I chose to include this project as I wanted to demonstrate my front end abilities within my case studies. From what I know it is generally desirable for designers to have some kind of dev skills so I thought this could be a good way to represent this skillset within my portfolio. I also think it is a really well designed project in regards to how visually appealing it is and it also demonstrates some actual design knowledge and critical thinking in essay form.
Module: 104 Design History
Timeframe: 3 Weeks
Write an essay on a designer. It must be poised as a question and presented on a live web page.
I started by exploring all the designers and landed on Vignelli. I read Vignelli: From A to Z and The Vignelli Canon as well as various online articles and interviews to understand his philosophy
Going through his work, I realised my essay needed a strong question. I settled on: “Can design be objective?” This helped me focus my essay and also shaped how I wanted to design the page.
I structured the essay into sections: Philosophy, Objectivity, Timelessness, Critiques, Balance, and Legacy.
Writing it made me reflect on Vignelli’s principles versus my own views. I explored where objectivity in design is useful, but also where it can miss the human element. Using real examples like the NYC Subway map made the essay feel grounded rather than just theoretical.
