Faculty of Design

Graphic Design

JoYcelyn Wong

Would You Talk to Me for 5 Seconds?

[Graphic Design is Angst: A Leap of Faith Facing “It” series]When chatting with a friend about my artwork, I asked him if it was engaging enough for someone to pause and look at it for at least 5 seconds. The "5-second standard" became a benchmark for us to determine the quality of artwork thereafter. This conversation made me wonder: in the abundance of graphic design, most graphics, such as a post on Instagram, receive barely a second glance. Even I, in this graphic design industry, might only spend 3 seconds on an exceptional piece. The ubiquity and often repetitive design of graphics tend to make them easily ignored by people. Graphic designs fail their purpose when people no longer see them, as their ultimate goal is to facilitate communication while being seen.In response, I've crafted an interactive installation that heavily relies on the audience. It includes the most common body part that humans interact with one another: hands. The folded poster unfolds only when someone pulls its little hands, encouraging viewers to engage with it actively. This poster seeks real interaction, a dialogue, rather than a one-way output or hanging alone like traditional posters. The way of folding the poster back also varies based on how each interacts with it - some might do it gently, while others may slap it shut. This reflects how individuals would have different conversations and interactions based on their characteristics. It is an attempt to initiate a two-way conversation between the viewer and the artwork in the most human-like manner. It is infused with humanity. I hope the audience can foster a genuine exchange with the artwork, treating it as if one would have a conversation with a friend.The poster is created with the folding method of heritage bone tessellation. I chose a traditional fold-unfold approach to create a zigzag pattern. Instead of scoring all the lines and pressing down the zigzag on one side of the paper, the fold-unfold method requires flipping the paper back and forth to fold zigzags. This method, despite its tendency to introduce defects on the paper, adds more texture and strength to the paper the more it is flipped and folded. The graphics on each tile, designed to resemble human cells, underscore the theme of vitality and the notion that graphic design can be as lively and dynamic as humans because we create them. The hand-drawn elements and the meticulous folding process pay homage to the craftsmanship inherent in graphic design, showcasing a direct, hands-on relationship between the creator and their work that is fading away in this digital and mass production age.