American Plastics

December 2023

Graphic Design III focused on layout design primarily for informational books with a focus on images. From a selection of material choices such as indigo, snow, pearls, and water, I initially chose water. Due to an overwhelming number of students choosing the same topics, I ended up with plastic, which was arguably the most challenging choice. However, this was a challenge I was eager to overcome. Each topic is associated with a selection of imagery and text material we had to incorporate. For plastic, the text material was entirely from American Plastic by Jeffrey L. Meikle, which is where the text is referenced.

Due to the bright colors plastic is often created with, I decided on a bright color palette, and went with CMYK, as printer ink is often made of plastic polymers. This focus on chemical components also led me towards a periodic table of elements aesthetic, with squares and bold letter names for each section. With this framework in mind, I expanded that square and blocky layout to the rest of the page composition. The image and text composition adhere to the grid structure while also changing and flowing with the movement of the pages, and images were retouched to match each chapter’s color. I selected images that were bold, focusing on the designed elements of plastic people often overlook as well as the inherent structure we can’t see. Finally, I overlaid illustrations and labels on select pages to contrast the grid structure and tie all the elements of the book together. The layout, imagery, and illustrations work in tandem to create a narrative structure clearly visible when browsing the pages, adding interest and depth for the viewer on a visually uninteresting topic.

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