sarah dean designer // artist // photographer
Confessions of Contrition is a publication that discusses the damaging effects the Catholic church can have on individuals through an anthology of interviews, confessions, testimonies, and revelations. I interviewed three people: two who grew up in the Catholic church, but radically different backgrounds, and my mother, who did not grow up Catholic, but had decided to send me to Catholic school. I included my own writing, poems, scriptures, and song lyrics as well. I hope it can teach something, give some sort of solace, bring new insights, and be a refreshing outlook on the church itself. This is simply to bring awareness to the damaging effects that it can have on those who have been forced into the religion and have never really identified with it. This publication gives a voice to those who do not or have not had one.
confessions of contrition
This is a book that catalyzed my thinking for “Confessions of Contrition.” I asked, “why do we suffer?” (which is what quid patimur translates to in Latin) and it got me thinking about the intrinsic guilt of the Catholic Church. As I feel many Midwestern children do, I grew up Catholic, but never really identified with the faith. It made me feel so bad about myself most of the time, and it got me to think “Why do we do this? For salvation?” So, basically, why do we put such restrictions on ourselves when we don’t have to? i.e., money, societal classes, etc. I explored form and emotion through typography in this book, solely for experimentation on how type can convey emotion and give meaning to more than the words.
process
initial question
how can use design to comfort/console people who feel like their religious upbringing was not right for them? In order to move along with the design, I had to form a question to guide me through my decisions while making the publication and coming up with a system and visual language throughout the book.
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interviewed
my mom isabella anthony I decided to reach out to others I knew with similar experiences, like my friend Isabella who went to Catholic school with me. I also interviewed Anthony, a friend of mine who grew up in the deep south as a gay, adopted person of color. I decided to interview my mom to get another perspective — she sent me to Catholic school even though she did not grow up Catholic herself. I wanted to hear her reasoning for joining the faith and why she though it was important for me to grow up with it.
These are some of the resources I used for inspiration—whether it was content or stylistically, they all helped me inform my decisions for the book.
Bibles & other holy texts Famous religious art Medieval stained glass windows Psychological articles Music
The system I came up with for the Old Testament, which is me, reflecting upon my time at Catholic school and realizing some of the things I didn’t like about the church, but didn’t know how to express. Thus, the scarier, darker style carried through to convey those emotions of uncertainty and resentment.
chapter styles
mom’s/my style
anthony’s style
††††††††††† ††††††††††† † † † † † † † † † †† ††††††††††† isabella’s style
general/non-interview style
The system I came up with for the New Testament, which is happier, brighter, and a more updated version of what the Old Testament looked like. I also pulled colors and patterns from the Vatican City flag (pictured right) to not totally throw away something that was a huge part of my upbringing, but to use it in a way that works for you. I also drew saintly portraits of the people I interviewed in an ironic twist—they were expected to be saintly while growing up, but now they’re living their version of being “saintly.” The colors and imagery reflect my coming to terms with the church and the new outlook I have on life because of it.
anthony
isabella
mom
my closing le!er
final question
I refined my question throughout the process to make it more unique to the project itself, and this was the result.
how can design provide comfort to those who have grown up in the Catholic faith and no longer identify with it?* How can a progression of typography, material, and content convey and evoke comfort?
*Specifically those who were forced into the Catholic religion before they had their own choice to choose with which faith they identify.
RED
YELLOW
BLUE
Graphic Design Senior Show 2018 Red, Yellow, Blue was the theme of the senior design show at KCAI for 2018. As a class, we collaborated to develop a concept, the branding for it, marketing strategies, and the design of the space. I had a hand in each of the areas, and it was really fun to see our ideas come to life. The concept of RYB is that from the simplest of forms, we can make infinite possibilities, which also ties back to our roots as artists—one of the first things we learned was the primary colors: red, yellow, and blue.
RYB: red, yellow, blue
JOHNSTON ITC Kepler Std
the brand
catalog
Red, Yellow, Blue is an exhibition of work presented by the KCAI Graphic Design Department seniors. We invite you to join us for food, drinks, and design! End-Of-Semester Show Opening Night
APRIL 27 5:00–8:00PM Industry Night
Friends & Family Night
MAY 3
MAY 4
5:00–8:00PM
5:00–6:00PM
KANSAS CITY ART INSTITUTE
RED
YELLOW
BLUE
Graphic Design Senior Show 2018
Irving Building (at the corner of Oak & 44th) 4402 Oak Street Kansas City, MO 64111 WWW.RYB.SHOW
postcard invitations
email + web
spatial design
With my time on the Mass Visual Merchandising team at Hallmark, I had the opportunity to do corporate space design for the hallmark.com department. They came to us in need of a brand for their space and graphics to enliven it. I concepted the logomark, colors, patterns, and other design elements to go on boards that you would see when entering the department.
hallmark.com brand + space
While interning for Populous, I created compositions for graphics in to be placed in the Kansas City Chiefs locker room and press room. With the help of some of my coworkers, they guided me in applying the Chiefs' brand standards through the photography and type. The initial concept had already been in the works when the project was presented to me, but the composition and arranging of the elements was left up to me. The press room graphic should be up for a few years, while the red “Trust" now reads “Let’s Roll,” the theme for this year.
kansas city chiefs interiors
quicksand bold Urbanababy is a hypothetical company that sells grain-free, organic baby food. Targeted toward young millennial parents that live in large cities, Urbanababy provides a food option for their child they know they can trust, since they have the option to grow their food. Each jar comes with a packet of corresponding herb seeds that would accent the food. The supplemental app would help parents keep track of growth of the herbs, previous orders, and favorite recipes. This would give parents the chance to grow food in an urban environment and have a brand they can trust.
urbanababy
color studies
secondary logos
pa!erns
pa!erns
stationery items
packaging
app
web
grain-free & organic
transportation
merchandise
This was a project that the KCAI junior class does every year; students form groups and present a different idea for the branding of the annual Big Picnic to the Nelson. My group was chosen to have our concept produced for the Big Picnic event that took place on July 27, 2017. Our idea for the program design stemmed from the Nelson's partnership with the Kansas City Parks & Recreation —we wanted everything to be recyclable, tactile, and eco-friendly. We thought the watercolor texture would give off a more ecofriendly vibe rather than a digital texture would, and along with that thinking, hand-drew our icons as well. Another part of the branding was to create an art activity for children to do, so we decided to have them make an origami flower out of sheets of seeded paper. Each piece contained seeds that could be planted in the ground and would grow flowers, which would minimize waste.
nelson-atkins big picnic
thank you! Please feel free to look at more of my work at sarahmdean.com