Valentine Nikolayev
Indianapolis: A Visual Study
Introduction
Introduction
Attention On The Ignored
Indianapolis: A Visual Study is a graphic design BFA thesis that explores topics surrounding human spaces and interaction, visual identity, and the investigation of the seemingly mundane. It was a five month long passion project spanning from January to May that aims to create a conversation around the details of everyday life that most people don’t pay attention to. It was made to facilitate a better appreciation for these sorts of subtleties and to foster empathy for the effort and work that goes into designing and creating them. This can be how a doorway was designed or how a tree is planted in a park; this project’s goal is to be a foot in the door in terms of making someone feel inspired to mindfully engage with their local surroundings.
AbstractRoots Of The Project
A big part of my philosophy surrounding life is the appreciation, admiration, and curiosity, of physical things around you. It is that very idea that stimulates beauty in everything man made, including architecture! I think buildings are an amazing way to facilitate engagement with an environment. What I’ve noticed about Indianapolis is the naïve dismissal of there being any beauty here. The car centric culture and infrastructure of Indianapolis is to blame. People drive in to work or to see their favorite sports team and then drive home, never interacting with anything in the city except the heavily curated spaces that were created for these activities. It’s not great when historical buildings and landmarks are bulldozed to create surface parking lots. I wanted to combat this citywide disenchantment with something tangible. By designing an art book surrounding the interesting architecture of Indianapolis, an interactive paper buildable kit of a famous Indy landmark, a 3D printed building another historical landmark, a local map of where I took the photos, and a fun catalog poster of the different styles of entryways in the city, people will figuratively and physically get a closer look at all the interesting details that are hidden in plain sight, that will make them wonder what else they have disregarded or blurred over as unimportant in their usual life in the city, hopefully pushing them to get outside and explore.
Deliverables
Thought Process
(what is this book? what do I want to address?) (neighborhood coverage) (general topic organization and ideating) (initial ideas. right after the lightbulb turned on) (title decision) (cover moodboa
Visual Direction
1. Art Book
I wanted to create a book as my most important and prominant deliverable because I felt like it was the most direct way of delivering my message. It is a 200 page 12x12in coffee table book that shows off Indianapolis’ most intriguing details. As I progressed through this project, I realized that physicality is an amazing way of leaving an impression on a viewer, even if its just subconcious. When interacting with a book, you’re using more senses than if you were looking at a screen for example. I also wanted to create something that could live in someone’s home; on their coffee table, shelf, or wherever they keep things.
This book will be available to buy soon!
2. Paper Model Kit
Continuing the topic of physicality, I thought that creating an “arts and crafts” style deliverable would help with the interaction narrative I had going for the project. Here is something you pass everyday on your way to work that you now have to consciously interact with and think about. Creating a little building with your hands and then being able to have it live anywhere in your home makes it a fun and intriguing reminder of your local geography.
3. Area Map Dust Jacket for Book
As an addition to the coffee table art book, I created a dust jacket as a supplement to the book reader’s experience. The addresses match those that are in the book but the map format lends itself as an easier alternative for understanding where I took these pictures and where the reader could find them for themselves. Especially since you can get an ariel view of where they can all be found instead of them being on a page in a book.
Drafts
4. 3D Printed Miniature of Local Landmark
I 3D modeled the local Union Station in Indianapolis and then printed it out as a miniature for people to own. My main reasoning for including so many local landmarks was not just so that they were easily comprehended but so that people could learn a little bit of local history; a past that has been covered up for quite some time. Many people don’t look past the surface when they come to Indianapolis so I hope to create a different perspective with these small totems of rememberance.
5. Facade Catalog Poster
As my final deliverable, I decided to create a poster cataloging all the different types of doorways that I came across during my study. I realized halfway through my thesis work that while though I was presenting a variety of visuals for the viewer to look at, I wasn’t giving them context as to what they were looking at. Without it, these images are just pretty things to look at but with some more context like the historical background behind each building, the viewer is able to pocket this information and retain it for longer in their minds.
Thank you for getting this far!