Description:

“147 Growing Pains” delves into the various challenges of transitioning from adolescence to adulthood, including emotional, physical, and cultural changes. Throughout the design process, numerous questions arose, leading to profound truths and revelations that exposed my innocence. A personal essay serves as the foundation of this project, delving into multiple narratives that defined the path towards adulthood—physical, emotional, and cultural. The writing component played a crucial role in shaping the design, as it was the driving force behind the publication’s authenticity and representation. At the start of this project, I had a set idea of where I wanted it to go. However, as I began writing, the direction of the publication naturally evolved. This allowed me to emotionally connect with the content and explore my journey more deeply. Without this organic process, I would have struggled to convey my experiences accurately. Pull quotes were strategically incorporated throughout the book, providing pauses in the narrative—a moment for reflection, the placement of these pull quotes aimed to evoke a sense of secrecy, as if I were concealing certain truths within myself. By integrating the pull quotes into the binding, I symbolically depicted these hidden secrets, where the raw essence is felt even without fully revealing its entirety. The scans of my collected souvenirs became increasingly uncontrolled as the publication progressed, symbolising the overwhelming nature of the journey itself. It represented how the growth process can engulf and consume us, immersing us in its transformative power. Layered captions have been utilised to showcase the transcendence of comfort zones and establish a connection to a passport being stamped. The size of the book was intentionally modest, resembling a personal artefact that one could hold in their hand—a metaphorical connection to the size of a passport, signifying the personal nature of the journey. Blue was employed to evoke the sensation of following the sea’s edge—a rule we set for ourselves during the journey.

Blue, for me, also symbolised solitude, representing the introspective nature of personal growth. Colour grading desaturates the images, imparting a reflective quality and evoking a dullness. The margins are designed to feel awkward and uncomfortable, challenging readers’ expectations. The choice of typefaces played a significant role in conveying the intended message. A delicate monospaced font showed fragility, while Signifier from Klim exemplified the notion that something may appear beautiful on the surface but reveals its truth upon closer examination. “147 Growing Pains” is my honest confession, marking the most challenging project I have undertaken thus far. It serves as a testament to the transformative power of personal growth and provides an intimate glimpse into the struggles and triumphs encountered.