I started to explore how I could portray the psychedelic Artist influence of Basquiat and Pollock,  and the haunting spellbinding aesthetic to portray graphic superstition. Therefore, I opted for a multi-coloured aesthetic. I also experimented with creating a video, including haunting spellbinding music to suggest the ritual magic influence.

The image design itself was inspired by the concept of superstition itself. I experimented with creating layers in the image that superstitiously followed the rules, such as the small centred helvetica text and graphic rules. Furthermore, I used the graphic rules to create wordplay, and highlight ‘on’ reflecting that graphic superstition is on by following the rules.  In contrast, underneath I experimented with breaking the rules, using a vast neon colour scheme – rather than keeping it simple as the rules dictate. I even experimented with creating typography using uneven leading, kerning, etc further breaking the rules. By doing all the above, I wanted to show that one does not need to follow the rules to be a graphic designer. By creating such work, it inspired the idea of possibly creating my own hypothetical graphic cult for the project that breaks the rules.

I thought these images could act as a cover for a rule book I created, almost like a Graphic Cult bible, explaining how to break the rules. The pages could flick between a superstitious over layer as an impulse reaction to cover up breaking the rules.

The guidelines for graphic design rules were researched in ‘The New Designers Handbook’ by Alastair Campbell, from the Design School https://designschool.canva.com/blog/design-rules/ and ‘Graphic Design Rules 365’ by Peter Dawson.