Design Portfolio 2019-2022 : Sabina Oțelea by sabinaotelea

Sabina Otelea (they/she) Conceptual Designer Visual Communicator Design Portfolio (2019-2022)

Contents

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Details Design philosophy Typographic design Three-dimensional design application Non-profit brand creation Poster design Design for filmmaking Motion x augmented reality design Inmarsat brand communications

Sabina Otelea

(they/she)

(+44) 75 1074 2889 sabinaotelea2018@gmail.com @spectraldaze

Greater London, United Kingdom Bucharest, Romania

About

I am a Conceptual Designer and Visual Communicator, with an interdisciplinary design process activated through experimentation and exploration. With a deep fascination for collective embodied experiences, my work focuses on designing pieces and spaces that engage my audience further by attempting to find meaning in the inconspicuous. To me, design is about communication: understanding the world around me and being understood in return. I see design as a device, one not only for creating effective ways of communication, but visual spaces that facilitate shared experiences between viewers and designers alike. To me, design is both a means of being inquisitive and a problem-solver. I have demonstrated experience in developing brand identities, creating typographic systems, producing editorial, promotional and marketing material, exploring user experience and interface design, and rising up to the creative challenges I am faced with.

Education

Experience

Skills

2019-2022

University for the Creative Arts, Farnham, United Kingdom. Degree: BA(HONS) Graphic Design.

2015-2019

‘Saint Sava’ National College, Bucharest, Romania. Specialisation: Natural Sciences.

October 2021 Present

Junior Designer at University for the Creative Arts Students’ Union.

June 2021 October 2021

Design Assistant at University for the Creative Arts Students’ Union.

Freelance Design Experience:

Design for filmmaking, creating graphic assets for on-screen purposes, typographic design, editorial design, branding communication, art direction, non-profit/charity brand and marketing communication.

Design Capabilities:

Branding and marketing communication, editorial design, image manipulation, user experience/ interface design, motion graphics design, animation, typographic design, art direction, creative strategy, marketing strategy.

Technical Proficiency:

Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, XD, After Effects, Premiere Pro, Audition, Aero), Blender, Microsoft Suite (Word, Powerpoint, Excel, OneNote, OneDrive, Office 365), Google Workspace, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Skype, Slack.

English Proficiency:

Common European Framework Languages Level C1-C2.

Practical Skills:

Great communicator, good collaboration skills, capable of working effectively within a team, strong leadership skills, great feedback and critiquing skills, critical and analytical thinker, great design strategist.

Reference

for

Design philosophy

My entire creative process revolves around experimentation and the attempts of assigning a narrative to every element of my work. My creative practice has been shaped by my visual-kinaesthetic learning tendencies, as well as developing an intuitive artistic approach. My background in natural sciences has fuelled my fascination with the world around me, from the distant, obscure celestial bodies, to the minutiae of everyday life. The design work I create strives as elemental as possible, capturing the core message I is trying to convey, as well as my essence as a creative individual, by making use of an array of natural (sometimes unconventional) materials. Finding myself inspired by various fields of practice has lead me to employ different natural, scientific and technological processes into my work. The desire to design empathically has gradually transformed into a pursuit to create immersive spaces and embodied experiences, through engaging as many senses as possible.

I have always considered storytelling an immense part of my evolution as a creative practitioner, and I often explore narratives that enthral me by visualising them in a way that not only provides the viewer with a message, but also offers escapism. I am interested in creating multiple levels of interaction between concepts and entities through my designs, and wish to challenge my audience and to encourage them to question everything: from the design piece in question and the context it is presented in, to their own belief systems. By constantly developing an interdisciplinary design process and approach, I wish to confront the traditional ideas of meaning through decontextualisation and deconstruction, by exploring the spaces in which design thrives and then subverting them. I am a designer interested in the eerie, the unseen, fascinated with the things people, art and ideas leave behind, with the things we feel but cannot touch, with light, sound and motion. My primal intention is to create pieces that lightly tap you on the shoulder and somehow still send you spinning. Again. And again. And again.

Typographic design

This first project explores modular typography, from the creation of modular font families to their implementation on physical outputs. I have developed a modular typeface titled ‘Phosphene’, which was inspired by Man Ray’s illustrious solarised photographs from the series ‘The Age of Light’. The configuration of the typeface was derived from the physical phenomenon of the same name, which is described as a luminary sensation produced by something other than light. Phosphene aims to entice the viewer with a combination of bold and delicate forms, the project referencing the research of multiple surrealist concepts, such as illusions and dreams, and adding an eerie atmosphere to language as a way of visual expression. Despite the conglomerates of shapes, the structure of the typeface is uncomplicated- a defined series of modules are implemented within all of the letterforms.

Skills developed x personal findings:

• attention to detail • pen-to-paper approach • effective application of typographic systems

Having created this display typeface raised questions regarding readability and accessibility, aspects which I am incredibly aware as part of my work. This project culminated with the creation of a complete alphabet (with an assortment of glyphs), an A1 poster, as well as a type specimen. The typeface as well as the physical outcomes have been developed using a combination of features from Adobe Illustrator and Adobe InDesign.

Phosphene

by Sabina Otelea

Inspired by Man Ray’s illustrious solarised photographs from the series titled “The Age of Light” and the optical phenomenon described as a luminary sensation produced by something other than light, this typeface aims to entice the viewer with a combination of bold and delicate forms, adding an eerie atmosphere to language as a way of visual expression. £86

Three-dimensional design application

As an extension of the typographic project, I have created a three-dimensional structure, to represent the letter ‘o’ of the Phosphene typeface. This project has allowed me to experiment with design in motion, expanding on the concept of interactive design. The mirrors perform various circular motions, around their own axis, as well as within their available environment. These two motions describe the first level of interaction. The second level of interaction is defined by the influence light has over the structure and vice-versa. The light bounces off the mirrors, creating light patches and shadows onto the walls of the room in which the sculpture resides. The final level of interaction is between the sculpture and the viewers, who can see themselves from multiple angles at once, fragmented and perpetually in motion.

Skills developed x personal findings:

• spatial awareness of design • three-dimensional thinking • ability to conduct extensive research

As well as being a design piece, I wanted this structure to represent my design philosophy: creating visual pieces with a narrative that people explore and experience introspectively. This piece also serves as an homage to the work of Olafur Eliasson, his creative practice being highly influential for my outlook on design. The mirror structure was created using aluminium wire, transparent nylon string and acrylic mirrors, a selection of simple materials which I have expanded on to create a piece of design that is experiential, tactile and visually stimulating.

Non-profit brand creation

As part of my practice, I wanted to bring together the two creative forms I love. This project took shape around the concept of a nonprofit organisation centred around one of my greatest passions outside of design: film. I developed an organisation that would encourage its audience to go to the cinema instead of using streaming platforms in a post-COVID-19 world. I started by looking at the things that resonated with me when I first started watching films actively and trying to understand the thought process behind them. The main aspect I identified is the togetherness that surrounds us when enjoying the same experiences. I wanted to evaluate the mentality behind shared experiences and implement the innermost aspects of that into the narrative of my brand.

Skills developed x personal findings: • • • • •

conceptualisation research of audience behaviour and interests in-depth analysis and development developing strategies for online spaces producing dynamic outcomes

The deliverables for this project were the brand identity of the organisation as well as the contextual grounds for its values, all defined within a set of carefully constructed brand guidelines. In addition to this, I have created a website for the brand, which showcases the ways in which the organisation would communicate through interactivity. The identity is entirely rooted in cinema, the logo being composed of rectangles of the same aspect ratios used for film screenings in various parts of the world. The outcomes have been applied to a series of products, including a subscription service that would provide consumers with a mystery ticket to a screening in a cinema in London, accompanied by an assortment of merchandise, all which has been conceptualised with sustainability in mind. The identity, product and packaging concepts have been designed in Adobe Illustrator, InDesign and Photoshop, with additional website development in Adobe XD.

Poster design

In order to prevent my creative practice from getting monotonous, or to maintain a momentum of creativity, I enjoy setting personal briefs that I can develop responses to. One of the avenues that I have pursued in depth using that system is poster design. Pursuing this avenue of design has allowed me to experiment with typographic placement and hierarchy, as well as to curate messages that I strongly believe in, and express my passion for various causes. While effective communication is an integral part of my design practice, I enjoy pushing design boundaries as much as possible, playing with the ways in which design theory can influence how audiences perceive and engage with the messaging and meaning of a designed piece. These small-scale personal experiments have enabled me to define a style of graphics that I enjoy working with, which I believe to be reflective of my current design practice.

Skills developed x personal findings:

• exploration x experimentation • exploration of visual languages • nurturing of personal creativity

For these poster designs, I have used a mix of Adobe InDesign for establishing a strong grid structure, Adobe Illustrator for refining the typography employed, and Adobe Photoshop for additional details and finishing touches. This selection of posters will dictate the direction in which my personal design style will evolve, as well as the statements I want to make as part of my future practice. I believe my generation is producing work that is converging towards the democratisation of design, with a focus on diversity and accessibility in terms of the subject matters and the methods of representation. That is an area that I would like to gain more experience in, through experimentation, as it would push my practice to become more extensive and interdisciplinary.

Design for filmmaking

I have always been passionate about filmmaking and the various types of storytelling that can happen on screen. Over the past two years, I have dedicated a considerable amount of my design experimentation to finding ways of incorporating my love for film within my career. My passion for this area of art and design has lead to me striving to find the intersection between being a designer and a creative within the film industry. I have had the opportunity to work on multiple sets for short films, where I worked as a member of the art department crew, and gained experience within set building and set dressing, art direction, prop making and design for on-screen assets (such as title cards) and promotional materials (such as festival packs).

Skills developed x personal findings: • • • •

concept development x art direction set-building x set-dressing script analysis x breakdown ability to work as part of a team

My latest project to date was a science-fiction drama short film titled “Loss Rendered”, where I worked closely with the production designer to create props that would be true to the story of the film, and that would add to the rich world-building that the entire art department was striving for. I have designed a large number of vinyl covers, posters, takeout boxes and menus, book jackets, and various other props. I have also created festival posters for a number of small film productions since. Getting to work on a film set was probably one of my most fulfilling design experiences so far, and would love to continue exploring that career path. All of the designs showcased have been created using Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign.

Motion x augmented reality design

I am always looking for ways to expand my knowledge and set of skills within various areas of design, and this project focuses on motion design, 3D animation and Augmented Reality. I have developed a 30 seconds motion graphic for the technology company Huawei, in which I emphasized the importance the company places on innovation and technological advancement. Prior to the development, and ultimately to the completion of the project, I have collated important research on the company’s pracices (such as the social and cultural campaigns the brand has been involved in, their sustainability reports and their attempt to reduce their carbon footprint) and how that translates through their branding, their internal dialogue and their visual communication systems. I was fascinated by the idea of shifting the a brand’s narrative from the attempt of selling a product to focusing on how that brand uses its resources to positively influence the world, while simultaneously developing a critical analysis of the brand.

Skills developed x personal findings: • • • •

storyboarding 2D/3D animation video editing x sound mixing AR developent x implementation

The final outcome was titled: “Choose the world you want to live in - with Huawei”, which was inspired by the brand’s current strapline: “Make It Possible”. The motion graphic was designed to be displayed in a Huawei showroom or headquarters, and is accompanied by an Augmented Reality filter that reflects its narrative and aesthetic values. The filter was designed to complement the properties of Huawei displays, while also emphasising the new discourse designed, intended to push Huawei’s visual communication systems into new, more interactive, more accessible realm. The final outcome was designed using a mix of Adobe After Effects, Blender, Adobe Premiere Pro and Audition, as well as Adobe Aero for the AR filters.

Inmarsat brand communications

This project showcases my response to an Ogilvy Live Brief developed in collaboration with Inmarsat, a British satellite telecommunications company. Ogilvy developed the brand identity for the 2021 launch of the I-6 F1 satellite, while providing designers with the opportunity to develop an identity concept alongside them. The main focus of the brief was the actual launch of the satellite, so I set out to develop an identity concept that would encapsulate the energy and dynamism of a space launch. My intention was to develop a dynamic identity for I-6 F1, which would reference traditional space graphics and attempt to subvert them. The identity I developed relies on the icon within the logo, which was inspired by the negative space between the thrusters of a rocket. The logo was then used to develop a modular variable grid which all of the other design assets created depend on.

Skills developed x personal findings: • • • •

conceptualisation experimentation within the brief dynamic identity creation design x client field research

The grid allows for a great number of applications, using photographic and typographic material. This brief included a strict set of deliverables: a logo design for the I-6 F1 satellite (which would be featured as the main campaign asset), a mission patch associated with the launch, a key visual for the campaign (which would be featured on a set of poster designs) and a series of social media posts. The final outcomes were created using Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.

Thank you for reading! Get in touch?

Sabina Otelea (they/she) (+44) 75 1074 2889 sabinaotelea2018@gmail.com @spectraldaze

Greater London, United Kingdom Bucharest, Romania