Let me start by saying that, as individual projects, I never thought that I would ever create something as interesting as the Information Map and Matchbook projects. For instance, the matchbooks required a large amount of attention to detail, careful planning, understanding of scale, and an incredible amount of patience in the mock-up stage. Similarly, the Information Map took a fair amount of time to process the data I was given, and required a huge amount of planning, as well as a significant amount of graphics and typeface selection combinations before I got to the final product. Both projects were an incredible process and are the pieces I am most proud of to this day.

In order for me to create the matchbooks exactly how I wanted to, I had to go through a trial-and-error process to determine the best way to affix my design to a standard matchbook, learn that rubber gloves was the best way to keep my hands from sticking to the tape I used to do so, and fret over the slightest misstep in the folding and creasing of the matchbook, ultimately having to make about four of each design before I had them in perfect condition. Apart from the 1,000 objects project in Principles of Art and Design, it was the most time I have ever had to spend on a project, and it was incredibly exhilarating. I had to have an incredibly high attention to detail, as I was not just making an object to fulfill an assignment, I was trying to capture the essence of a film’s environment, and the movie Her was such a rich environment that I was not sure where to begin. However, like a good designer, I did my research and found explicit information from a head designer on the film that was able to help me set my own course and come up with a design concept. That research is what spawned the color palate, the shapes, and how the entire matchbook was formulated – there is even a second language featured on the matchbook since it was prominently featured in the film’s signage. I attempted to encapsulate everything that film had to offer in a single artifact, and I feel incredibly proud of the result. It was the first time I had felt like a real designer. I examined the source material, took in all the information, drafted a concept, played with the forms, refined the design, and executed it in a physical mock-up that took just as much effort to finalize. Those are all core facets of being a graphic designer, especially being able to execute your ideas and really follow through with your work.

In the case of the Information Map, I was tasked with sifting through a pool of data to analyze trends, create graphical representations of those trends, and then design a whole spread filled with type and graphical elements to help represent that data in an interesting and captivating way. It was a rather daunting task at first, but I went through the process and got through the planning phase and into the design work. When designing the graphical elements, I needed to create icons to make sure that all the data categories were clear and could be referenced in other locations without any sort of misinterpretation. I got feedback from classmates and family members to make sure that my icons were easy to understand, and I made sure that each design was unified, but not distracting from the overall tone of the spread. I had to be careful with my typeface choices to make sure that things stayed legible without feeling flat or uninteresting. There were simply many things that I needed to keep track of to make sure none of the information was lost and everything stayed interesting. In the end, these were all skills I had acquired as a graphic design student. I had built an understanding of typography, using various typefaces and type weights in order to represent text in a hierarchical and dynamic fashion. I was able to create graphical elements that could tie in to the overall theme and tone of the work, as well as elements that were easy to understand and relatively universal. At the same time, I was able to incorporate feedback into my designs, ensuring that my designs were stronger and more efficient in communicating their ideas. All of these are facets of superior design, and I did my best to include them.

While I have a good understanding of form, color, type, and the overall design process, I always feel as though I have room for improvement. For instance, it could be argued that maybe the matchbooks were too simple, or at the very least maybe too similar; maybe they should be more lively or dynamic, rather than overly simplistic. On another note, perhaps the Information Map is too complex, and perhaps the background does more to distract the reader than it does to create a more friendly and pleasing atmosphere. Really, there is always something to refine or improve, and every design is a living, changing thing for that exact reason. Yet overall, I have learned a great deal about how to approach a design. I know now that I need to take considerable steps to research my topics, plan my design, and make sure that all the guess work is out of the way before I move towards a final product. But these are all very basic things, and I feel like that is what makes a good foundation for the future. As I continue to think in this mindset and approach my projects with the same work ethic, my designs will become more robust and sophisticated over time.

 

Link to Information Map

Link to Object Lesson