Project Name: Graphic Design: Why You Should Give A Damn
Project Goal: To teach people about the importance of good graphic design, and how to know the difference between good and bad graphic design.

Project Process: The first step was researching examples of "good" graphic design. Because good graphic design is entirely subjective, I mined publications and popular websites for what they considered good graphic design. I decided if the designs were good enough to make it into a publication or a popular website, there must be some kind of consensus about the quality of the work. I found there were two fairly distinct groups of this good graphic design: really strict, almost modern design and design that's more loose and freeform. Focusing in on these, I began documenting design surrounding me in everyday life and breaking it into those two categories.

After gathering my images, I began to write. I decided the book would be divided into two sections for those two different categories, and wrote them like separate books. Each supported a different view of what good graphic design is, while showing the viewer examples of everyday graphic design.

The final part of the process was actually designing the book. The "strict" side of the book was typeset in Helvetica, the stereotypical typeface for the modernist system. The "loose" side of the book was 100& handwritten, lending to the idea of more freeform design thinking. Both sides were flipped to be opposite each other, back to back, with different covers futher showing the contrast between the two sides. They meet in the middle to share bibliography information. The book is bound with a custom Japanese bookbinding stitch called a "Valca Stitch."