Mapping 2020
The final project for the graduate course, Visual Culture & Design.
Music by Peter O’Neal
The problem
How can personal data be used to construct a map that shows life before and after 2020?
Objective
Create a map where research inspires and informs visual design work. Collect and curate data specific to my life. Develop a model for the expression of data. Document process as a product.
Background
My life from 2019 to 2020 changed drastically. The whole world halted as COVID 19 plagued us all. At the same time, I moved back to the United States after living in Taiwan for nearly 2 years. Not just the USA, but Texas, to live with my partner and his family. As my grandma always says, “when it rains, it pours.”
Tools
Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Pro, data collection, print design, illustration
Product
To illustrate the enormous changes yet subtle similarities of my life from 2019 to 2020, I created a zine. The goal of this format is to highlight the poetic categories in my life such as: illustration inspirations, hairstyles, and colors in photography. Life is big and messy, and two maps wasn’t enough space to tell this story. Instead, I made 32 pages.
Project duration
April - May 2020