Visualizing Ourselves

Visualizing ourselves.

Table of Contents

The Workshop

In this 20-hour workshop, divided into two days and four half days, my Cube School colleagues and I were invited to reflect on the notion of identity. We designed unique forms to represent ourselves by exploring different graphic tools and types of writing: typography, layout, writing and data visualisation. We also discovered some of the tools of the graphic designer, including Adobe Illustrator and InDesign.

The aims of the workshop were:

To have an introduction to the tools of the graphic designer.
To understand the issues and methods of designing a graphic identity.
To create a graphic reflection of our identity through the design and promotion of materials.

After graduating from the DSAA Olivier de Serres School of Graphic Design with her project Dixlexies – because eleven is too many, Sophie Cure continues her typographic explorations between Amsterdam and the Quai de Seine in Paris. She also makes the most of her life by designing educational and communication tools.

Sophie Cure shares her knowledge and her rich and very interesting achievements. I appreciated her support in helping us to understand the graphic tools well while doing practical assignments and graphic design productions.

Finding Inspirations

Sophie Cure shared more about her journey, projects and portfolio during the workshops we had the chance to do with her.

Below are some points to help us find inspiration from her work and her network.

Visual Thinking Me

First, Sophie suggested we find five personal photos and quotes on the web to represent each of us. So I made three collages of unique images and found them on the web.

1 2 3

I did so via canva.com.

I often find inspiration while I go slow and through my photography to write down deep thoughts. For a second assignment on writing about we do and who we are, here is what I came up with about moi:

I explore different places, areas, people and times. I select and synthesize. I share la crème de la crème of my findings or those from others.

I feed my taste for the trip. In Le Grand Paris. In public transport, by bike, on foot. By plane, on the train, by car. By bus or boat. Abroad, mainly in Northern and Western Europe. I am inspired by strolls for my personal and professional life.

I relax and disconnect. I discover and I am in immersion in different worlds. I gain perspectives. I expand my visions of the world.

I disconnect. I connect ideas with activities disconnected and sports. I’m strolling alone.

I’m walking slowly. I ride a bike without a defined destination. I take pictures when I want it.

I am often in the flow. I observe movements, patterns, the beauty of our world. I am sensitive to colors, patterns, shapes, the beauty of nature and our world. The blue and the sea inspire me.

I’m rambling. I am well. I invite myself to travel and other worlds in all shades of blue.

In a few words, I am a dreamer. An explorer with a curiosity insatiable. I am a catalyst to learn and experiment with continuous and emergent way.

Producing

The other three assignments focused on graphic design using pen and paper, Adobe Illustrator and InDesign. Finally, inspired by Giorgia Lupi‘s work on data visualisation, Sophie suggested that we make our own data visualisation, ‘Dear Data’, about the habits and data we tracked over a week spent inside and outside the Cube, near Paris, France. I did this on postures, ways of learning and doing.

Based on my writing below, I have captured and included in a word cloud of actions to highlight what I do / who I am artistically while using InDesign.

The Exhibition ‘Me, Myself & I’

While another exhibition, ‘Art of Doing Doing the Art’, was taking place, our respective artefacts were displayed in another exhibition, ‘Me, Myself and I’, for all visitors to Le Cube, the digital creation centre near Paris, France. I took some photographs during the opening of the exhibition on 21 December 2018.