ISTD - Putting things in order

Project_3

ISTD - PUTTING THINGS IN ORDER

for

TIME

magazine

____________________________________________________

THE BRIEF

The ISTD project brief entails designing a typographical piece with regards to any of the given topics given to the design group. These include: The Revolution will not be…, Silence is Golden, Invisible Cities, Putting things in Order and lastly, Biophilia. One of these topics needs to be chosen and interpreted in an indirect manner with regards to typography. This project needs to function on several media platforms, with all media linked under one concept. This project expects us to investigate the widest interpretation of the chosen topic. This project has lots of opportunities to draw upon references to different styles, public projects, executions, mediums etc. After critical consideration, the topic “Putting things in order” has been chosen and will be used to execute the typographic piece.

THE FINAL EXECUTION

The media for this project will run as follows: Time Magazine (Cover pages and spread) and Magazine insert (Type of self-help guide). This Time magazine will be sold during the month of February, the month of mental health, and will be sold to the multiple subscribers they already have and possible new ones. The magazine front cover includes a saying ‘a place for everything and everything in its place’. This saying is ideal in the matter that this represents all organized individuals out there and also the perfectionists out there. The second everything is mirrored to give the effect that not everything might be as it seems. The magazine back cover includes a quote from Mark Twain; “Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection. This is included at the back of the magazine, because this is the result this project wants to achieve by showing that appreciating any chaos is important to understand perfection. The magazine spread includes information about perfectionism and what makes them act the way they do. This will be an interactive reading experience, because of the transparent page between the spreads. The one paragraph will not make any sense if the transparent page is not turned over. Then an explanation is made in regards to how two chaos can together make order.

The magazine insert includes an off-square book that is saddle-stitched. This book includes typography rules that are broken to ‘bring out’ the perfectionist of the readers. This book is made this way to help perfectionists recognize their tendencies and show them a way to learn how to keep these tendencies on the healthy side. The idea of the book ending in an incomplete sentence is to help perfectionists start their process of phasing out their unhealthy tendencies.

Cover page of Time magazine

Cover mockup

CLIENT PROFILE AND NEEDS

Time Magazine is an international magazine that specializes in being a digest for lifestyle news coverage and bringing light to new information. Their goal is to inform and educate their readers with topics that touch us daily like; economics, lifestyle, health, awareness, environment, politics etcetera. Their list of topics is endless, and they are a magazine that mainly makes a difference by spreading true informative information.

AUDIENCE PROFILE AND NEEDS

Society and possible Perfectionists will be the main target audience for this project from the ages 16 to 65. Society does not understand the different behaviours of perfectionism and does not acknowledge them as individuals that may be possible sufferers of OCD. This project can also help possible sufferers of Perfectionists to understand their traits and make them aware of their tendencies. Time Magazine needs to inform the society of Perfectionism and what this could mean for those who have it. By doing this, they can create awareness worldwide about perfectionism and how to keep it a positive trait, rather than it becoming an anxiety disorder.

THEME AND CONTEXT

The theme and context of this project focus primarily on different ways of bringing order to certain things and how this is different from normal. The specific theme consists of how Time Magazine will create awareness regarding perfectionism and how this can develop into OCD if they do not bring order into their mindsets. The theme and context will run through these key points: perfectionist’s absurd organizing methods, bringing order to chaos and different organizing styles within perfectionism.

Flat spread design and its conceptual transparent page

Spread and transparent page mockup

What the page looks like after the transparent page is turned over

THE SPECIFIC PROBLEM

The specific problem is that there is a lack of awareness and understanding of how highly organized people behave and why they do what they do. Because of this, perfectionists of all kinds are either villainized and misunderstood, or revered and idolized, all for the wrong reasons.

THE COMMUNICATION GOAL

The goal of this project is to communicate the differences of different types of organizing behaviors, give insight into perfectionism and make the public aware of the pitfalls of stereotyping highly organized people. The goal is to change society’s perception about perfectionism and how to be more understanding of highly organized behavior and what it could mean.

Cover of magazine insert (not the same red to enhance the chaos)

THE CREATIVE STRATEGY

The creative strategy is to create awareness about highly organized individuals’ behaviours, who are often labeled as perfectionists and OCD sufferers. These individuals are not understood very well, and there are two sides to the story that needs to be addressed. Perfectionism has benefits, but also downfalls, and this project aims to illuminate how these two sides work together and against each other.

THE CREATIVE CONCEPT

By comparing the positive and negative sides of being a highly organized individual, the concept would show the Ying Yang dynamic of being a perfectionist and how the different layers of order and chaos creates the organized scenes that society only sees. The concept should illustrate the imperfect process and the flaws behind the order while using typography and its rules. Giving society the chance to understand highly organized individuals and why they organize the way they do.

Magazine insert spreads

CONTEXTUAL THEORY

For this project Simulation theory of empathy, Semantic theory of truth and Theory of the mind will be used. In short, the Simulation theory of empathy is known for helping individuals understand others through creating empathy. The semantic theory of truth can be shortly defined as an understanding of the reasoning behind any type of behaviour. Lastly, the theory of the mind can be seen as helping individuals predict behaviours through understanding people’s minds.

By using these theories, the different aspects of being a highly organized human being will be showcased in the open for society to see. This will help society to understand what perfectionism and OCD might be like, and this is where the empathy for perfectionists will be developed. Through using these theories, the truth will be spread about the chaotic minds of perfectionists and how this leads to order within their lives, this is how awareness can be successfully spread about this organizing trait.

THE VISUAL STRATEGY

The Yin Yang philosophy will be the main idea behind the execution of showing balance between chaos and order. The idea of the Chaos theory will be used to show how random order comes from chaos, and this will show how perfectionists mind work and why they order the way they do. This will have a connection with Wabi Sabi, an aesthetic showing how imperfections are beautiful and how society needs to flaunt those imperfections, because that is what makes you stronger (Kintsugi). The imperfections we all carry with us leads to the results we see, and this is exactly the case with perfectionists and the way they organize. By doing this, Visual Typography will be used to show how order and chaos works together to create the orderly image we all see from perfectionists.

With these visual theories the communication goal objectives will be achieved by informing and educating the society about perfectionism, to promote and present ways of dealing with perfectionism and hot letting it go to OCD. By doing this, awareness has been spread about Perfectionism.

How the magazine insert will be presented to the reader (mockup)

Magazine insert cover mockup

THE CREATIVE PRODUCTION CYCLES

The first cycle consisted of creating the visual languages by organizing the different types of ways chaos can be visually shown through typography. These ideas have been listed, and has finally been scamped out into a mini version of the book and magazine. The second cycle is where the digital development started and the designs has started coming together. After multiple refinements and some sessions of consultation, the final magazine and booklet has been made, and it is irritating and cluttered at places it perfectly needs to be.