Graphic Design as Process

A graphic statement piece

About the project

Title: Graphic Design as Process Book
Type of work: Graphic design / Handbound book
Date: October / December 2011
Extent of the project: 2,5 weeks, full-time

This book visualises a perspective of the nature of graphic design that is often overlooked. Graphic design is as much a design process as it is a visual outcome. Inside the book, you will see three ‘journeys’ — three previous design projects’ processes — visualised as the children’s game connect-the-dots. Overlaying of the project’s ‘journeys’ makes it fairly difficult to tell where the project is going from one dot to the next dot; particularly in the beginning. It is a glimpse into the many steps of three very different design processes.

The design

Reading the book, you will be able to follow in the footsteps — dot by dot — of how I work as a designer. The book is hand bound and is an abstract extension of the children’s game format, inviting to interaction. I found connect-the-dots to be a simple and hands-on way of communicating the idea of the process and its visual outcome.

Accordion Book

The book is designed as one long accordion fold as a way of hinting that designers work in the details (read one page at a time) while also understanding the bigger picture (unfolding the entire book).

Closed book Standing book

Every project has its ups and downs, loops and lines.

Connecting the dots

The three projects are each colour-coded, and the book comes with three matching coloured pencils.

A glimpse of the process

If thinking of a design process or project as one line, it generally unfolds from some sort of mess to a straight line as you progress from disorder to clarity in some way. The process is always central to my work and, design to me is not a visual idea that suddenly comes to you. Nor is it something that appears like a bolt from the blue. It is the result of some kind of structured research, or gathering of insights, followed by an analysis phase that will lead to concepts and ideas, which then need to be tested and prototyped only to be redesigned, and adjusted — and then finalised.

Recalling and visualising the process

Recalling and visualising the feelings of ups and downs, intensity and steadiness, confusion and clarity as loops and lines, for each project.

Layouting the book

Layouting the book, moving from page to page, each page representing a week.

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