design rationale

Overall am happy with the consistency and the tone created form the publication. It feels both established while having a happy and lighter tone, doesn’t feel super serious about itself. A contributing factor to this would be the colors used within each spread, which also helped create a really nice and consistent design system through the publication.

As each interview was allocated it’s own signifying color, it makes navigating the publication really smooth and easy for the readers, as well as the page numbers too.

Something that I’m unsure about is that the publication feels a bit plain in a way? I think the conflicting part was that I didn’t want the spreads to look super busy and overwhelming, and wanting it to be a easy reading experience for the reader, but at the same time they feel a bit plain and slightly empty.

I feel like this is something that I have found a lot within my work, just being afraid of creating really ‘busy’ or ‘messy’ work, and potentially need to step out of this comfort zone and not be hesitant to experiment more as I feel like I might be ‘getting it wrong’ or producing ‘useless work’.

What I have learnt from creating this publication is just the importance of paragraph styles and being able to keep consistently formatted text. Working with indesign more and more has also helped me become more efficient over time with the program.

Along with that, I personally also really enjoyed the interview experience as well as doing some photography to pair long with it too. The restriction of working with other peoples context and having a limit of text, illustrations and photographs was also a good challenge I found, and also pushed me to think of a new way to present what they have already done to suit my own publications design system.

design system -

use of the repeating solid colors within the contents page to have a direct association with the interview. gives readers another way of navigating.

thematic intro

Four women, their own journeys, stories, and passion.

Everyone has a significant woman in their life they care or look up too, and it’s always been important to listen and uplift women's voices. Looking in at the subject matter of people, objects and places, we’ve bought in contributors to give a glimpse into the story and life of a woman near them that they look up to.

A woman with a voice is, by definition, a strong woman. But the search to find that voice can be remarkably difficult

Melinda Gates

drafts - 

- fixing of the orphans and widows - need to change the numbers, some are super close to the text - adding in pull quotes - adding in another image to ‘conversation over coffee’

colors -

using a solid color to represent each spread of interviews, would be able to use it in my editorial introduction.

drafts -

drafts of each spread, quite minimal and not much. wanting to use each color as a marker for each spread. maybe i could bring in the coordinates and idea of locations into the other spreads too? similar to how i have done it with ‘conversations over coffee’

themes and points

conversation over coffee: - coffee, being a barista - hospitality industry - architecture - voice of a woman - new zealand owned business - role model

joy: - travelling - moving - significant changes in life - ceramics - ‘home’ - role model - voice of a woman

silhouettes of girls in first place: - ‘home’ - growing and changing - role model - voice of a woman

bella ash: - music, singer - growing and changing - role model - voice of a woman

connections: - voice of a woman - role model

Joy

By: Sophie Williamson

So where are you calling from right now? Right now I’m sitting on the beach in Abel Tasman, watching the sun go down. It’s so gorgeous here! Definitely one of the most beautiful places we’ve seen so far on our road trip. 

You’re on a huge road trip of New Zealand right now, you must have seen some amazing places. Where has been your favourite? Ooh that’s such a hard question to answer. Maybe Wanaka? We woke up at 5am to climb up Roy’s Peak, which is a 6 hour round hike, and the view from the top was so stunning I felt like I was in Lord of The Rings or something. I do love Abel Tasman though, we’ve spent the last few days kayaking and just napping on the beach in the sun. We even saw seals! 

How long have you been on the road for? and are you planning on ever coming home? We’ve been away for about two months now I think. And don’t worry, It’s getting colder now and I don’t fancy freezing to death in a tent every night so we’ll be back home for winter. Probably. 

Living out of a car means you’ve left most of your possessions behind. What do you miss the most? You’d think it would be a comfy bed or clothes or something, but no its actually all my kitchen stuff! Cooking on a camping stove is fun and all but it is a faff and it would be so much easier with all the little things, like a lemon squeezer. And a garlic crusher. Oh and all my gorgeous ceramics! I love my ceramics. 

Why do you have so many ceramics and where are they from? I just love them so much. I’ve collected jugs and pots and bowls and things from markets and fairs all over Europe and New Zealand. Each piece has a memory and a story that comes with it, and I’ve built up quite a collection over time.

So what made you decide to set out on this adventure in the first place? I guess I just love life on the road! I didn’t travel much at all when I was growing up and by the time I graduated school I’d only left England a couple of times, so as soon as I left home and started earning my own money I began to take every opportunity I could to travel overseas. I’ve been on some amazing road trips through Europe, Australia and New Zealand, and seen a lot of amazing places. 

Tell me a story from when you were travelling around Australia. Did you have any close calls with the deadly wildlife? I did actually! Me and a few friends were camping on the beach out at Fraser Island, and I decided to go for a swim. I had walked pretty far away from the campsite when this pack of maybe ten wild dingos came out of the bush and started stalking me down the beach. I tried to turn back but they were literally surrounding me, and getting really close. In the end I ran into the water and just swam for it, because I was pretty sure they wouldn’t follow me. Luckily I was right, and I made it back to camp in one piece. 

That was an amazing trip. We backpacked all the way up the east coast. One time we actually got lost in the blue mountains for a day, we were hiking but we lost the path and were just wandering around aimlessly, we even started rationing our water we were so convinced we were going to have to spend the night in the bush. Then we rounded a corner and ta da, there was a little tea shop and a road!

I remember you always took me and my sister out foraging in the countryside when we were growing up in England. What’s your favourite thing to forage? Picking wild blackberries in the autumn was the best. Do you remember, we used to put you and your sister on the roof of the car and then drive slowly down all these little country lanes so you could reach all the blackberries at the top of the hedgerows? 

I love making soup out of wild garlic too, in England there was so much of it growing in the woods next to our house and we used to come home with armfuls of the stuff. In NZ its amazing because everywhere you turn there’s fruit trees laden with feijoas and guava berries and figs. My favourites have to be feijoas, they’re so good.

Have you ever lived overseas? I’ve lived in England and New Zealand, oh and for one memorable summer after I graduated I actually lived on the French Riviera with a couple of friends. We lived in a caravan park next to the beach and spent the summer swimming and getting ridiculously tan and trying to get invited onto a millionaire’s yacht - and we succeeded! I don’t know how it happened but one time I ended up on a date with the boyfriend of the princess of Monaco, who I’m now fairly sure was dating her at the time. Another time I met a film director on the beach who got me to screen test for his new movie, but when he sent me a letter telling me if I’d got the part, I couldn’t read it because it was in French and his handwriting was so awful. If only my French had been bit better maybe I would be a big movie star by now!

You move around so much, but where do you feel most at home? The beach. Any beach! Since I moved to New Zealand I’ve always lived near the ocean, and rain or shine you’ll find me walking along the beach every day. I love swimming in the sea, it always clears my mind. Keeps me young too, I’m sure.

What’s one piece of advice you’d give to my generation? I would just tell you to travel, explore new places, meet new people, make some memories while you’re young. It’s the best thing you can do. You’ll become a whole different person with a whole new perspective on the world, which will help you figure out what you really want from life. So yeah, just get out there and have some adventures!

Bella Ash

By: Edina Lau

Isabella “Bella” Fong is a second year student at the University of Auckland studying a Bachelor of Music majoring in Music Studies as well as a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Criminology. The 19 year old singer-songwriter is releasing her very first album in July 2022. It will include her two hit singles Lonely Hearts Club and Fancy Car along with four other songs. Get ready to stream her album on Spotify! 

Describe your true self.  Gosh, wow that’s tough. I definitely feel like I thrive by myself, which can sound lonely but it really isn’t. I feel like I am a mostly well rested person, even though I tend to stay up very late. Honestly, I get most of my amazing ideas deep into the night. My life revolves around music whether it is singing, listening, or making music. Without it, I wouldn’t know who I’d be. 

What is one important life lesson you have learned?  I guess you could say a life lesson that I have learned is “that you have to believe to achieve”. I had to believe in myself and my own music in order to release it to the world. By doing all the creating, promoting etc on my own, you really have to have a huge amount of confidence in it. 

When did you realise you loved music/singing?  I have always loved music and singing from a young age, but I think my passion really grew when I was in intermediate. At this time I was discovering more about music and also learning different instruments. 

 Who inspires/motivates you?  The person who has majorly inspired me throughout my musical journey is Taylor Swift - her musicianship, determination and songwriting. The way she writes is unlike any other person and I truly aspire to be like her one day. Olivia Rodrigo, Maisie Peters, and Lizzy Mcalpine also inspire me and definitely influence some of my lyrics. 

What are you most proud of?  I would probably say it was when my music video for my first single, Lonely Hearts Club, was released to the world. I am proud that I actually did it and have started to establish myself as an artist. 

What is your dream goal?  I would really like my music to gain recognition all over the world and to reach places you would have never thought of. As well as that, growing a fan base would be cool and I guess eventually play live whether it is a big or small venue, a festival or even my own gig. I think I would bawl my eyes out if I heard an audience sing back my own lyrics but I would love to experience that! 

Have you had any doubts about pursing music? Absolutely! I was so afraid of what other people would think and how people would react to my songwriting or me producing everything on my own because there is nowhere to hide behind it. Or would people think “she’s a wannabe artist”, “oh she thinks she can get famous” and all those things. However, I have always loved music and singing and I want to be able to share it with the world. Having the amazing friends and family around me has helped me and given me so much more confidence and reassurance which has just been amazing!

Are you scared about releasing music to the public? Of course! Once you put it out there it’s pretty much free for anybody to judge or criticise. Also, most of my music is either personal to me or personal in some sort of way and I would definitely feel, I guess, slightly attacked or hurt if it my music got harsh feedback from others.

What made you release music on Spotify? Their platform is so accessible and popular that I thought discovery would be great on Spotify. I am able to go through a distribution company instead of a record label, plan when I want to release and say who wrote the song. Spotify is also an international platform which means anybody can use it and come across my music. Plus, I use Spotify at least daily and it is super easy to navigate.

What is something you want to improve on? Something I need to improve on is probably not being so critical of myself and not doubting myself. I find that if I’m unsure about something I will go around and ask so many people but I already know what I want the answer to be (so I guess trying to seek validation for my own answer?). When it comes to music and creating not everything has to be 100000% perfect and the slightest imperfection can turn out to be something critical. It’s definitely something that I am working on but like people say “you are your toughest critic”.

Do you have any regrets in life? I guess yes. I would say a regret of mine is not participating in as many things in high school. Or not going for as many things as I should have and I guess it really all came down to confidence. I don’t think you could call this a regret but not getting my license sooner but I’m working on it.

What location would you consider ‘home’? I would say the location of my home. Even though this is the second house I’ve lived in I’ve lived what I would call my “milestones” in this house. For example, starting and finishing high school, and now going to university. If we are talking specific places then 100% my room! I could honestly just live in my room. It’s super cozy but is also sectioned so I have a working space and a place to create music and then a place to relax, it’s really the one-stop shop for me.

What is an object that is special to you? Sounds funny, but I think it’s my Rode microphone. It was my first big purchase and was something I had been wanting to get for ages in order to upgrade my music producing quality and ability. I was very fortunate to receive a scholarship for high school, so I used some of that money to pay for the microphone. It’s special because I have so many memories attached to it - I recorded my first single on it, I’ve written many songs using it and so on. 

Silhouttes of girls in first place

by: amanda pu

Where is a place that brings peace? I’m someone whose always been incredibly attached to home, not in a physical sense but rather home in the sense of where my family is at. I’m not sure if I’m ever really at peace, I’ve lately come to the realisation that anxiety and stress are things that often come much too easily on me. I would say however that there’s something particularly comforting about lying in your bed at home, knowing your family is just outside your door, and that your biggest supporters in the world are so close to you. So perhaps the moment, rather than the place, that brings me the most peace lies in those weekend mornings where my parents have made breakfast and I get woken up by my mom and dad bickering over their next piece of gossip. 

What is something you would tell your younger self? I would advise my younger self not to be so quick to judge others. I think even now, but especially so when I was younger I had this mindset that everything was permanent and set in stone, whether it be decisions we make in life or relationships we have with others and between other people. Obviously there’s many things we all might wish to change about out past but I’m grateful for all my past mistakes because they’ve essentially made me who I am today. However I think that something my younger self would have really benefitted from was a genuine open-mindedness to open up to others, you never know who might become one of your closest friends in the future. You’ll never meet the best people in your life if you don’t try. But that also works in the opposite way, just as out relationships with others change, people might naturally drift away from you. That’s fine, we grow up and become different people – but there’s always going to be that special place in our hearts for that person you’ve spent your entire childhood with. There’s nothing wrong with change, embrace it and in turn, grow with it. 

How are you like who you were 5 years ago? and how are you different now? I am not of the opinion that people ever change in a sense, I believe that once the foundations of how we think and interact with others becomes set in our formative years in childhood, the changes we undergo afterwards are all superficial in nature. There’s the obvious surface level changes, my interests are different, there’s different people in my life now but fundamentally, I don’t think I’m much different. I guess the big change though is I’ve become a lot more comfortable in my own skin. I’ve basically come to the realisation that none of this matters, not in the nihilistic sense but rather that I shouldn’t take myself so seriously. Life is meant to be enjoyed so why should I be worrying so much about little things? That mindset is honestly the best thing that’s happened to me, things are only embarrassing if you find them embarrassing. Otherwise, they become funny little stories you get to tell later on, they get to build your character and ultimately make you a more interesting person.

What is an object that matters a lot to you? I know it’s a bit materialistic but the object that matters the most is probably my phone. I love my phone, it’s something I can’t be parted with, it stores all my memories and is a place I can reach out to others. However recently my phone has really been though a lot, I smashed the screen and got permanently locked out of it so I had to wipe the whole phone. I ended up losing all of my photos, which I’m still incredibly sad about but at the end of the day, the phone is just a medium, it’s not the actual object that matters but rather what it means. I see my phone as a crucial way to connect, and to keep in touch with all my friends and family. 

formative feedback

- professional tone, feels appropriate and purposeful.  - experimenting with the framing of the photo, try cropping it, zooming in and out and see what would fit better - unsure if the ‘interview’ part is needed, especially when the other interviews come together for the larger publication - making the questions bold, italicised or larger in comparison to the answers to make them look a bit more different, but liking the blue that it’s in to match the title as well as the framing of the photograph - good pull quote, not really needing much for that to change

to work on: - add in another image or more imagery to hit the 3 minimum required - orphans and widows at the end of the paragraphs

draft -

polishing of the previous draft.

draft -

change in tone, feels much more professional and serious.

drafts -

mainly experimenting here with the type over the image. personally although i really like the type and how fun and bubbly it looks, i feel like i may have to re-consider it depending on the tone i am going for.

shortlisted photography - 

shortlisted photos -