This week’s post is inspired by Andrew Nedimyer, a graphic designer with tons of varied experience in web, branding, and more. Some of the projects he spoke about were for his employers, but he also spoke about passion projects that he’s worked on, especially ones that grew into a big deal compared to how he started out. Next year, there will be a special projects studio, and we’ll get a chance to dive into passion projects of our own, so for this blog, I’ve been thinking about some possible passion projects that could be fun and help me to build serious skills at the same time.
One project that I’ve wanted to try for a long time and that could be really great for this is designing and illustrating a pop-up book! Why a pop-up book? So many reasons…
- Illustration: I love illustrating, and a pop-up book could be a great way to showcase my illustration style and capabilities in a unique way that sets my portfolio apart.
- Materiality: Sometimes, it just feels good to be working with real paper and real art supplies, not just working digitally (although digital is cool too). A pop-up book would let me work with real paper and cutting tools and have something to hold in my hand and be proud of upon completion. I like that.
- 3D: Envisioning how shapes interact in 3D is sometimes really hard for me. A pop-up book requires 3D work as well as flat work and a small component of motion. This would really force me to stretch my thinking… so educational.
- Applying skills: The skills needed to design and print a pop-up book are a lot like the skills needed to design and print special packaging. That would be a really great practical skill to hone and show off! Plus, maybe I could work on a design that would work for the fancy-schmancy laser printer and get to use that… oohhh!!! I’ve been wishing to try that out for ages, and this would give me a reason!!
What is going to be the topic of my pop up book? I’m not sure yet! That’s definitely one component I’ll need in order to make this project work! I want to do something fun and fanciful, but I don’t want to repeat a topic that’s already out there. Also, I’ll need to do some research about different ways that pop-ups work and how to make them successfully pop out. I’ll have to get some training on the laser cutter (eeeeep!!!) and probably learn more about die-cutting too.
How long will this take? Hmm. It really depends on the scope of the book. Maybe this could be a 1-quarter project next year? I could start imagining my story and researching paper pop-up strategies now… How long will this book be? Maybe 5 or 6 pages to start with?
I think that this is a relatively low-cost project because it’ll mostly include supplies I have now such as Adobe programs to design the pages. I might use some manual supplies like watercolor or ink for my illustration work. Printing and cutting can be done at school, but I will also probably need special paper, which could be a cost. I would definitely want to make this book nice and durable so that it can be handled. The cost will depend on size of pages, number of pages and complexity of design, how many mistakes I make (ha! Probably a lot along the way…), and what paper ends up being the best choice. There’s another thing I can research now!
What are some other passion project ideas? I’m going to make a mock website for interactive class soon about wheelchair-accessible travel. I’d love to blow that out into a full-on in-depth project! I’d also love to create something that would be a good example of environmental design, like a mini-exhibit or something related to accessibility and wayfinding. And I’d love to think about a project that is creative for a cause that I care about such as solutions for homelessness, food justice, human trafficking, and the human connection to nature. Lots of ideas to flush out and explore in the future!