“Petit a petit, l’oiseau fait son nid.”
-French Proverb
- Me with my host sister, Chloe, and her friend in Lyon -
My Love for France
When I was eighteen years old, I went to France over the summer to live with a host family. I became more fluent in French. I learned more about their culture and cuisine. Being French, I have always felt a connection to the country. Naturally, for my typography project, I wanted a city in France. There were two available, Cannes and Paris. My friend, knowing my desire for a French city, offered me Cannes. This sweet gesture turned into one of my favorite designs.
36 Hours in Cannes
The project involved taking a magazine article, provided by the professor, and designing the layout. After reading the article, I was excited to start designing. I created many grid sketches to figure out how to lay the text. I chose stock imagery that specifically references places in the article. For the title, I wanted it to act similar to a logo. I chose the typeface Eccentric, because it reminded me of the signs I saw in France. I manipulated the letterforms to mimic the overlapping buildings stacked high on the land.
When I put everything into InDesign, I went through many iterations. Each iteration placed the type and photographs into different places. I found the columns difficult to organize without creating widows or orphans. I learned how to manipulate type through slight kerning adjustments and paragraph spacing. I am glad I took the time to be meticulous, because it led to this final layout. The project always reminds me to appreciate even the smallest details of a design.
