Design Hero — Booklet

18 min readFeb 22, 2023

April Greiman “Design must evoke an emotional response.”

This is a 12 — week project centered around a design hero (of my choice) that includes a poster, a booklet, an animation, an app, and a website. The goal is to exemplify the characteristic of the designer using our own style.

Flat Plan Sketches

Moving from a one page poster to a 16 page booklet is quite a bit of jump. In the beginning it was very difficult for me wrap my head around to think about booklet as a whole, yet broken down into various folios, especially with the consideration of the visual element aiming to make every spread aesthetically pleasing. Going back and revisiting some of April’s works that are not the most prominent ones, I found her using graphs (including x,y,z planes) a lot both in her process and her final design. I thought a graph would be a very intriguing structure to base all over information on. Elaborating on this thought, I set the top middle of the spread as the pin point of the graph, then as the spreads move on, the plane will rotate in space around the middle pin point and lead the audience through her creative process. I think this graph provides a lot of possibilities to plot her work, type, and other images on different planes that are intersecting and floating.

After this, I found it very difficult to come up with another idea. I then stepped away from thinking visually and started to consider the content. I thought about presenting her work in various categories, graphic design, branding, videos, and architecture palettes. I then created spread design for each of the sections. However, similar problem as the poster project came up, “How should I represent her work in my style?” I wanted to push myself to try something else other than what I’ve done with my poster, I started to look at her work more closely and study how she incorporates other images in her work. However, as I try harder, the spread started to look too much like her design, which made me question a bit whether I’m doing the right thing…

For the third one, I almost went the opposite direction from my second sketch. I wanted to do more with the type and experiment more with layout without the restriction of incorporating her work gracefully. I planned most pages to have very large type with rotation as well. The problem with this one is that it almost felt too modern to the point where it’s irrelevant to April Greiman… Especially the middle spread…

Higher Fidelity Sketch

Starting to bring fidelity to my sketches in indesign, it feels a bit overwhelming to design 16 pages at once. To ease that anxiety and fear, I first went back to my sketches and selected spreads that I think I can continue working with. I then arranged them in sequence that it tells some sort of story through the use of her quote in each spread. Having the sequence down, I then started block out content like the cover page and the table of content. As I work through them and try to visualize them better, I started to put down actual contents such as quotes.

Spread 02 is one spread that got me excited about designing the entire booklet. I called out a couple major events in April German’s life and tried to play around with the text placement. Having so much freedom over the content allowed me the arrange and rearrange everything intuitively. I started to place texts and boxes where ever it felt correct. If somewhere seemed empty, I’ll just place another text box there. When doing this, take advantage of the grid system also made it look more organized. However, I’m unsure about the placement of the two quotes on the bottom corner. They look kind of awkward right now…

Looking at the boxes, and negative spaces, it seems like a guide is needed from one event to another. Then I drew a line using Apple’s track pad(not even a mouse://). Although it’s not perfect or smooth, it has vitality and strength just looking at it(do be embracing April Greiman’s spontaneousness). I do like the line a lot but I feel like the legibility is definitely a bit low. Then I tried to pixelate the line, yet even worse… Then, I went back to the “clean” route and did perpendicular lines, legible, but rigid… I do like the simpleness to it, but also a bit unsure…

On to the third spread! This is one of the spreads that I had a clearer image of how I would want it to come out as. Something I put down first is the arrow quote. I lined them up more perpendicular than connect to the corner to create a more directional feel. Then I decided to use a one column text instead of following my grid and using a three column one because it’s more cohesive and makes the page look more organized. One the right side, I had all her work stacked to each other in the beginning. But that was looking a little bit boring. I tried adding a under layer of color and randomly assigned them to the CMYK ink colors. I then overlayed her work using different techniques.

If you are wondering why is spread 04 lost in my laptop storage… It’s not lost, I intentionally deleted it! I thought it’s too much a replication of April Greiman’s work, so I deleted it as a whole… Showing that to Brett, Maggie, and Francis that in class was an embarrassing moment…

On to the next spread:) Similar to the first spread, I had a general idea of how I would like to it be, then placed black squares randomly depends on how it makes the page more interesting. Before this class, I never realized that design can be such a fun and creative process. I really enjoyed just doing whatever I want, and designing something that felt right. For text, I followed both my three column grid and the black squares and created boxes accordingly, then filled in with text.

I enjoy the dynamic in this spread, but this is one of the spreads I struggled to being fidelity to. The two circles have such a prominent present on the page and it makes me fear of adding other things that can possibly make it more messy. I started to change text, and add small detail on the left one, but more time and effort is definitely needed for this spread(in general as well).

The spread I started with. Envisioning the final spread, I wanted to create a cut out effect on the text when it over laps with the image. (The text overlapping with the image will be white instead of black.) However, due to technique difficulties, after 2 or 3 hours trying to figure this out, I still couldn’t do it in Indesign. I think it might be impossible… So I have given up on that for now. But to keep working on it, I will need to add numbering system to the image and a lot more. The white background looks pretty empty hollow right now.

Feedback from Brett, Maggie, and Francis:

Think about constructing a system for the booklet — it can be small like index and folio numbering
Consider to incorporate April Greiman’s radical typeset technique such as large indent and small text (the current type looks like type exercise)
On Spread 02 consider combining the perpendicular and scramble lines
The distorted text on Spread 02 is also a bit rigid
WAY TO MUCH TEXT — need to start using my own essay or else I will have to write SO MUCH MORE content for the spread
Add small details/elements that are interesting to look at

Something they like:

scramble line
transition between dense and light text
the mouse pointing at “the end of design”
and something else that I can’t remember….

Putting in my own essay somehow fit every text box perfectly. I also created a typographic sheet for me to reference as I start to organize my title and body text.

Low Fidelity Booklet

Coming back from spring break, I still feel very stuck at where I was except some minor changes I’ve made to it. Looking through every page, there’s just not enough content on each page, but I also didn’t have enough content to put onto each page.

After talking to Brett again, he gave me some more advice on how to move forward:

introduce the color, numbering system, and caption system on each page
don’t try to put all the caption on the last page
add more of her work to each spread, especially spread 2
try to create my own collage using her work as the background of spread 1
On the pixel page, maybe add color or image to the pixel to increase visual variety

Before I was really trapped in the idea that I’m gonna strictly follow my original sketch and don’t have to add any images of her work, yet adding more work to each spread not only demonstrates April Greiman’s style better, but also makes each spread more intriguing to look at.

I started off collaging her work that are displayed on the last spread. During the process, I mainly used different overlaying techniques and various shapes from her work. I put some of them in extreme perspectives and changed size to make some shape move forward, whereas the rest moves backwards. As all assets are resized (due to the original image size) a juxtaposition of blurriness and clean lines is created as a spontaneous visual addition to the page’s complexity.

collage image created from her work shown in the last spread

Moving back to InDesign, the collaged image completely changed my original composition flow on my first spread due to its vibrant color. The line design that leads to page number became very difficult for the audience to trace after. I had to connect all the lines, and switch the left page to a black background for legibility purpose. I also chose to connect all the lines instead of having openings in between because that is just too much going on…

According to Brett, Maggie, and Francis’s feedbacks last time, having the original squiggly line is the best fit for the spread. Also as I start to add more images, the spread started to look more complete. Brett also suggested that color can be a key to raise the fidelity. However, I tried to give the quote some color, it just looked very out of place;-;

The issue I had with this spread was it being too empty and stands out from every other spread. One thing I tried to adjust that is overlaying text in the back, yet I feel like it broke the aesthetic of the clearness. I also attempted to add color like Spread, yet again, gives me an odd feeling. However, one thing that worked very well in this spread is the caption system. I thought about how can I use visual elements to relate one image to its caption. One of the most common way is to use number. Brett brought up Bon’s caption system in our conversation, but i feel like it would be too much of a disruption to my composition if I used the same method. I wanted to have another simple, yet distinguishable symbol for my caption system. After going through ideas like bar code and color coding, I went back to the most used element of my spread, circle. A simple shape would be a good complimentary element to the text and image on the spread. To have a simple shape with multiple variations, I layered the circles, and used color to create different sets of them so that there won’t be more than 5 circles layered. (If I layer more than 5 circles it started to look ugly…) Users can use the “circle set” placed next to the image to find its caption with the same “circle set”, which can be an interesting way for the reader to engage with the content.

For the middle spread, I didn’t get the chance to add image to the blocks like Brett suggested. It was the last one I worked on because it looked a bit more finished than the rest, but not anymore…

Instead of creating a page for “Queen of Chance,” I used one of her most well-known work “Does it Make Sense?” as a full bleed background, and cropped another frame from the same piece & overlayed it on magenta. For the criticisms, I got inspired from Anna’s designer Koichi Sato’s thick outline on the characters. I thought an outline to the criticism blocks can make them stand out more. The line that goes through these blocks not only ties them together visually, but also makes the entire structure looks like a sign that is being put on to Greiman’s work. As if all the assumptions are overriding her work, which is what she gone through when she published this work. I also added circle elements so that people can focus on her face.

On to the last spread, I didn’t make that many changes, I merely tried different overlaying techniques that can possibly make the type stand out more. (However, the screen effect exported with only the outline:// hopefully I will fix it before the final print out.)

As for cover, I tried out my original idea, yet it looked… As you can see, not very successful. So definitely changing that.

Feedback from Francis in class:

The difference between April Greiman’s quotes and the criticism she received should be more obvious
unify the body text alignment (the current body text alignment is just way too different on every page)
Unify caption system
On Spread 04, instead of black, put some color in
More unification across the entire booklet, maybe collage in other spreads as well?

Mid Fidelity Booklet (or high fidelity? idek)

I made a couple changes to all the spread according to the in class feedback I got from Francis. I then met with Brett, Maggie, and Francis again over the weekend separately(quite a bit for a weekend ik…)

For this spread, I didn’t change that much, and Brett thought it was close to done as well. One thing he pointed out was making the chapter names a bit smaller, and maybe indicate the the caption for the right page can be found in the end.

The main feedback I received from Brett regarding this one is that the black and white is making the page look very stiff right now. He suggested me to add colored background to the right side to bring in more vitality and dynamic. Seeing me very stresses, Brett give me a more specific direction that I should consider scanning Greiman work and use it instead of creating my own.

After trying out a couple, both me and the TAs agreed that gradient with a contrast works better to create depth. After seeing 01, they thought it’d be interesting that the two sides is flipped like 03, the black would smoothly transition into the next spread as well. However, after creating all three, the last two gives off a very apocalyptic feeling. I went back to my original one (01) that best supports the composition. The darker colors fill up the space between text boxes which perfectly supports the reader visually.

Showing Brett this spread was almost embarrassing. We both agreed that this does not align with the rest of the booklet. This is one of the page that I would have to redesign.

The main issue Brett pointed out is that he didn’t realize this is Greiman’s most famous work. He suggested me to use the original color and the more famous part, herself naked. This would help the reader to make sense of the criticism highlighted as well. Some feedback I got from Francis and Maggie is to capitalize all the criticism so that they are all in the same style.

For this one, I was envisioning it to have more small elements around the composition to in crease its visual complexity. Brett agreed on the idea and suggested the quote to be more dramatic on the page. When I was talking with Maggie, she brought up the concern that the small type running through the middle can be impossible to align. She suggested to switch the order and make this the center spread. This is also something I have been considering. Having this as the second to last page make sense to the content, where as making it the center spread make sense visually. In the end, I still want my audience to be able to read this spread, so I ended up switching the text content and make this the center spread. As Maggie mentioned, this composition also deserves more to be the center spread than my current center spreads.

For the type on this spread, Francis thought the stretch looked kind of unintentional. It seems like I didn’t have enough space so I just stretched out the type. He suggested me to give it a rhythm like how April Greiman does it in her book.

For the last spread, the only thing they saw was the typeface. It was way too contemporary compared to the rest of the booklet. It was also not experimental enough. As Maggie and Francis suggested, I tried to use other typefaces, and LoRes turned out a lot better. Later when I talked to Brett again on Tuesday he also agreed. /*He wanted to gave Maggie and Francis an F so that they can stay here and be his TA FOREVER loll.*/

Rethinking about my cover and back page, I thought I’d do something similar to my mobile experience intro. Having a “pixel rain” as the transition to bring people into April Greiman’s life and work. I planned to add more image and color to it instead of leaving it blank. Brett also suggested me to collage something else and add that in. He also pointed out that the quote can be smaller.

Last In Class Crit

Between Sunday and Monday I didn’t focus that much on adding details as I wished. Instead, I tried to develop a basic structure of the new spread that I’m happy with. After talking with Maggie about the red one on the left, she agreed that this might not be the best background color. Although it’s a direct gradient that Greiman used her one of her video project, but in a static context, with the black square I placed, it kind of looks like hell://. Maggie suggested me to pull out gradient from the work displayed, which resulted in the one of the right. After seeing both, Brett also thinks the lighter one is a better fit to my booklet as a whole.

However, I do think this spread lack of experimentation compared to the rest of booklet. Specifically, type is used in a more conventional way. Brett recommended me to bring the squiggly line into this page to make it more dynamic.

Although April Greiman’s work seem chaotic in many ways, there’s always an underlying structure, or grid, being used. In this spread, I tried to use the golden ratio to exemplify that. I also created this 3 dimensional space used a tilted rectangle and folded lines. The reader see it as a hole on the ground.

This collage is created for the cover. Unlike the inner page, the cover collage will be layered below black square pixel. Therefore, I tried user colors that are more vibrant and catches people’s eyes even with snippets of it. Then Brett suggested me to bring the page numbering system(on Spread 01) to the cover. The soft flow of characters against the cubic background can make it more intriguing.

Final

In the end before the final due day, I scanned a lot of footages from her book and created small elements that enhance reader’s experience. I want my audience to be able to walk into April Greiman’s world as they read through my booklet, and these adjacent elements is what truly completed the booklet.

Reflection

Before I’ve always thought about design as something right, thoughtful, and rational; however, as I get to know more about April Greiman and her work, I got really inspired to revisit my past art experience. Unconsciously, I started to exercise my intuition more and more through out the process. Before coming to this class. I almost never trusted myself in design, and I never thought I’d be able to create good designs. In the process of creating this booklet, I really struggle but also enjoyed the process of piecing this huge puzzle together. It almost felt like a game that I was trying to get pass. I wasn’t creating this to finish this class, get a good grade, or to impressive anyone. I felt like I wanted to generate “good” work. (debatable whether it’s actually good… I also know that this sounds very cliche…) Anyways, during this project I really enjoyed creating something with my feelings.

This project also helped me to understand my work flow a lot. I started to realize that I like to think about projects as a whole, and grasp the gist of it in the beginning, then go into details of each individual part. In the end, I struggled quite a bit to create only one cool spread, but matches all other spreads. It was just challenging for me to think like that, especially at the end of the project. (I created to many ugly spreads in the process;-;) Throughout the process, I also found myself encountering difficulties when trying to bring fidelity to one page. There was a huge gap for me between a high fidelity concept sketch and a low fidelity booklet layout. One thing that really helped me to solve this in the project is to think about the existing design elements such as image, type, and color; and really think about how these basic elements can play a part in my work.

Last thing that I really learned from this project is flow and cohesiveness. Having a rhythm that leads the audience through every spread is highly emphasized in our class. Through series of crit and discussion, I was able to visually understand why something is working and why something is not. One other thing is the unity across the entire project. Playing around with the boundaries of legibility in my own project, I would say a lot of my spread looked very different, especially the way type is set(as how Francis mentioned in class). Using an element repetitively throughout is something I learned that can be useful in future projects.