Surrealism: Lucille Ball

Reese Mallon

TYPE:
Web Design
Typography

SOFTWARE:
Figma
Bracket

This project is called Susan Kare: Design in Code. It’s a project centered around web design and coding with an emphasis on type design and image. This project's main objective was to learn and experiment with the relationship between code and design. I researched a popular UI designer and learned about their process and background. I used this information to create compositions displaying different coding explorations (image placement, text placement, and animation) as well as a homepage connected to the compositions. I chose Susan Kare, the designer behind the iconic Macintosh interface icons. After conducting my research, I created designs that were able to be connected to her by using the type of grid she used to develop the icons (needlepoint template) while also staying minimalistic like the original interface. The end result is a fully functional, and designed website. Throughout this project I learned the importance of research and how it is connected to creating a cohesive well thought out project, and strengthened my knowledge in basic coding skills. I now have a better understanding of screen based design.

System Design
Image

Heroes and Villains: Lucille Ball is a print based project with an emphasis on system design, and image. The goal of this project was to create a stronger understanding of systematic designs and its place in the world of Communication Design. We were tasked with creating a set of 12 playing cards communicating different surrealist aspects of a heroic or villainous figure from history. I selected Lucille Ball, the famous comedian who’s biggest role was Lucy in I Love Lucy. The research process was quite simple; I gathered and compiled it into a mind map, and then organized it into related sections. From there I developed 12 different categories for each individual card. Once each category was finalized, it was time to move into the design process.

PROCESS:

A struggle I came across was how to use images to create a system. I had created a few different iterations and options of visual routes I could go. I was in an “ugly” stage, a place I didn’t like to be. I ultimately chose the one with the most aesthetic appeal and it ended up being the simplest one. I took that design and added personality to it to reflect my chosen subject, Lucille Ball. In the end this project taught me to trust the process and myself.