Research

As I walked down Orchard Road and the Downtown area, I saw a lot of unique architecture and initially wanted to focus on that.

For example, Millenia Walk had a structure that reminded me of the Great Pyramids in Egypt.

I also went to Marina Bay and took a photo of the architecture there. However, Shirley said that it lacked a personal touch and would feel too much like a tourism board brochure, promoting Singapore. Hence, I took another trip down Orchard Road and saw this performance, with huge crowds surrounding them. Then I was reminded of how many interesting performances and buskers I have seen along the street and wanted to talk about them, since they were quite a unique feature about Orchard Road.

I decided to approach Orchard Road with five senses, five senses that would not usually be associated with Orchard Road. It is often associated with high-end brands such as Louis Vuitton and Miu Miu, brands that would not be found in heartland malls. Yet, there was something down-to-earth about Orchard Road and I wanted to convey that. Hence, I chose features that normally wouldn’t be associated with luxury and glamour:

Sight: Unique architecture (I wanted to keep this from my original intention as it was definitely an interesting feature)

Hearing: Street performers (buskers are often thought of as poor and unemployed, thus resorting to busking)

Smell: Smokers (I personally feel that a high end shopping area is usually very well managed, and would be very clean. Yet, there are a lot of smokers all along the street and this has not be intervened by the government even though the government has already implemented stricter smoking laws in public places. Hence, it was rather interesting to note that the smoking laws at Orchard were relatively less strict.)

Touch: Crowds (Coming here on weekends is a challenge as it is often crowded. Even though the numbers have dwindled over the years, it is still very crowded and you would definitely have to bump shoulders with someone as you walk.)

Taste: Ice cream (One thing I will always remember about Orchard is the ice cream trucks scattered along the street. I especially love going to the uncle situated at the traffic light junction near Paragon and Takashimaya. Since the ice cream is so cheap, it does not match with the high end reputation of Orchard Road.)

 

Process

Layout 1:

I felt that my first layout was very empty and did not have enough elements on the page. Referring to my main inspiration, even though it was very simple and minimal, there were a lot of small elements in it that kept it interesting. Hence, for my next layout, I decided to add paint splatters to give the pages more interest. (I had forgotten to save that version so here’s an example of what it looked like, the photos were initially vibrant, like the ones in the second layout.)

 

Layout 2:

After tweaking with the paint splatters, I ended up really liking it. I decided to keep the splatters black as my photos did not have a specific colour palette and having coloured paint splatters would have made it look uncoordinated. I also changed the fonts on the first and last page as Shirley mentioned that the font was “shouting”, being all caps.

 

Layout 3:

After editing the photos and making it more muted, I wanted to try adding some colour to my layout. But Sammi mentioned that it felt as if I was adding the pink strips just for the sake of it, which I realised I was. Hence, I took it out.

 

Reflections

Overall, this was a tiring project. From the research to sifting out personalised and interesting content to arranging that same content in an easy and fun to read layout. However, I definitely enjoyed it and I felt a sense of accomplishment when I got my zine printed. Some things that I learnt from this project includes realising the importance of getting feedback.

During the musical chair critique session, I realised my classmates had pointed out certain details in my zine that could be edited and improved on. These were things that I did not notice and after reading their comments, it opened my eyes. As designers work on their designs, they can sometimes become numb to their own designs and it would definitely be helpful to get a second or even third opinion about the design. It was also very fun to discover InDesign as I worked on my zine and realising the things it could do!

Check out this link for the final outcome of my zine!

What is a zine?

“A zine is usually a non-commercial, non-professional publication, kind of
like a magazine but with a twist. The main difference between a magazine
and a zine is that zines are not out there to make a profit but, rather, to add
other, often unheard voices into the mix. Zines are usually made out of
interest and passion and are often self-published by the writer/artist/creator.
Typically zines are made using collage techniques and are then photocopied
since these are means available to almost everyone.” – as defined by Art Gallery of Ontario

 

What is the aim of my zine?

Orchard Road is known to be a high-end place, where one goes to buy their branded goods. I wanted to get the readers to see Orchard Road in a different light.

 

Layout Inspirations

This was my main inspiration. I really liked the big numbers as well as the colour splatters throughout the page. I felt that the large numbers took the main focus here and it would fit nicely with numbering the five senses that i wanted to include. It is also very minimal, with large open spaces and very little words, which was another thing I wanted to do.

 

I really liked the colour palette of this layout, using pastel shades to convey a very calm and feeling of coastal cities. The transparent overlay on the cover also caught my attention, and really allowed this zine to stand out from the rest. While I don’t think I will be incorporating this idea into my zine, it serves as a reminder to be unique as a designer. I took inspiration from the colour palette and created muted photos for my zine to convey the calmness that I felt while walking along Orchard Road, even though many feel differently.

 

 

 

 

This was another cool yet simple layout that caught my eye. Instead of using colour to capture attention, the designer contrasted the photo with a plain black page and added simple lines and dots to complete the photo.

 

I liked the bold lines in this layout, creating a structured and bold look. The play on colours also matches nicely with the bold lines and creates a playful look.

 

 

I like the colour palette of this layout, it has a very muted palette and the photos are very muted too!

 

FINAL OUTCOMES

My name is

origami-artist-final

and I’m an Origami Artist

My name is

mattress-tester-final

and I’m a Mattress Tester

My name is

librarian-final

and I’m a Librarian

My name is

construction-worker-final-1

and I’m a Construction Worker

RESEARCH

So first, I went to research on the key elements and visual cues of each of the occupation I wanted to do.

  1. Origami Artist
  • Paper
  • Diagrams
  • Folding instructions

 

 

As seen in the diagram, dotted lines and arrows are used to indicate the folds and I wanted to include that in my design.

Initially, I wanted to incorporate it into the background but the letters looked a little flat and the background looked messy. Also, the letters and background looked like separate elements.

Thus, I decided to add the dotted lines into the letters itself and keep the background simple.

 

Here are some photographs that i took of the origami letters I folded.

pt5a5489

 

pt5a5486

pt5a5472

 

2. Mattress Tester

Yes, this is a job. In my opinion, the best job in the world. What other job pays you to sleep?

  • Mattress
  • Pillow
  • Blanket
  • Sleeping
  • Pajamas (more of a visual cue to sleeping, which is part of the job scope)

 

 

download-1

 

I felt like the mattress texture was very unique and spoke for itself so I used it as my background. To indicate sleep, I used pajamas to create the text. I also added a little detail on the pockets of the pajamas and included sleeping eyes!

I also tried to tweak with the perspective in Photoshop and tried to make it look like the letters are lying down on the mattress.

 

3. Librarian

  • books
  • barcode scanner
  • keep quiet sign
  • library card

library_scanner_1

full-stereotype

books-generic_1468008c

 

Initially, I wanted to use the books to form the letters. But after consultation, I realised that it wasn’t really creating a typography. Therefore, I scrapped that idea and just played around with books to get more ideas.

librarian-v1

Then Sammi gave me an idea, which is the keep quiet sign, or the “shh” action that librarians are known for doing.

Therefore, I incorporated that into my design. Since the first thing that comes to mind is definitely the never-ending shelves of books in libraries, I used it as my background. Then, since the “keep quiet” signs are always hung outside libraries, I tried to create a glass door effect to overlay the shelves of books. I think this didn’t turn out as obvious as I had initially hoped, but I think it’s quite subtle which I liked.

quiet-please-braille-ada-sign-sb-0281_210 keep-quiet

 

4. Construction Worker

  • tower cranes
  • bulldozer
  • colour: black and yellow, sometimes orange
  • metal structures

14101735-silhouette-of-one-cranes-working-on-the-building-on-a-white-background-stock-vector

shutterstock_74307607-1600x680

20298419-vector-horizontal-banner-of-construction-site-with-cranes-and-skyscraper-under-construction-stock-vector

fed-working-at-heights

website-under-constructionelement51

 

For this occupation, I decided to use tower cranes as the main element since it is what we often see everywhere in Singapore.

I also added strips of black and yellow stripes to further indicate the job, since warning signs or danger signs associated with construction sites are usually these colours.

 

REFLECTIONS

I definitely had challenges but at the same time, I enjoyed myself. Initially, I was confused as to how to go about creating the typography. But after watching a lot of Youtube videos and reading tutorials online, I have learnt a few new skills in Photoshop, like how to create a transparent glass effect, which I think may come useful someday. I also enjoyed creating the origami typography very much as I got to fold origami!