Raw Doggin’ It
USM B.F.A. Graphic Design Survival Guide
For this project, we were tasked with developing our own survival guide based on our experience and opinions on our time in the Graphic Design B.F.A. program at Southern Miss.
I created the cover of the book by making a regular hard cover, then physically ripping the spine off, exposing the coptic stitching. The masking tape is also just that, a physical piece of masking tape with “Raw Doggin’ It” written on it. I also took some sand paper and added scratches to it, giving it the feel that this book has been through the wringer (similar to myself). I also used five different papers at random, giving each page its own texture. I felt like these binding methods perfectly exuded that “It’s my last project of the semester. I’m going to go all in, but in my own style,” attitude I wanted for this book.
The title of this guide perfectly embodies how I started the program, no idea what I was getting into, but was ready to go and learn. My “end of semester” attitude and that all of my papers from class were just shoved loose in my notebook and book bag also inspired this title and the aesthetic. The aesthetic for this publication is based on messy and random collages, notes, and photo journaling. The content of this guide is a mixture between my personal experience in the program and advice that I would give to incoming students. This project is how I figured out my own personal style.
I use a lot of textures and overlapping them with images and tapes. A lot of the images used are past work and projects from my classes that correspond to the class discussed in the guide. I also use physical images and incorporate physical collages as pacing pages in the book. At the very end of the book, I include a funny little surprise, indicating that the reader is now going into the program with a little bit of “protection.”
