Faculty of Design
Graphic Design
Haojun Gong
Home Memory Book
Graphic Design
2021
plain paper, Chinese traditional red paper, cloth book cover
I love Chinese calligraphy. It always brings peace to me. As I was growing up, it occupied a lot of my childhood memories. I have learnt it throughout my six years of elementary school time. My grandpa was the one who inspired me to learn it. And my mother was the one who always accompanied me during that time. Unfortunately, I did not realize that it was such a precious time in my life. Therefore, I decided to make a book to talk about Chinese calligraphy, which has always been associated with my family memories. The pandemic is happening, and people turn almost all things to digital. But I still believe that reading a physical book can bring people another experience. For example, the paper's texture and smell can also help people understand what the author wants to talk about in the book. Furthermore, touch and smell are also the main parts of memories. So, I decided to make a physical book to express my memories. This book is designed as an old Chinese book, which was read from right to left. However, considering modern reading habits, every story is still read from left to right.As a special gift to the reader of my book, I wrote a sign on the red paper at the back of the book. The sign is one of the many thousands of radicals in Chinese characters. The meaning of it is always associated with family, home and something precious. It is also a part of the Chinese word “家, “which means home and family. Moreover, red paper is always used in Chinese celebrations to symbolize good luck and prosperity. Every Spring Festival, my grandpa would write spring festival couplets and paste them on both sides of the front door. So, it reminds me of the warm times with my family. I hope you enjoy the book. Furthermore, you can read each story with more details on the thesis website gallery pages: https://haojunthesis.myportfolio.com/work.
Work by
Haojun Gong
“What happens when Chinese calligraphy is combined with modern graphic design? My thesis project "Home Memory" offers a brief introduction to Chinese calligraphy by focusing on seven essential...” [More]