As an undergraduate, I took a "Word + Image" (visual communications) class as part of the Design Media Arts curriculum. This upper-division class had one major project during the 10-week quarter called the RE:MAKING project.
RE:MAKING took students through the process of deconstructing a set of five selected essays from "Graphic Design: Now in Production" by Andrew Blauvelt and Ellen Lupton. Each student selected one predominant concept and word. The class went through a detailed creative process: research, concept, creative direction, design direction, design, production, communication strategy, and distribution. The project culminated in a 20-page 7.5"x5" booklet. All 21 students printed and produced their booklet 22 times and distributed them to everyone including the professor. Then each student bounded everyone's booklets together into a large 440-page book.
Research and Development
Ideation/Concept Development
After reading "Graphic Design: Now in Production," one of the concepts/words I chose to research was "develop." I researched from multiple points—aesthetic, literary, scientific,
psychological, philosophical, political, social, etc.
During ideation/concept development phase, I observed patterns and possible relationships through my research on "develop" and "development." I took a class freshman year about the history and development of Los Angeles. As native Angeleno I find the Los Angeles urban development to be unique and interesting. The university I attended, UCLA, is located in Westwood with its own history of urban development. During my time as a student, I regularly explored Westwood and noticed different forms of development—urban, people, businesses, and etc.
Creative Direction
In the Creative Direction phase, I created mood boards to define my idea of Westwood's urban development.
Despite being a historically affluent shopping center for Beverly Hills, Westwood now lacks business development, leaving many empty shops. With the upcoming extension of the purple line to Westwood, there will be an increase in customers, including the homeless. As a student living in Westwood, I noticed the increasing homeless population and believe they are an integrated part of the town. However, this is a concern for some residents who worry about the town's appearance and reputation.
Based on my research, I decided to create my own imaginative city project to provide development for the homeless in Westwood. I was inspired by a USC student's project called "Cardborigami", which creates foldable origami-inspired shelters for the Los Angeles homeless community. The project received positive feedback, inspiring me to pursue my own version.
Production
After designing my 20-page booklet, I made 22 copies for each of the students in the class while receiving everyone's copies. The next task was to book bind the booklets into one large book.
Book Binding Reference Guide
Final Book
