Thesis Documentation
First Revisions
October 16, 2025 •. Project Development
After critique last week, I needed to make major revisions on my project. Ultimately, the prototype lacked the emotional depth I wanted to convey with my project; it lacked the feeling of guilt, nostalgia, and jealously. I knew that once my classmates were confused, that I needed to make major refinements.
After class, I made a list of what wasn't working so that way, I can get a better direction of where to go next with my project. It is listed below:
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The message isn’t clear → meaning, the idea of the book being about me isn’t clear
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I.e. chapter 01 is about family vacations, chapter 02 is about my brothers hospital stays
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My voice isn’t clear → make it prominent
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Break the current format → push it!
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Explore different folding methods
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I.e. french fold
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The current layout feels too corporate → break out of that habit!
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Design feels very flat → needs more dimension
In other words: design is Very. Boring. It feels very safe.
Notes for this next phase: push myself. Experiment. Don’t be afraid to make it look ‘ugly’ or unconventional
Book – Concept Development
Ultimately, this led me to go right back to the drawing board, and I started to create sketches of where else I can take my project. Below are my sketches of where else I could take my project.
As I was sketching, I was thinking about digital concepts and prototypes so I can get a sense of how the material works within the design. I wanted to explore different types of folding, and to further think about ways I can use folding methods as a sequential and emotional level.
Digital Pre-Comps
Initial Prototypes
Workflow
Book - Version 2.0
Below is the second version of the book design (more specifically Chapter 01). Although there was much to improve on in the weeks to come, this variation gave me a clearer sense of direction, and how I can elevate it in the coming weeks.
Spread 1 (with vellum folding)
Spread 2 (left; right page folded, right; right page unfolded)
Spread 3
Next Steps
After I met with Professor Hierholzer, I got a better sense of direction of where to go with my project and I want to think about how I can think more poetically with my project. However, a point she brought up is to refer to my moodboard and to ensure that I'm meeting the vision I created. I realized that I wasn't referring to it as much as I'd liked and because of this, I wanted to revise my moodboard a bit as I have a clearer sense of what I want to convey.
Revised Moodboard