Thesis: Astrological Design
MFA THESIS + App Design, Book Design, Poster, Thesis Pt 2
My Key Deliverable, Astrological Design at a Glance
Thesis Statement:
Astrology provides a vital blueprint for graphic design, helping the designer forge alternative creative pathways.If you ever feel lost as a graphic designer, between the thousands of fonts and millions of colors, have no fear - astrological design is here!
Astrological Design is a system utilizing astrology and design principles as a tool to help graphic designers feel inspired and empowered.
After pivot from my previous thesis idea and identity, Badasstrology, I went back to the drawing board halfway through my last semester of graduate school. While I created a powerful brand, I had to think of practical ways to better serve designers. Since I was a teenager and learned about astrology, it helped me gain confidence that I couldn’t find elsewhere. Astrology gave me a blueprint to pick and choose what I resonated with, and subsequently use that information to develop the person I am today. My goal was to translate my knowledge and understanding of astrology and design, and combine my research to create an easy-to-understand guide for designers and new astrologers alike. I decided to focus on just the sun and rising sign for simplicity and ease.
By employing a designer’s sun and rising sign, it provides them with guidance to understand themselves. It allows them to apply information to their design process and their daily lives.
Close-up of the custom chart and system I created! Full poster below.
I developed a system and identity based on research and a culmination of knowledge about sun signs from astrologers around the world. The goal of my thesis is to help designers by giving them a tool to understand astrology and apply it to their own practice.
Guide Book Overview & Style Guide Examples
Upon expanding from the quick-glance poster, I made a supplemental guide book that delves deeper into what fonts to use, more key characteristics, and some practical tips that designers can apply to their work and daily lives.
This is a link to the ISSUU digital book, and a sample spread highlighting one sign and demonstrating the system.
I wanted to expand the information available on the poster by adding an overview and more information to guide each sign!
Full digital book online: Click here
App Design
I wanted to make sure the data is accessible, either in the office or on-the-go!
How to Use Astrological Design
I made a few examples to showcase how a graphic designer can use Astrological Design. Essentially, the designer finds their sun and rising sign, and applies the suggested fonts and colors! Bonus fun surprises can be created if you combine 2 signs. The possibilities are endless!
I use myself as an example, with a Libra Sun and Capricorn Rising.
Step 4 Ideas: Combining Your Sun and Rising Sign Style Guides
Some examples of designs to start with based on the Libra Sun and Capricorn Rising style guide.
Light years better than a Pinterest board, Astrological Design can guide you to explore your sign and develop your style based on the stars! Now you will rarely struggle with creative blocks because astrology has your back.
Additional Featured Spreads
Full-size Poster
Logo / Wordmark
The wordmark (left) and symbol (right) I created is inspired by the collision of the old and modern as well as the dominance of our sun and rising sign in our chart.
I chose to focus primarily on the designer’s sun and rising sign. Both are represented by the sun, and give us a big overview of who we are. I combined a serif and sans serif font to show the parallels between our two dominant signs and how they blend together beautifully to make us all wonderfully unique.
You can find my process book of how I arrived to this here.
Putting Astrological Design in Action
Have your book or phone on deck, your favorite creative program, a yummy drink and snack, and get started designing!
Conclusion
This thesis journey for the past year (especially since the pandemic started) has been a whirlwind. I am so proud of creating not just one, but two separate identities, and challenging myself to work both ways of having a solid brand to trying to think of products and making a great system and later applying a brand. I appreciate the partial minimalist design based on the sun, and how this system can actually help people. I hope there are more confident graphic designers in the world and that Astrological Design continues to inspire others.
If you like my concept and would like to talk about astrology for hours, let’s chat. :)
