As my studio work takes shape, so does the rational behind my work become clearer as well as my position as a designer within a wider context.
My final project explores the intricate relationship between vernacular language, local culture, and bilingualism, aiming to question the agency of graphic communication design in the mobility of language across cultures. It focuses on translating traditional Colombian sayings bridging the lexical gaps between local expressions from my mother tongue, Spanish and my everyday language, English. As a British-Colombian navigating the complexities of this duality, I aim to visually and physically translate traditional oral communication into new contexts. My interest arises from my personal struggle to express myself between languages, prompting me to explore linguistic expressions around something familiar and relatable such as food, as a means of reconciling these cultural perspectives within me.
Production Surgeries –
This week’s productions surgeries were a great opportunity to reflect on the practicalities of my working plan and to evaluate the effectiveness of my idea with an external audience neither connected to MAGCD or knowledgeable of Colombian culture. I had a chat with Richard and Elinor from Four Corners Books, who were quite positive about the direction of my project and the clear focus of the outcome. We mainly discussed printing processes and they agreed it would be great to see the illustrations as Riso prints, as it makes a lose connection to the traditional printing methods utilised to produce the original Mollinari cards.
I also showed more development of the collection of images (54 in total), which comprise all kinds of traditional sayings somehow related to food or eating. Some of the images I’ve produced so for are below.
At this point, I’ve started to focus on production processes and refining the details of how these stickers will be used, presented and interacted with. A big part of this work requires the audience interaction in sticking the images in the album, and navigating the complexities of language through an almost “child-like” approach.
Some initial printing test where I consider the importance of the printing surface in the vibrancy of the resulting image.
Organising layouts for producing both the album (publication) and the cards using Riso prints. My initial tests are made using digital printing, which I think still work really nicely if the right materials are used in the production of these.
Testing size layout and margins of the cards themselves and within their context.