Portfolio Presentation

This is a portfolio presentation for my final project in a class on professional design practices. I was not interviewed a for job at Big Spaceship.

Thank you for the opportunity to present my work. I have been a huge fan of Big Spaceship many years ago when Michael, the founder, came to Vassar to speak about his projects at the agency. I knew I wanted to work here one day.

To begin, I would like to share a fun app based on a project called Sketches of Miles. The intention of the app is to let users create their own artwork based on Miles Davis’s records. The app featured a straightforward, intuitive interface to let users play and share their sketches of Miles.

Vietjazz is a recording company I created for a branding class. The concept was to connect Vietnamese ballad with jazz. I designed the logo, stationery, and applications. I also developed a responsive web site for the brand guidelines.

For the movie poster, the goal was to redesign an existing piece using type and then redesign it again in the opposite genre. I selected Donnie Darko, which is a horror film. For the horror version, I chose Trajan Pro for its sharp serifs. For the comedy version, I chose the cherish Cooper Black.

The film ratings system is a redesign project to improve the visual information of the five major ratings. The new system uses visual progression to give viewers clear indication of each rating. I chose Adrian Frutiger’s Univers for its simplicity and legibility.

For motion design, I am interested in the storytelling aspect of it. Go the Fuck to Sleep is a story that I could relate to as a father of two toddlers. After hearing Samuel L. Jackson reading the story, I had to create a typographic motion piece based on his narration.

“Please Give Me” is a personal piece for me. Back when my wife and I were still dating, she sent me an article that talked about how the victims of Agent Orange, especially children, were forgotten. After reading the article, I wanted to create something to raise awareness of the forgotten victims. I reached out to photographer Justin Maxon, whose photos were featured in the article, to see if he would let me use his work to create a slideshow. He sent me a handful of hi-res images for me to use. For the music, I chose a particular singer not only because her emotional vocals, but because of her background. She grew up poor and has a facial disfigured because her family couldn’t effort the proper treatment. When she sang this song, I could feel that was living it. Let me give you a short translation of the lyrics:

Please give me mother’s embracing arms
Please let me hear the joyful sound of children’s footsteps
Please let my country has a peaceful sleep
I’ll love you from that moment on.
Please let me come back in one body
To let me hear nature’s songs
Please let me forget imprisonment
To let me be the bitter wine
Please give me the whole life
So one day when a child sings in his cradle
Please, just give me one day.