Description:

For the final project of my bachelor's degree, I was interested in exploring how graphic design could be used as a medium to engage with the process of embracing and reconnecting with heritage and whakapapa.

Inspired by the land and cultures in both of the places that I call home, I wrote and designed a publication. A Place To Call Home is a response to exploring and reflecting on connections made to belonging and identity while using codes and conventions of graphic design to communicate these ideas.

The publication is split into three sections; the first being an essay I wrote explaining my study into the historical context and cultures of the land in South Africa and New Zealand. Through this process of research and understanding, I was able to form ideas around finding belonging and how closely this is intertwined with the places and communities we find ourselves in. The later two sections are graphic explorations based on the essay. The Land and Belonging exploration section uses imagery to depict the process of migration; travelling across oceans and into foreign lands to make a home. Through photography, I was able to examine the relationship between the Whenua, the similarities as well as the differences seen in both countries. I was particularly interested in the textures and patterns that we can see in our natural surroundings, a duotone treatment is used on some of the images throughout this section to isolate these shapes we see within our surrounding landscapes. This also helped with the transition into the final exploration section of the book, A System of Lines and Identity, which uses pattern and shape as a language inspired by the indigenous communication systems used in both New Zealand and South African cultures. These patterns directly draw from the shapes seen in the Whenua previously and are used to express and form my own identity. The patterns begin as hand-crafted explorations inspired by the hands-on approach of indigenous cultures; showcasing natural texture and organic forms. Transitioning to purely graphic-based patterns as a reflection of my craft and what I do. The patterns narrate my story—of a journey made, a home created, belonging found and an identity shaped because of it all.

Further conventions of graphic design were considered to further the ideas explored and reflected within the publication; such as type choices (exploring shape in words), colour use (reflected in the Whenua from each country) and paper stock choices (each one selected to enhance its particular media).

Moving countries at such a young age, I had learned to neglect my heritage in order to remove the brand of foreigner. Last year, I had come to the realisation that through the disregarding of my culture, I was missing a part of my identity. A Place To Call Home became about using the craft I knew best to help bridge a gap in my life which had been previously painful to acknowledge. It was also an opportunity to showcase the kind of designer I aspire to be. Someone who is reflective, who can have hard conversations in order to unpack complex ideas and feelings, shown through well crafted design.