the following questions: When you were at the beginning of your career, were you ever araid of creating something so diferent and unexpected in the world of fashion? Have you ever wondered what people would think of your collection before you presented it to them?

Is there an artist that is a big reference and inspiration for you? If so, why?

“NORMAL RULES DON’T APPLY.”

REPETITION, GEOMETRIC PATTERNS, TACTILE EXPERIENCE, COLLABORATION WITH ARCHITECTS, ACOUSTIC SOLUTIONS.

Do you have a favorite creation or collection?

The email that I sent the designer included the following questions: What is your creative process? Do you usually go through the same steps or does they difer rom project to project?

Do you have a main source of inspiration?

What do you do if you feel like you need new and resh ideas?

How did you ind and develop your own creative style and voice? How did you come up with the idea of fabric as an acoustic solution of some of your projects?

Part One /

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The email that I sent the designer included the following questions:

What part of the creative process do you enjoy more?

How did you begin with your geometric/ mathematical approach to ceramics? Was it something experimental or do you hav a background in math?

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LEN N EK E WIS PELWEY When you think about an idea for a project, do you usually “see” it inished in you mind? Or does it change a lot during the creative process?

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VINTAGE AND DELICATE STYLE GEOMETRIC PATTERNS PASTEL COLORS FAMILIES OF PRODUCTS

Since I was younger, I had this dream of changing the world and making it a better place.

In Brazil, the high-school system is totally diferent than it is here in the U.S. There are no art classes for example, no sports in school, and everybody has to take the same classes to prepare for the “SAT”s. So, when I was 17 years old, and I inally had to choose my career (In Brazil you have to choose your major before you get into college), I was totally confused with all the possibilities that I had in ront of me.

I decided to try Law irst…1 year passed by and I was sure that it had nothing to do with me.

Architecture? Let’s give it a try… Another whole year passed by, and I knew I was getting closer to what I wanted but it was not quite there yet.

Graphic design seemed like a cool thing to do, but I wanted to make sure I was going to change and stick with it.

So I decided to have a talk with a designer that is a close riend of my family: Fred Gelli, his company, Tátil, designed the 2016 Olympics logo. Ater he gave me a tour at his company and explained the diferent stages of the creative process and what they did there, he asked me if I had any questions. Of course, I had millions of questions, but I remember that I irst asked him: do you feel that you can change the world with design? He answered me that if you love what you do and it keeps you inspired, you can change the world, even with small actions.

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TH E FO LIO PROJ ECT The spread designs were only a warm up to prepare us for the actual project that was about to begin. In our irst class ater fall break, we presented our spreads and decided which of the three designers we were going to choose to make our folio about. I chose Lenneke Wispelwey. I felt really inspired about her work and the way she explained how she viewed the world. Everything she creates has a whimsical approach and I thought that would be a great feeling to explore in my folio design.

I remember I let class feeling really overwhelmed by all the thoughts and possibilities for this project. The fact that I had to choose the paper rom a printing company and design an interactive element for the folio for the irst time was making me excited and nervous at the same time. I had a lot of diferent ideas, but I didn’t know how to actually do a lot them. Plus, I had to choose a direction for this project and I didn’t know where to begin.

These words came back to me ater this week’s podcast 99% Invisible. The Guerrilla Public Service story reminded me how amazing it is to do something you love. If you work with what you love, you can have the magic power to change the world; even with small changes, you can make a big diference in someone else’s life, and yours.

I was lucky that Lenneke’s website was full of information, I had pretty much everything I needed there: for the biography, images, and the timeline.

Part Two / The F olio Project

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Lenneke Wispelwey (1979) founded her studio in 2008 in Arnhem. Till now she has mainly focused on working with porcelain. Her pastel coloured products with mathematic/geometric patterns are the result of a very low-tech way of designing. Lenneke inds a basic, simple approach to techniques and materials very important to communicate her vision and her way of working. She prefers creating a family of products because as an only child she had always a desire for a bigger family.

Her work is also known for the use of diferent shades of one colour, and playing with the contrast between biscuit and glazed porcelain.

Her love for curiosa, vintage and other remarkable items is showing in how she poetically displays her work in a bigger picture. She creates honest and harmonious designs, inspired by her own memories and found pieces rom every day life. She feels her work should make people smile.

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The Design Matters podcast where Debbie Millman interviews Marian Bantjes itted perfectly as an inspiration for this week.

Foamfountains, daisylower-necklaces, shooting stars, Amelie, roadtrips, tropical cocktails, Portugal, put a smile on a sad face, mix and match, inding treasures, walk-in closets, handmade, old black and white family pictures, dinnerparty’s with riends, receiving mail the old fashioned way, foreign postcards, going to the theatre alone, pastel colours, leemarkets, porcelain cups with colourful lowers and a golden rims, old records, cuckoo clocks, contrast, things that are so ugly they become beautiful again, clouds that look like bunny’s, italian icecream, my mothers apple pie, surprising a riend, dancing my butt of, Prince himself, kitsch.......

We are set for another project, a folio with 3 spreads and a list of other requirements but endless possibilities. My folio is going to be about the Dutch designer Lenneke Wispelwey. She works with ceramics in a very diferent way, with repetition of geometric shapes, creating families of products with pastel colors. Her work has a whimsical approach, delicate and so beautiful.

Bantjes careful treatment with textures to create a rich visual and tactile experience shows how seducing and magical print design can be. The patterns and textures make the readers turn each page. Bantjes said she spent a lot of money on the book, good printing paper and materials are expensive, but it was worth it to achieve the goal she was looking for.

Lenneke says she feels that her work should make people smile, so I think my folio about her should do the same thing. I have been constantly thinking about ideas for this project and hearing Marian Bantjes talking about her creative process with her book I wonder, has inspired me to go all out with this project.

Bantjes talks about experimental typography, intricacy and time invested in work, and that is what I want to take with me to produce this folio, to touch in some way any person that might be looking at the folio.

I love working with print design, I love reading books and collecting books that have beautiful design. I really believe that web design does not replace printing design; they are totally diferent experiences when designed well.

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Marian Bantjes says: “Figuring things out is fun.” I totally agree with her, so I would like to make this project a learning experience on how to create intriguing work. Communicate visually and out of the box. Not being superluous about text, and inally, when speaking about something visual, not just showing the visual but representing the entire piece in a visual sense.

Last note on this: I ordered her book I wonder for my book collection =]

DESIGN, CERAMICS & STYLING

Part Two / More Research

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FIGU RING THIN GS O UT I S FUN

Things that she loves:

Part One /

Part One /

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“THE GREATEST MISTAKE YOU CAN MAKE IN LIFE IS TO BE CONTINUALLY FEARING YOU WILL MAKE ONE.” –ELBERT HUBBARD

Part Two / Change the World: Podcast 99% Invisible–Guerrilha Public Service

Part One /

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The story also reminded me to have less fear of taking chances on what you believe is the right thing to do, and I feel that having this in mind can make a lot of diference in my design. I know that design theory is essential to good design, but sometimes when I think too much about them, I feel more araid of creating with my own style. This week’s story reminded me of the importance of taking chances, and to remember that I can make a diference with small steps. All the Dutch designers that I have been researching this week are also amazing inspirations and lessons to be diferent and have your own style.

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(let): Photograph rom Lenneke’s oicial website.

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(let): Photograph rom Petra Vonk’s oicial website

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(let/right): Photographs rom Lenneke’s oicial website.

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(let/right): Photographs rom http://www.pentagram.com/# projects/128071.

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(let): Photograph rom Lenneke’s oicial website.

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(right): Photograph rom Lenneke’s oicial website.

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(let): Hans M., Unsplash project.

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(let): Photograph rom Lenneke’s oicial website.

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Part One / Podcast Design Matters – Massimo Vignelli

MYSTE RY Think about ceramics.

Some preconceived images may come to your mind, but the work of Lenneke Wispelwey is probably nothing like you would imagine. It’s more like merengue, pastel colors and a touch of happiness.

glimlach means smile

Her work consists mainly in geometric patterns and pastel colored products, which are designed in a very crafted way. With the use of different shades of one color, and playing with the contrast, Lenneke is able to produce a big variety of shapes and products. And make you smile with her witty splash of humour.

glimlach means smile

THE RESULT IS A MYSTERY UNTIL NOVEMBER 10, STAY TUNED.

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SMILE

Are you familiar with the meaning of the expression Zeigarnik efect? It is a scientiic term named ater a Soviet psychologist who discovered that humans’ memory is ine-tuned to remember incomplete stories and tasks. How many times couldn’t you put down a good book or stop watching your favorite TV show?

It is proved that human beings dislike uncertainty and will actively try to reduce it by any means, and this could be used to a graphic designer’s advantage. The pattern of creating tension and then releasing it, is intrinsic to us. The tension and release patterns in music creates rhythm, in novel there is suspense and resolution, in the visual arts, including design, it means things such as hierarchy, focal points, and low. As graphic designers, we should build mystery to grab the viewer’s attention and lead the reader to the lip to next page.

Two things that I have heard this week kept me thinking…The irst one was Stefan Sagmeister saying that thinking is so important to design.

The other one was Debbie Millman saying that if design is good, then it is art and it is something breathtaking.

This week’s 99% Invisible podcast Awareness, and the story about the creation and growing popularity of ribbons to represent causes, called my attention to the power of mystery to catch people’s attention. When people wore red ribbons in the Tony Awards in 1991, but no one explained the ribbons on-air, the degree of mystery provided a great good press because people were wondering about the meaning of the ribbons (Zeigarnik efect)!

I could not agree more with them. I would even add that these ideas complement each other: every design that has a concept behind it and is well done, then it is powerful enough to be breathtaking. It seems so simple, but actually it’s not.

Design means problem solving and, therefore, thinking is paramount to achieving every design goal. However, design also deals with visual aesthetics, and this means that there isn’t one right answer to the problem. At the same time this is fascinating, it also requires a lot of thinking, trying, and trying again until (you think) you got it right.

I intend to keep this thought in mind when designing my folio. I think it is not only about the type of folding we are making with the folio but a lot about the elements and details such as texture, diecut, pattern, visual hierarchy, that we use in each page to create mystery, guide the reader and narrate a visual story.

Part Two / Mystery: Podcast 99% Invisible–Awareness

C HANGES

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I think that every designer has a need for control, ones more than others… But the fact is that we all want to make a world ree of bad designs. We all want to make the best design, communicate in the most beautiful or impactful way. We all feel the need to leave our marks in the world forever with our designs, and in a certain way, be in control.

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Tina Roth Eisenberg, or Swiss Miss, is one of my new design heroes ater listening to her podcast interview this week. I was listening to the podcast while running yesterday at 6:00 am, before going to class and presenting my Dutch Folio project that was inally done. A lot of things that she said got me thinking about our assignment and future semesters.

Her project and point of view about looking at things you don’t notice anymore is amazing!

This year I started to do a lot of mindfulness exercises, which essentially is about not worrying about the past or future and being present at all times, and it totally relates to her point of view of being grateful for the little everyday things.

Some exercises are like meditations, but others are simply trying to notice all the little things while doing the most ordinary things like washing dishes for example: feeling the smell of the soap, the feeling and sound of the warm water passing through your ingers, the touch of the porcelain dishes in your hands…

Trying to live my life in a mindful way has helped me to design too. It’s about being focused during the creative process, being less anxious about whether or not you will have an idea, enjoying the process even if you have no idea of how it is going to turn out, noticing every little detail when crating your inal piece, and being grateful for little things like the existence of Photoshop or sharp X-acto knives.

When I got back rom my run, the irst thing I did was to open the Swiss Miss’ blog to check it out. I’ve been thinking a lot about having a personal project for next semester, something that I can post on social media somehow and create interest in other people around there to get to know me and how I think. This semester’s podcasts were really helpful to get me thinking about design, knowing new designers, and writing better and faster in English.

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That’s what this semester’s podcasts and readings and Creative Mornings are all about. They are tools to help me grow as a designer and help me understand how to get my own ideas out there.

I JUST HAVE TO KEEP DESIGNING, TRY TO GET BETTER EVERYDAY, AND BE POSITIVE THAT IT WILL PAY OFF IN THE FUTURE.

Part Two / The F olio

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Part Two / The F olio

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THO U GHTS The Dutch Folio project was a process that required a lot of research, a lot of thoughtfulness on form, content, and also a lot of crat. In graphic design, the good thoughts usually add up to build a good impression of the work. One little mistake, however, can be a lot louder to the viewer’s eyes than everything else that the designer got right.

With this thought in mind, I tried to be careful and thoughtful throughout my creative process.

This carefulness may have required me to slow down my productivity in the beginning because I was feeling araid to make mistakes, but later I was able to pass that obstacle, I was able to feel better about the work I was creating.

I learned that if you maintain focus and thoughtfulness through the whole process, things low smoothly and you don’t have to be super stressed at the end of it!

Dealing with interactive elements in book forms was a great challenge, but it also created a big interest on my part. It seems like I have activated a part of my brain to start thinking about the possibility of interactive elements in a layout that I hadn’t thought about before (or didn’t think I was able to create something like that). All the challenges of the assignment have made me aquire new design assets, and made me feel more conident of my capabilities as a designer.

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(let): Photograph rom Lenneke’s oicial website.

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(let): Photograph rom Lenneke’s oicial website.

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W RAPPI NG UP

As our folio project came to an end, we started our last assignment of this course: the design of this process journal to include all the content done and learned throughout this semester. Ater so many challenges, I felt good about working on this project, everything lowed more smoothly, and the creation process didn’t include a lot of anxiety as the others did. It’s like they say: “a smooth sea never made a skillful sailor.” This semester was a huge challenge, but it couldn’t have been better.

In one of our last classes, we received a guest to talk a little bit about building her own business, her work, and creative process. Elise Welsh has recently graduated rom UofL with a Marketing major. She decided to follow her passion for lettering design, which she learned on her own, and opened Old Glory Paper Co. with her husband Mike. She creates cards, wedding invitations and other paper goods, with a lot of care and passion in what she does.

She also did a little demo with watercolor and guache, and we had the opportunity to try doing it ourselves and to ask her for some tips.

The way Elise talked about her work and process was so genuine that I was really happy to listen to her talking about her experiences. When people do what they love, and they create something authentic, other people will be more likely love what they do as well. As I also learned with Lenneke Wispelwey, if you smile, your work will make people smile.

In this course, I have learned to incorporate things that I make with my own hands to my design projects. I have also realized the importance of keeping records of diferent parts of my creative process and I have practiced putting in words my beliefs, values and thoughts about graphic design. There is still a lot to practice and improve, but I am happy to look back and see how much I have grown this semester.

IF YOU SM ILE, YOUR WORK WILL M AKE PEOPLE SM ILE.

Part Two / Wrapping Up

PartTwo / Thoughts

Part One /

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The folio: On the let, the second spread. On the right, the back cover, which contains the timeline and the colophon.

Part Two / The Folio

Part Two / The Folio

FOLIO: COVER WITH BELLY-BAND.

TH E FO LI O

The folio: On the let, the irst spread. On the right, a detail w ith the interactive element.

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Oh, and she is the one that began Creative Mornings! I didn’t know that and I have been attending Creative Mornings in Louisville almost every month this year, and I love it.

Listening to creative people talk about their work and ideas is not only inspiring, but it also gives me hope that I can get there one day. Observing masters and making a close study of the work of graphic pathinders can allow me to give my own resh interpretations to my own design.

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The folio: On the let, the bellyband opened. On the right, a detail with the interactive element.

CAN I BE BACK IN CONTROL NOW?

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Getting to know the Swiss Miss’ blog and how she is able to create visual inspiration inspired me to actually do something about this idea in my head.

She mentioned “people just want to connect to a person”, and this is totally true! I want to connect people to me and the things I create, and I think it will also hold me accountable so I can actually make my ideas happen and not just keep thinking about them.

Part Two One // Being Mindful: Podcast Design Matters with Tina Roth Eisenberg Part

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Design is a constant learning and we oten look back and see all the things we can correct in our own work. Design is complicated, and designers might be even more complicated. We never settle until we think we have found the right answer to a problem; only until we see that there is an even better solution to it.

Design is in constant evolution, and so are we.

So let’s embrace changes and do the best design we can do for now. It’s the last week of the Dutch folio project and there is so much to do.

Part Two / Changes: Podcast 99% Invisible –Ten Thousand Years

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But when we talk about design, there is a thin line between the rational and the emotional.

We have to explain all of our design decisions: we learn how to describe why we like this or dislike that. But what if symbols we use today have diferent meanings in 10 thousand years r om now ? C h ang es are a lot more requent with Adobe sotware that we use to design today, for example. Technology runs at a fast pace.

Communication is shaped by culture, and culture changes, not only geographically but also over time. So communication also changes. The world around us is constantly changing.

To realize that things are ephemeral (and we also are) might be unsettling, but it can also be liberating. We can realize that design is a problem-solving task, and we are here to solve it the best way we can, with the best tools we have today.

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Mindfulness and design inspirations were this week’s theme. I felt a great relief when I heard this podcast looking back at this recently acomplished assignment and looking forward for future challenges.

Part One /

As designers, we learn all kinds of theories to help us achieve desired goals. Aesthetic and theory conventions lead us to some answers in our design adventures. Plan for interruptions by doing this. Allow for drama by doing that.

Let instinct rule. Now, set up a system…and the list goes on.

This brings me to another point that I have noticed this week. I noticed that reading about design theory and listening to designers talking about their work, experience and design concepts, gives me some peace in my heart, and more conidence that I am on the right path to making great design one day. The more I practice, the closer I will be to make a breathtaking work, and make people smile.

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This semester I have been experiencing a new phase as a design student: I have two design classes with a lot of projects and, for the irst time, I am dealing with 15 hours a week of my internship, where I have even more projects.

It is being great but challenging at the same time, since I have to juggle so many design projects for the irst time. This means I am 24/7 thinking of diferent solutions to these design problems; and I found out that trying to have great ideas all the time, although fun, can also be really stressful. From my experience, stress can get in the way of creativity, so I am trying to ind ways to ight this feeling.

Part Two / Smile: Podcast Design Matters with Stefan Sagmeister

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Experimental typography: twizzler and sprinkles.

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(right): Meena Khalili.

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(let/right): Meena Khalili.

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(let/right): Meena Khalili.

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(let): Bench Accounting, Unsplash project.

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(let/right): Meena Khalili.

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Yin and yang, light and dark, black and white; all dualities are parts of a oneness. Everything is interconnected.

With this thought, I inish this semester with the feeling of acomplishment and development. The process is the sacriice; it’s all the hard parts– the sweat, the pain– you learn how to enjoy them and embrace them. “In the end, it is the sacriices that must fulill you.”

–Ronda Rousey.

Part One /