01. Am I a Graphic Designer?
Research on the conceptual pillars of graphic design, documented in form of an 8,000 word essay that includes an interview with the GSA Com Des professors. The information collected from the interview was transformed into ‘data sculptures on wheels’, visualising each of the interviewee’s opinions on contemporary graphic design. The data was placed on wheels to allow for interactivity usually only reserved for digital spaces. For more project details and images, please visit www.zzzzarko.com.
02. ‘How Motivated Are You?’ Installation
A data installation consisting of a series of helium balloons positioned in space and colour-coded to convey information. Participants were asked to report their daily motivational levels scaled 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest) for 10 consecutive days. The data was translated into helium balloons communicating the given values both through their color and position in space. A postcard decoding the data values was given to the audience. For more project details and images, please visit www.zzzzarko.com.
03. 3D Data: What Are You Afraid of?
A didactic, interactive information design piece consisting of an infographic board, three-dimensional representation of data made out of wood, and an instructional booklet designed to lead the audience through the exercise. The 3D Data project is an inquiry into the field of information visualisation, aiming to translate data into a physical object you can interact with and learn from. For more project details and images, please visit www.zzzzarko.com.
04. Alphabetic Kanji
A typeface that re-imagines the Latin alphabet into a logographic-alphabetic hybrid system, communicating meaning both through individual letters as well as the unique shapes that they create when combined into words. The project was inspired by the Japanese Kanji as well as Korean Hangul script. The typeface design was based on the traditional ‘shoji’ door grid, thus later translated into wooden sculptures. Developed as part of the exchange to the Tokyo University of the Arts. For more project details and images, please visit www.zzzzarko.com.
05. ‘Com Des Salon’ Poster Sculptures
A sculptural poster series developed as part of the research into the effect of three-dimensionality on the traditionally two-dimensional field of graphic design. The posters are made out of over 500 laser-cut acrylic pieces that were hand-assembled and manually attached to painted wooden backgrounds. The topic of the posters are the ‘salon’ meetings that the Com Des Master’s students have organised to exchange ideas. For more project details and images, please visit www.zzzzarko.com.
06. Data Objects
A series of found product design objects that were transformed to express the functionality of graphic design by communicating data through their form. Each object was altered through color and typography to inform the viewer about statistical information, helping them imagine outcomes and possibilities of the data shared. The objects were measured, marked and spray painted manually. The typography was vinyl cut and applied by hand. For more project details and images, please visit www.zzzzarko.com.
07. Sculpture as a Written Language
A series of typographic sculptures that communicate meaning through their form, based on the Japanese logographic Kanji written language. Building on Joseph Kosuth's 'One and three chairs' & Eric Ku's 'CHAIR', the project uses the form of product design to express communication design, translating meaning of Kanji characters beyond Japan through their appearance. The work was developed as part of the exchange to the Tokyo University of the Arts. For more project details and images, please visit www.zzzzarko.com.
08. TYPE AS SCULPTURE
A series of sculptural typographic work that aim to visually express abstract thought processes often employed in design thinking such as ‘ideation’ or ‘streamlining’. The sculptures were created by laser-cutting wood into letterforms, and manually assembling them into abstract narratives. The created objects continue on the exploration of ‘type as image’ by using the unique interaction of sculpture and space that changes with different viewpoints to tell a visual story. For more project details and images, please visit www.zzzzarko.com.
09. HOW TO RECOGNISE FAKE NEWS
A series of isometric Kanji illustrations that follow the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions' guide to recognising fake news, developed as an homage to the Japanese designer Shigeo Fukuda famous both for his activist designs, as well as his love for optical illusions. Each keyword was translated into Japanese, illustrated using an isometric grid and paired with an abstract illustration connecting the elements into a whole. Developed as part of the exchange to the Tokyo University of the Arts. For more project details and images, please visit www.zzzzarko.com.
