Back then, I was working for a research organization called the Sainsbury Institute. Being a small institution (about 10 staff), they were very generous with my idea of applying my self-taught design skills. Initially, we had a seriously talented freelance graphic designer whom I had the pleasure of working with as a print production manager. Eventually, though, the person moved overseas and I wiggled my way into designing and producing their annual report from start to finish!
The experience helped me learn InDesign fast. I also discovered that I love working on print design!
Being bilingual was good as I also learned how to (or rather how not to) typeset Japanese text. It is always difficult to negotiate bilingual publications, especially with a language that has many unique typesetting parameters!
These short form publication is really good fun to work on as they challenge you to think about the reader’s visual and haptic experience. Layouts can create different rhythm and tempo in the way the eye flows and turn the pages. Finding a good balance between visual excitement and in-depth reading can be so addicting.
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