Project Description — Tabloid
In 2023, I was tasked with a rapid-response design challenge: select one school within the university and create a dual-purpose print piece within a 48-hour deadline.
Out of the various schools, I chose the School of Art (SOA), specifically focusing on Fine Arts. The goal was to demonstrate how a layout can communicate the "vibe" and energy of a department even when the final copy isn't yet available.
Category
Publication / Editorial
Time line
JAN 23-JAN 23
Format & Technical Constraints
The project required a sophisticated understanding of print scale and folding:
Overall Size: A single A2 sheet.
The Spreads (Front): Designed as a tabloid consisting of two spreads (four A4 pages).
The Poster (Back): The entire reverse side of the A2 sheet functioned as a full-scale campaign poster for the 2023 Thesis Show.
Content: Because of the short turnaround, I utilized Lorem Ipsum (placeholder text), shifting the entire focus of the project onto visual hierarchy, typography, and image curation.
Design Execution & Personal Art
To make the project distinct, I integrated my own creative work alongside professional references:
Original Artwork: The cover features my original pieces: "Yellow Laugh" (the flipped figures) and "The Scream" (an adaptation inspired by Edvard Munch). Using my own art allowed me to control the color story and emotional tone of the layout.
Visual Language: I used a bold, asymmetric grid to reflect the "organized chaos" of a Fine Arts studio. The placeholder text allowed me to experiment with typographic weights and blocks as purely visual elements.
The Thesis Poster: For the back, I created a high-impact announcement for the 2023 Thesis Display. I featured the work of one of my favorite artists, Adebayo Bolaji, using his vibrant style to anchor the poster’s professional aesthetic.
Learning Outcomes
This assignment was a significant exercise in efficiency and structural design.
Speed vs. Quality: Completing a full A2 double-sided layout in 48 hours required a "get it right the first time" approach to the grid and margins.
Pure Design: Working with placeholder text forced me to ensure the design was successful based on its form, balance, and impact, rather than relying on a headline to do the work.
Synthesis: It was a practical lesson in how to manage a single piece of paper that needs to work as both a multi-page reading experience (the tabloid) and a large-scale display piece (the poster).