GUIDING PRINCIPLES
A series of design sprints focused on the design process and the creation of an identity for an upcoming exhibition in the FAB Gallery.
THEME
DESIGN CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE
Can design really?
If you're thinking about aircraft handbooks and manuals, or traffic sign design, then yes, design do save lives! But we'll go past that. Design can save life and is life. This exhibition applies the fundamental principles of design to life. Design principles guide and help the designers come up with good and meaningful design. If we let these principles influence the ways we live, then we can expect that this intervention can lead to a more harmonious and a more meaningful life. The exhibition will be named: Guiding Principles.
Sub themes
For sub themes, the class decided to go with my idea which is to match a design principle with a life principle and concept such as:
Emphasis & Identity
Whitespace & Essentialism
Proportions & Limitations
Repetition & Consistency
Contrast & Relationships
Exhibition Context
The exhibition will be divided into n sections depending on the number of subthemes. Each space will be divided into two sections. One side will show the designed and printed artifacts that apply the design principle. The other side will have a setup that shows the viewer a more familiar ‘stage’ set. Taking the Repetition & Consistency section as an example, the space on the left will contain printed patterns and posters that show effective and clever use of repetition. In each of the works, the use of repetition should be obvious. The right side will have a big display of quotations, a treadmill, or a display of journals, all implying that in life, when you decide to be better than you were yesterday and maintain that attitude, you will reach peak performance. The right side can also be interactive where visitors can engage in an activity that is repetitive and in the end achieve something meaningful.
3 Wordmark Concepts
The first wordmark shows that the guiding principles of design connect life, style, and design. The line demonstrates that there is a direction and vision if we allow the principles to guide us.
As mentioned, there will be installations of bedrooms and workspaces in the exhibition. The second wordmark is made to look like a floor plan or pathway.
The third wordmark is a light and fun approach. The exhibition name visually shows how the principles can be used to organize life, or in the case of the title, organize letters.
Takeaway
After experiencing the exhibition, the visitors will leave the gallery with a strong desire to better their lifestyles by applying/reconsidering the design principles in their daily routines. They will also bring home with them the realization that like a well-made poster, their lives can start falling into place with better composition, clearer message and great impact, if they apply the principles. The exhibition may not explicitly tell them that design can save their lives, but surely they will be able to fix it through design.