The Line Between Rules & Tools
Weltformat Design Festival
Newcomer Award 2019
Poster Design
Designer
Brief
The Weltformat Graphic Design Festival in Lucerne, Switzerland, has announced for this year’s theme is “Tools and Rules.” Organisers are intrigued and willing to understand how the work of designers and their visual solutions are influenced by tools and instruments, and as well as specific rules and guidelines.
Idea
I created a scenario of Rules & Tools that we are all used to seeing in a sport-related field. Homing in on the political issues faced in the US, I brought light to raise awareness to those not being reached.
Sketches & Notes
I dedicated time to research and truly understand the NBA. Illustrating an abstract form of the NBA Championship trophy, helped to represent the tool that is used in encouraging passionate players to adhere to the rules, for a fair game. I started to connect some of my findings to the displacement and treatment of people behind the American border and how this is prominent to the idea behind “Rules & Tools.”
Systems
A sign that will refer to material objects, including people either using markings/marks on a hard or soft surface that will carry meaning. Multiple combinations of these signs a language.
Rules
Rules cannot deal with every situation. Human interaction, choice, and the judgement determines an outcome. Ruling takes place within an arena, territory, or property where it deals with the action, and judgment occurs. Rules create contexts in which such actions are possible; thus, actions cannot be separated from the rules thereby embodied.
Tools
Tools can be material objects that are employed to alter other material objects. In this case, people can be tools, but also be dedicated by tools like signage and markings on a hard or digital surface shaped to carry meaning.
Story
This practice has been happening since the start of the United States. Here is a quote from one of the photographers from Reuters who shared his experience with mother Maria Meza, who is grabbing her two twins, that are running from toxic gas.
“After nearly two weeks of documenting the harrowing journey of a caravan of mostly Central American migrants headed towards the U.S.-Mexican border, I snapped a picture I will never forget. Before the tear gas fired, I had followed some of the migrants as they approached a section of the border fence recently reinforced with razor-studded coils. United States border agents warily eyed the group from the other side.”
Photo by: Kim Kyung-Hoon
Communication
Here are the final posters showing two different arenas where Rules & Tools are projected differently. Layering each other and only being able to see what we can — recalling our way of obtaining information that is not 100% transparent.
