This robust project was developed as a capstone project to conclude studies at Oregon State University. The project was inspired by a gap in the industry: a lack of a way for teens to navigate the vast and overwhelming amounts of media they consume. Media Mind is a series of two books, one covering social media, and the other covering music. This project was completed with many stages of research, design, and refinement.
Deliverables for this project included stickers, slipcases, two different books, two bookmarks, two thank-you cards, a brand style guide, and four posters. These deliverables were showcased at a Capstone show in Portland, where graduating Oregon State University graphic design seniors showcased both their capstone and portfolio work.
To start this project, months of research were conducted. This included online research, design research, conducting surveys, and creating audience personas. This research helped shape the best possible route to take for the project and provided a strong direction to build off of and evolve.
Different territories and book sizes were explored. A bright Magenta and Blue color pallet were selected and paired with no-stroke artwork and various patterns.
The first component designed was bookmarks. First editions were printed and upon seeing the physical version, rounding corners was suggested and implemented into the final design. Multiple versions of the bookmark featuring different rounded corners were passed to different consumers for testing. The overall favorite design was a 7mm rounded edge on two opposite end corners of the bookmark.
Finally, the bookmark was reduced in height so the cloud would show above the book, and the bookmarks were mass-produced.
Simple stickers of the logo were ordered and turned out great upon the first order, thanks to the printing company sending digital proofs that needed approval before starting the order.
For the posters, four types were created. Two logo posters, one brand identity guide poster, and one background/introductory poster. Each poster went through stages of redesign and care. Once the posters were printed on luster paper. They were then spray-mounted on a black mount board for a completed look.
Physical first drafts of the books were created by hand. These drafts were given to a handful of people to spot any typos, design flaws, and any other criticism to improve the books. The feedback was written and fixed. The final drafts were read digitally by more people and ready for the final stage.
The lengthy book crafting process included printing each page, folding and collating them, sewing, gluing, cropping the pages, printing, scoring, and folding the covers, gluing and cropping the books, and rounding the corners of the inside fold of the covers. A total of 26 copies of books were produced.
To pair with each book, thank you cards were designed and printed. These cards will feature a hand-written thank you note for each customer who purchases a copy of a book.
A white slipcase with swirl-pattern printed book cloth was created by hand and finished with black vinyl that was heat-pressed on. Five of these slipcases were created to complete the final project.