Although interaction design can be seen as being locked in the digital landscape, the way a user interacts with a product or item can exist across media. To embody this thinking, I developed an interactive city guide that focused on the experience of the user in a printed medium.
Tools used: Vandercook letterpress, industrial sewing machine, Nipping press, Indesign, Photoshop, Illustrator
Instructor: Carley Law
Course: Images and Communication at The University of Texas at Austin
Timeline: 3 weeks
My goal was to create a practical but engaging city guide that made the user excited to use it and feel empowered when navigating.
I was tasked with creating a city guide of any city of my choosing to help someone navigate the area. I decided to do my hometown, San Antonio. The format and content of my city guide was left up to interpretation so I outlined some key principles that would guide my project.
Key design principles
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Engagement. Encourage the reader to interact in more ways than reading and should be used as a frame for focus when exploring locations.
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Push the boundaries. Design in new ways outside of my comfort zone.
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Native’s Perspective. Draw from personal experiences to better guide users.
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Using inspiration from other printed pieces, I decided on the main features of my city guide and began developing my idea further.