Project 2 Part II: Zine (Process + Final)

Before I begin my post, below is a recap of what I did prior to this zine:

Neighbourhood Exploration: https://oss.adm.ntu.edu.sg/dho010/project-2-part-1-zine-neighbourhood-paya-lebar/

Infographic: https://oss.adm.ntu.edu.sg/dho010/project-2-part-2-paya-lebar-infographic/

I wanted a continuity from my infographic, so I decided to adopt the same style and concept for the design of the zine. I went deeper with my research of the Malay culture and discovered that their art is usually centred around the crafts of weaving, carving and silversmithing. In terms of architecture, the buildings with Islamic influence are usually very ornate in details and often decorated with geometric patterns.

The use of geometry is thought to reflect the language of the universe and help the believer to reflect on life and the greatness of creation. In other words, it is to remind Muslims that Allah is infinite. The Islamic patterns are very pleasing to look at and I became very interested in how they were constructed and I managed to find this particular guidebook called “Islamic Geometric Patterns” after further research. It contains step-by-step instruction in creating amazing patterns or re-create classic examples.

My inspiration for my zine cover came from mixing the idea of Persian Carpet + Geometric Patterns + Weaving.

Cover Design:

Here are some of the photos of the final zine:

Process
As I was too consumed by doing the vector illustration, I forgot about the “whitespace” for the eyes to “breathe”. The featured spread I did was very cluttered and rigid and this issue was highlighted during the consultation with Joy and my fellow classmates. I took the feedback and managed to make necessary adjustments. I was pretty pleased with the changes made.

Before:

After:  


Challenges:
The most challenging and time-consuming part of this project would probably be the vectoring process, where details of various vector elements have to be evenly spaced and repeated in an orderly manner.

 Learning Outcome:
– This project has deepened my understanding of the Malay culture and its crafts.

-I managed to learn how to create interesting ethnic patterns.

-I also learnt to appreciate Islamic art better after understanding the complexity behind certain processes.

– Test prints are very important in detecting things we cannot see from the screen. (I spotted a weird 0.25 white line on my cover during the first test print)

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