GDMA 2100.

Publication Design

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No.12 Book Cover Redesign

Project 04 reflections:

For my redesign, I choose to work with George Orwell’s dystopian novel because many of the ideas mentioned in the story are looking quite similar to situations we face currently. The book cover designs are targeted towards Millenials because they have the knowledge and maturity to understand the book’s meanings and themes. Because of society’s fascination with social media, camera and in turn eyes are truly everywhere you go, where you are aware of them or not. The first draft plays with the ideas of Big Brother’s spanning view of anything and everything. Playing off one of if not most common and obvious symbol. The eyes concept have been done in countless iterations and redesigns, and so I decided to abandon it all together. 

The second draft stems my focus on Winston’s struggle and in doubt in the ethics of his job and the government. Winston works at the Ministry of Truth, a government organization set to filtering information Big Brother deems useless for the public to know of. The information is then redacted by workers like Winston. Using a light grey background and repetitive messaging to indicate the government’s brainwashing (propaganda) through public sources of information like a newspaper. The censored bars show the oppressive society while the 2+2=4 transitioning into 2+2=5 foreshadows the story and the theme of freedom vs. oppression. The coloured printed did something unique with the censor bars and somehow added drop shadows however this turned out to be a pleasant accident adding addition depth both visual and conceptual. 

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No.11 Geometric Graphics 

While collecting materials for my pop culture project this Saturday, I took the time to wander around The Vancouver Special on Main in between east 20th and 21st. One of my favourite spots to hit along Main, The Vancouver Special is a contemporary home and furniture retailer. However, they do carry a selection of design books, one of which present in the photo above is Geometric Graphics published by Gingko Press. 

The holographic foil on the spine caught my attention almost instantaneously once I got close enough. Before even peering inside, I took the time to appreciate the high-quality paper used for the partial book jacket sleeve. The inner pages of the book do not disappoint, just numerous simplistic design using colours, tones, and geometric shapes. Definitely another thing add to this years Christmas list. 

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No.10 Brandon Woelfel Photography

New York photographer Brandon Woelfel, has been discussed quite a bit for his distinct style and favoured cotton candy colour stories. Woelfel’s work indicates he favours shooting portrait during blue light hours and in the evening. The use of lighting props such as fairy lights in urban settings with lots of light help create these hipster-esque photos. 

Check out more on his Instagram @brandonwoelfel or his online portfolio. Anyone interested in shooting like Woelfel should take a look at this Mango Street video.

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No.9 Metro Redesign

My group ran into a number of communication and time management issues turning this into a highly stressful situation. Despite all that I am very happy with how the overall project turned out. I found the assignment to be quite challenging and fun. It was difficult finding that in between a newspaper and a magazine but the process felt very rewarding in the end. If we to do revisions I would focus on tweaking the views spread. It still a bit lacking in content compared to the other spreads as well as some negative space that could have been better utilized. 

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No.8 Linen Cover Penguin Classics

Penguin Classics, an imprint of the UK publishing Penguin Random House released these stunning collectors editions of literary classics from Jane Austin, Charles Dickens, Charlotte Bronte, and many more. I picked up a copy of Dracula by Bram Stoker from a local home and furnishing store on Main St called The Vancouver Special. The covers are common symbols or imagery from the books debossed with ink. The Penguin classics are available for purchases as a set of author collections or individually. The elegantly aged look makes these a beautiful addition to any bookshelf. 

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No.7 Organizational Photography

UK photographer Caroline South has a knack for transforming simple everyday objects into interesting photo illustration pieces simply by adding a little bit of colour. Her minimalist colour story projects are both visually stimulating and creative. Based on the objects and colour arrangements, South is able to develop narratives that equally corky and nostalgic. Her work shows what a difference an understanding of colour can do.

Check out more of her work on Instagram @caroline_south and her website.

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The surprising pattern behind color names around the world

Why so many languages invented words for colors in the same order.

No.6 The Pattern Behind Colour Names

Ever wonder about the origins of colour names and the colour system itself? This short video gives a brief explanation of the order in which societies name and organize colour systems.

Source: Vox.com

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No.5 “Romeo & Juliet” Redesign

I enjoyed redesigning the spreads for this classic Shakespeare tragedy. I choose to use a serif typefaces with a large font family. Playing around with the layout in the small paperback size, it was a problematic fitting all the requirements without cluttering the pages. It was important that the redesign utilize lots of negative space so readers can quickly follow along. If I were to make another iteration, I would first spend some more time looking for a more suitable typeface than Zaffino. 

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No.4 IDS West ‘17

The IDS (Interior Design Show) West convention has always been an exciting experience. Talk to product designers, artists, and product makers there has always been lots to see. I’ve been attending the conventions since I was first introduced to them in 2014 through KPU (Kwantlen Polytechnic University)’s general design program FIND (Foundations in Design). My favourite part has always been the elaborate dining room displays put together by local and visiting interior designs along the west coast. I’m not entirely sure if I just missed it, but it seemed as though this year, that portion of the convention had been removed altogether. Instead, the extra space was replaced by even more high-end infommercial like booths selling bathroom fixtures or flooring. Because you apparently can’t have enough of that. The interior displays of creative or conceptual workspaces were nice, but it just doesn’t have the same impact as the more substantial scale dining displays. To top it all off the fun pop up shop section was no longer dominated by the artisans from Portland. The show felt disappointing in comparison to previous years.

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No.3

This is an older interview conducted in 2010 with designer Massimo Vignelli sharing his approach to design, thoughts on typefaces, and battle the world’s vulgarity. 

I find its helpful to hear the thoughts and opinions of great designers such as Vignelli. His graphic work is what I admire most, however, its just so inspiring to see designers work across the boundaries of different disciplines. There are so many problems in seek of a solution its important designers tackle them. My idea of a great designer isn’t just the skills and the work they create but a problem solver who is constantly analyzing the world around them. A strong belief and a great passion for creative solutions and to make functionality beautiful.  

(Design Matters)

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No.2 Endeavour Neon

With trends being revived all the time, it is no surprise that the art of neon has resurfaced on social media. It is an older and difficult craft so there aren’t very many neon benders around, however, neon is back on the rise of thing. 

I first encountered Endeavour Neon and it's owner and craftsman Andrew Hibbs at the IDS West show of 2015. At this time neon signs have only just come back into trends for a bit. I had seen some images of neon lettering on Tumblr but I was very impressed with Hibb’s work. Be it shape or lettering the lines and curves were clean and flowed well into the next. His designs weren’t perfect he admits to this much himself in an episode of “Hand Crafted”, but his work is some of the best neon I've seen around the city and online. His signs ranged in the sizes from large installations to a desktop neon lamps.

Not only does Hibbs take on new custom projects for clients but Endeavour Neon also work on refurbishing existing neon signs. Unlike the gaudy (in your face) neon of Las Vegas, I was surprised by the subtle designs. Many businesses along downtown Granville street have strived to bring back the past with the help of neon benders like Andrew to restore the street to its original neon glory. 

Neon has transcended from sides of buildings to become an unexpected addition to any space. The popularity of reviving Vancouver’s neon life has opened the doors to their homes as well. With customs wall installations, unique lighting fixtures, and desk lamps Neon have taken over the interiors as well.

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How many, is too many? What do you think?

No.1

There seems to be an endless number of typefaces, font families, and new ones being developed every day. But how many is too many? The options are so easily accessible, its hard to choose what typefaces to use. I, myself spend at least twenty to thirty minutes looking for a typeface to use in my projects. Often even after trying them all and deciding on one, I end up going with something else altogether. 

Perhaps we are given too many choices. I mean, Massimo Vignelli used only a  set of six sans and serif typefaces (Garamond, Bodoni, Times, Century, Futura, Helvetica) and his designs seem to withstand time. Just as clean and modern as when they started. 

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Just a bit about me.

I'm an aspiring designer currently studying graphic design (obviously), at Kwantlen Polytechnic University's GDMA program. The ever-changing nature of design makes every project a creative learning experience with a different story to tell every time, one of many charms to the life of a designer. My passion for design extends to all disciplines from graphics to fashion, interior, and industrial products.  

I hope to experiment with work outside my field of study, venturing in collaboratives as much as possible. However, until then, you can usually find me enjoying the local hipster culture (yes I'm somewhat of a hipster, guilty) in Vancouver. My love for indie music was definitely a gateway to indie culture for me, sparking an appreciation for locally produced goods. 

With Vancouver being an urban hub for coffee, sushi, and ice cream I enjoy hitting all the local spots. I'll typically be utilizing hipster coffee shops to work on conceptualizing assignments with a good cup of London Fog. Otherwise, I'm immersed in an intense bingeing session with an anime or television series. Hopefully, this helped a bit if not there is always more snapshots of my life on my social media.