MARTINA SALVATORE Graphic Designer www.martinasalvatore.com
PORTFOLIO CONTENTS
DROPS OF MEMORY Printed posters and graphic video
TOO LAZY TO TAKE A JOB Journal diary
WONDER Cover book design
DROPS OF MEMORY Printed posters and graphic video
“I was born on January 31, 1979 a Wednesday. I know it was a Wednesday because the date is blue in my mind and Wednesdays are always blue, like the number 9 or the sound of loud voices arguing” (Daniel Tammet, 2019)
The word Synesthaesia derives from the greek “syn” which means “union” and “sthaesia” which means “senses” and it is used to define the neurological phenomenon according to whom, contamination of two or more senses happens generating involuntary cross-modal associations experienced through sensorial perception. There are so many kinds of Synesthaesia such as grapheme-colour, smell-touch, colour-personality, sound-colour synesthaesia… according to the kind of Synesthaesia people can experience different perceptions. Fo instance, Grapheme color Synesthaesia is one of the most common types and people can see letters or sounds in associations with days of the week, months or seasons. According to Daniel Tammet, Wednesday is blue. (Tammet 2019).
Experimentation with Litograph Technique based on collag
ge of abstract shapes and color gradients
Could the study of Synesthaesia be considered as an informational approach to enhance creativity within the design practice?
SSOOUUN
Experimentation with Litograph Technique based on collage of abstract shapes and color gradients.
Experimentation with Litograph Technique based on collage of abstract shapes and color gradients
“Drops of memories” wants to be an accurate investigation on how this neurological phenomenon can inspire and suggest a new territory of design research and approaches to be considered during the creative process. Memory-associations in order to stimulate sensorial perceptions and the emotive-relational sphere. It is about childhood memories, music, art, photography, tipography, videography in order to explore the intimate connections between science and art aiming to lead people enhancing their creative thinking through various experimentations and techniques. To be involved in a new way of design thinking where convey and translate all the senses and be more engaging during the design practice through a synaesthetic approach.
Experimentation with color gradients on metal plate and d
digital Typography.
After substantial experimentations within Litography, collages and color gradients, I chose to explore the Literature area and so the Poetry, treating synestaesia as metaphor and memory associations. Connecting myself to childhood memories, I wrote my poetry and develop my definitive images on it, playing with so many techniques.
Letterpress on trasparent foil and Digital Tipography.
OUTCOME / DIGITAL POSTERS Three digital posters embracing my poetry, successevely printed and contexualised in different places as it is showed in the video.
Time passes and colours change as the rainbow after the rain. Green and fresh looked the leafs, deep and clear the taste of the sea. Orange and yellow playing around, Blue and red safe the sound, All mixed up in drops of memory You find us dancing cool. Saturday is green as the semaphore light, ready to go and twist the lights. Sunday is pink in the morning sweetness with a hint of red at 7 pm. The bag is ready for the day after that you need to embrace the potential darkness.
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BUTTER TASTE OF JOY.
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TWIST THE LIGHTS. Poster Animation. https://vimeo.com/349501450
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DROPS OF MEMORY.
GRAPHIC VIDEO
video at https://vimeo.com/user64608214 video at https://vimeo.com/user64608214
CONTEXTUALISATION
A potential exhibition within Immersive Reality effect.
I.R. IMMERSIVE REALITY Trying to enhance potential user’s experience provoking in them stimuli, sensations, feelings, memories and sensorial perceptions connected with all the project. With this purpose, I made an evoking graphic video embracing all the project. The main idea would have been creating an immersive reality environment projecting on different part of the room different part of the video. This is what in fact, illustate the last image which is a photomontage of the potential environment I wanted created.
SUGGESTING A NEW TERRITORY FOR THE DESIGN RESEARCH I identified one of the main objective in establishing a kind of new connection between science and art suggesting a new territory for the Design Research being the project mainly based on the study of this phenomenon through the direct observation, the data collection, and the experimentations. In this case, the images I created are the result of my study on Synesthaesia applied to my practice respecting the investigations and the consequent connections between those two main core areas I identified: Synesthaesia and Creativity. In terms of Design Research and so the Education field, it is not just about the way I created my graphic images but the big potential this argument has and in particular what the exploration of these hidden connections can bring to the design research.
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“Creativity involve breaking out of established patterns in order to look at things in a different way” (De Bono 2000)
The Synesthaetic Approach A method to adopt in order to enhance creativity within the design practice. LOOKING AT THE ORDINARY During the creative process, we are often stuck with the idea of having the best one or the right one... most of the time the complex one feeling without any imagination. We believe that having a super cool idea is always an advantage, especially in the creative field. For the sake of ideation, look at “simple and ordinary” because it is behind it that the “good complexity” of the things is hidden, a complexity which results in productive and makes you thinking differently, creatively and laterally. You don’t need to look, think or find impossible sources of inspiration if you don’t have. You can always fill the luck of it just being more reflective of things around you.
CONSIDERING THE APPLICATION OF NEW TECHNIQUES Explore and adopt new techniques, experimenting and mix them developing a new method of working. i.e. printed and digital, painting, typography and literature, hand-sketching and animation or even more. Try to convey in your outcome two or more of the following elements: - printing techniques - words - music - digital - photography - animation
INVESTIGATING SENSORIAL PERCEPTIONS Considering always the sphere of the “Sensorial Perceptions” trying to apply it to your argument/practice. It will allow you to enhance creativity in order to be more evocative with your audience/user experience improving your communication and find the right inspiration for the sake of the ideation. A sensorial perception permits you always to analyse things that are part of our everyday life but from different perspectives developing lateral thinking. Observing and studying Smell, Touch, Taste, Hear and of course Sight (which is the only one already employed from designers) helps you to find more interaction between people and creativity establishing a different order of patterns that we used to look at.
CREATIVITY IS A MIRACLE “Creativity is energy and being creative is about finding the right options and alternatives, not just having an idea. It is the key ingredient in thinking“ (de Bono, 2000). Developing thinking is very important as it is important the effort we put behind it. Creativity takes courage and opens new possibilities without which you can’t make progress. Be conscious that creativity is a miracle.
TOO LAZY TO TAKE A JOB Journal diary
“Good design thinkers observe. Great design thinkers observe the ordinary. Make it a rule that at least once a day you will stop and think about an ordinary situation” (brown and berry, 2008)
A wordless narrative aiming to build empathy between us and homeless people. A sketchbook, a visual record of feelings and reflections, comparisons between our life and their life in order to understand what homelessness for real is and more importantly, HOW WE ARE ALL POTENTIAL HOMELESS. The title emerges from the strong willingness to communicate with “normal” people who have this idea about homelessness, aiming to be thought - proking.
The cover of the book made in cardboard, giving the real feeling of homelessness.
Observing and sketching homeless people, trying to capture their feelings.
For instance, this image depict an homeless woman who is pregnant. How does a pregnant homeless woman feel? Next to it, a wordplay with 2 key words: HOMELESS & HOPE. It is an invective against the government which is ABSENT. Data shows that more than 8.000 are rough sleepers
“I am 35 years old, graduated from Middlesex University with a degree in chemical engineering. I was working for a large chemical engineering firm in Reading when a mental breakdown took place in my head. My family, who are very traditioal, wanted me to have an arranged marriage and join the family business. They thought I had betrayed them because I had different ambitions, and refused to have anything to do with me”. During his breakdown, Sanjay spent four years on the street and, altrough he has been living in a council house for the last six months, regards his education as a waste of time. “The world is a very hard place, and if you stumble academic education is useless in helping you to regain your position” he said. Chemical Engineering
A page of my sketchbook to illustate the loss of identity.
This project is about findings during a long journey on the central line: Graphic Shapes from natural inspirations Luxury & poverty Shelter visits Collecting testimony Sketchbook inspirations Data visualisation of rough sleepers
A page of my book representing negative data visualisatio
on in contraposition with a positive message, the dove.
WONDER Book Cover Design
WONDER Cover book design for Penguin
BRIEF Design a cover book for Wonder to bring this original and unfogettable book to new readers. The design should ensure that this important book remains a must-read for every child.
Moodboard Research a source of inspiration.
MY IDEA OF EMPATHY To design a powerful book cover it means first of all, understand the story and the point of view of the author. You are able in this way, to catch the essence and the details that can make your cover special. Wonder is a story about a young boy with a deformed face and a slender body. He cover himself from people who hurt him. This book is for children and adults, a life lesson that everyone should learn about how people behave and how they should behave.
ABOUT THE PROCESS Young people love making collages and playing with colours. That is the reason why I adopted this technique. Choosing mostly calm colors as different tonalities of blue and the pink to give a feeling of sweetness and childhood. Then, I introduced some spot of brightness with the yellow and orange colours conferring a playful energy. The black was put at the end, to give some balance and to evidence the importance of the topic. The choice of the papers was quite important in order to create different thickness, giving a feeling of construction layers and transparency at the same time.
Collage Technique within abstract shapes.
THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
You can’t blend in when you were born to stand out.
‘Has the power to move hearts and change minds’ Guardian
‘It wreaks emotional havoc’ Indipendent
‘Destined to go the way of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and then some’ The Times
N WO D
My na I won’ Whate it’s pro
ER
‘Incredibly charming, brutal and brilliant’ Observer
THE BEST
R. J. Palacio
‘Tremendously uplifting and a novel of all-too-rare power’ Sunday Express
WONDER
My name is August. I won’t describe what I look like. Whatever you are thinking, it’s probably worse.
R.J. Palacio
The space helmet he used to put to hide his face at home and in public.
THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
R.J. Palacio
‘Has the power to move hearts and change minds’ Guardian
‘It wreaks emotional havoc’ Indipendent
‘Destined to go the way of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and then some’ The Times
‘Incredibly charming, brutal and brilliant’ Observer
R. J. Palacio
‘Tremendously uplifting and a novel of all-too-rare power’ Sunday Express
WONDER
My name is August. I won’t describe what I look like. Whatever you are thinking, it’s probably worse.
An abstract world where Auggie is collocated behind it.
You can’t blend in when you were born to stand out.
DER
W
ON
The hood
INTERNATIONAL TSELLER
R.J. Palacio
“Has the power to move hearts and change minds” Guardian
You can’t blend in when you were born to stand out.
ER
‘It wreaks emotional havoc’ Independent
WON D
ame is August. ’t describe what I look like. ever you are thinking, obably worse.
‘Tremendously uplifting and a novel of all-too-rare power’ Sunday Express
R.J . P a la c i o
‘Incredibly charming, brutal and brilliant’ Observer
W
O
N DE R
d as a protection, as a concept to represent the kindness which is the key-argument.
OUTCOME After repeated attempts and developing three different choices, this was the favorite. It was the most balanced in terms of lines and colours. Able to deliver a message of solidarity, empathy and a hidden melancholy.
The whole cover I used in order to participate for the Penguin Child
dren’s book competition.
THANK YOU