Exist Beyond Reason
For my capstone project at NIU, I wanted to explore existential crises, especially among young adults. To this end, I created a book exploring life's meaning through an existential framework that provides rationalizations for many common events, such as death and heartbreak. The project was written, illustrated, designed, and fully researched independently.
Role
Lead Graphic Designer
Active
2024
The Problem
As a collective, humans have often been in the throes of their struggles pondering a single question: what is the point of all of this life? Humans are particularly confused about their existence, which is exacerbated by certain life events all humans endure.
The Goals
Create a book that serves as a poetic exploration delving into the meaning of existence and life within an existential framework
Create a suite of deliverables to extend the brand and flesh out the project in a meaningful and strategic way
Research
User Personas
Through surveys and in-person interviews, I gathered market research to better understand my target audience. This led to the creation of user personas, revealing that my core demographic is young adults (18–28) seeking deeper meaning about life and greater self-awareness.
Design Ideation
Phase One
With my research and book concept in place, I turned my efforts to exploring the project's design. Aiming for a chaotic, expressive style, I created several visual mood boards with varying aesthetics. I ultimately chose one centered on abstract drawings and paintings, which captured the visual aesthetic I was after.
Phase Two
I delved into exploring typographic choices for the project. Through trial and error, I identified a typography system that embodied the visual aesthetic I had previously laid out. It features Motion OT for headers, complemented by two typefaces for the body: Blur and Chandler42.
The rationale for utilizing two different typefaces for the body was simple: I wanted the two main characters to stand out. So, I looked for two distinct typefaces that would reflect the essence and personalities of each character.
Designing the Book
Book Layout
Designing the book proved to be a challenging journey. Early on, I still encountered difficulty in distinguishing the characters' voices, despite using different fonts. To address this issue, I implemented a system where each character's dialogue was aligned separately.
Book Cover
Given this book's artistic style and its relationship with existentialism, I wanted the book cover to be memorable while reflecting the book’s themes of existentialism and authenticity. Many ideas surfaced, such as the universe itself and Sisyphus as a visual metaphor. But, they didn't stick. They felt too surface-level.
Through trial and error, I discovered the solution: an image of a flexing man standing amidst a chaotic environment. It was perfect. It truly reflects what this book is meant to be: to stand up for yourself and live life fully, even in a universe that is indifferent to your existence. Hence the name Exist Beyond Reason.
Outcome
Here are images showcasing the final product, featuring the book cover and several spreads from inside. The completed book spans over 200 pages and includes over a hundred original illustrations, initially created by hand and refined digitally. Additionally, other deliverables, such as a website and bookmarks, were created to enhance the appeal of this quasi-brand.
Social Media Mockups
These social media mockups were created to simulate what a social media presence would look like for this project in the real world.
Social Media Ads
Created to advertise the book and garner more attention for the book. Through cryptic messaging, I wanted to advertise the book while staying true to the voice of the project. It also serves as an informative choice to explore promotional advertising.
Website
Created as a resource to give users more info about the author and the book, and to purchase the book/merchandise. I also created a quiz where users can discover if they are existential or not. I did this to flesh out the website, and it helps it function more like an interactive website than merely an e-commerce platform.
