MA Seminar I: Design Minds

This project is a typographic zine that explores idiosyncrasy through small visual irregularities, material details, and moments of interruption that resist seamless reading. Each spread introduces subtle “flaws”—in alignment, typography, texture, or binding—that slow the reader down and invite closer observation, reframing imperfection as a point of attention rather than error. In contrast to contemporary design’s emphasis on frictionless and optimized experiences, the zine proposes that irregularity can function as a strength, creating memorability and presence through pause.

Through this process, I learned how critical it is to identify the threshold of design intervention—how small or noticeable a detail must be to register as intentional rather than accidental—sharpening my sensitivity to scale, restraint, and perceptual balance. I also learned that working with physical objects introduces complexities beyond digital design; bookbinding, in particular, required a level of precision and material awareness that challenged my expectations.

Reflecting on the project, I see opportunities to refine binding details and to resist digital-level perfection, treating the zine more like a painting by allowing irregularities and material gestures to remain visible as deliberate design decisions.

Timeline

4 weeks
(November 03 — December 03)

Tools Used

Illustrator
Photoshop

Personal project

Design Thinking
Typography
Prototyping
Editorial Design
Graphic Design
Bookbinding