Tashwed27sept
Project 1: Bare-Journal Issue 2 (https://alexaraez.com/portfolio/barejournal/)
What (100 words max)
It's the second issue of Bare Journal, an independent fashion and culture magazine. The front cover is simple and striking: an atmospheric, black and white portrait of a woman with the word BARE printed in light green, trailling across her hands. The font reminds you of an old wood block type. Inside, it is filled with imagery and articles which have no creative brief, no client, no shimmer, no retouch. The editorials are more artistic than commercial, and photographs fill the entire page. They always open with a bold title spread. The type is black and often large; irregular, playful. The magazine is slightly larger than your usual fashion magazines and is printed in full color on thick, uncoated paper.
How (100 words max)
I met the art director of BARE through a mutual friend. We both loved the idea of a fashion, arts and culture magazine with a bit of a twist. He invited me to work on BARE as a graphic designer, along with an editorial team of 3 others, spread around Europe and North America. While they collected stories and polished text; we sketched out visual counterpoints to the editorials. I made collages and took photographs, to add tactile elements to the magazine. We worked in tandem and bounced back ideas over a period of 6 weeks. The magazine was printed in Amsterdam.
Why (100 words max)
As a graphic designer with a passion for writing, working for a magazine had always been one of my dreams. I loved the autonomous aspect of BARE, and how much freedom we had over the issue as a whole. As this was its second issue, our goal was to continue to evolve the ethos and style of the magazine: to champion imperfect moments, find place for irregularities and be playful with colors and layouts. The theme of this issue was ‘journeys’ and that inspired many of our choices.
Project 2: Space Odyssey publication
What (100 words max)
It’s the script of the film 2001: A Space Odyssey, printed on thick pages of canvas paper. The paper size is slightly narrower than an A4. It is off-white and has more weight and texture to it than normal paper. The publication has no spine; instead the bottom of each piece of paper is sewn to the top of the next, by a zig-zag of shiny black thread. The entire script is printed vertically in a long loop, and when completely onfolded the publication reaches almost 3m long. The typography gets progressively more chaotic as the plot develops.
How (100 words max)
I watched the film while making notes on what moved me the most. I listened to the ebb and flow of the score; became fascinated by the colors and the rhythm of the film. It became my goal to create a publication that played with the reader’s sense of time and space. I experimented with different fabrics and papers, and chose canvas for it’s combination of flexibility & weight. I learned how to use the sewing machine and tested several different sewing methods. Meanwhile I designed each page of the script taking inspiration from the history and evolution of book typography.
Why (100 words max)
This publication was an assignment from my days as a design student. I wanted to emphasize the experimental nature of the script and how it deals with time in a non-linear way. This is why I used atypical materials. The typography and layout were chosen to visualize a sense of evolution: just like the script, it begins in an orderly, humanistic style, becomes more conflicted and mechanical, and then ends in an almost unreadable fashion. For me this project was all about trying new techniques and playing with the medium of the book.