The Sight of Sound: Seeing Friendship
The Sight of Sound: Seeing Friendship
The Sight of Sound: Seeing Friendship
The Sight of Sound: Seeing Friendship
Through a collaborative multimedia design process, I worked with my friend Yuting to bring the colorful, emotional, and rhythmic layers of friendship to life through Riso animations, posters, postcards, and a collaborative zine. The work was exhibited in The Sight of Sound, a temporary class exhibition at Gallery 5 in Boston University’s College of Fine Arts.
Everything carries a story. Just as a rock is shaped by time and weather, I am shaped by experiences and influences. This 170-page book explores those stories through creative layouts, tracing inspirations from childhood nostalgia to the designs that spark my imagination today. It is the story of how I became the designer I am, and like every story, it is still unfolding.
Category:
Exhibition Design
Category:
Exhibition Design
Category:
Exhibition Design
Tool:
Risograph, After Effects
Tool:
Risograph, After Effects
Tool:
Risograph, After Effects
Exploring Riso in Animation
Riso in Animation
Inspired by the Japanese song 「ベテルギウス」(“Betelgeuse”) by Yuuri, I created a 16-second motion graphic exploring themes of enduring friendship across distance and time. Using fluid lines, layered textures, and rhythmic bursts of motion, I translated the song’s dreamy, piano-driven atmosphere into visual form with ripple effects and shooting star motifs, symbolizing the energy and connection between friends. All assets were illustrated in Adobe Illustrator and Procreate, sequenced in After Effects, then exported frame-by-frame for Riso printing on yellow paper with purple ink. The final animation was scanned, cleaned, and reassembled to capture warmth, intimacy, and the sense of shared moments beneath a boundless sky.
Inspired by the Japanese song 「ベテルギウス」(“Betelgeuse”) by Yuuri, I created a 16-second motion graphic exploring themes of enduring friendship across distance and time. Using fluid lines, layered textures, and rhythmic bursts of motion, I translated the song’s dreamy, piano-driven atmosphere into visual form with ripple effects and shooting star motifs, symbolizing the energy and connection between friends. All assets were illustrated in Adobe Illustrator and Procreate, sequenced in After Effects, then exported frame-by-frame for Riso printing on yellow paper with purple ink. The final animation was scanned, cleaned, and reassembled to capture warmth, intimacy, and the sense of shared moments beneath a boundless sky.
Inspired by the Japanese song 「ベテルギウス」(“Betelgeuse”) by Yuuri, I created a 16-second motion graphic exploring themes of enduring friendship across distance and time. Using fluid lines, layered textures, and rhythmic bursts of motion, I translated the song’s dreamy, piano-driven atmosphere into visual form with ripple effects and shooting star motifs, symbolizing the energy and connection between friends. All assets were illustrated in Adobe Illustrator and Procreate, sequenced in After Effects, then exported frame-by-frame for Riso printing on yellow paper with purple ink. The final animation aimed to capture warmth, intimacy, and the sense of shared moments beneath a boundless sky.
Inspired by the Japanese song 「ベテルギウス」(“Betelgeuse”) by Yuuri, I created a 16-second motion graphic exploring themes of enduring friendship across distance and time. I translated the song’s dreamy, piano-driven atmosphere into visual form with ripple effects and shooting star motifs, symbolizing the energy and connection between friends. All assets were illustrated in Adobe Illustrator and Procreate, sequenced in After Effects, then exported frame-by-frame for Riso printing on yellow paper with purple ink. The final animation aimed to capture warmth, intimacy, and the sense of shared moments beneath a boundless sky.
Exploring Riso in Posters
Riso Posters
We translated visual elements from our motion graphics into posters and postcards for The Sight of Sound. Paths, windows, and ripples created unique, vibrant patterns while maintaining cohesion with the animations. I began with hand-drawn sketches to design custom type for the exhibition title, emphasizing flowing curves, varied stroke weights, and dynamic scale to capture energy and rhythm. The sketches were scanned and vectorized in Illustrator, preserving hand-drawn lines and imperfections to reinforce a tactile, organic feel that reflects the exhibition’s theme of natural, lively friendship.
We translated visual elements from our motion graphics into posters and postcards for The Sight of Sound. Paths, windows, and ripples created unique, vibrant patterns while maintaining cohesion with the animations. I began with hand-drawn sketches to design custom type for the exhibition title, emphasizing flowing curves, varied stroke weights, and dynamic scale to capture energy and rhythm. The sketches were scanned and vectorized in Illustrator, preserving hand-drawn lines and imperfections to reinforce a tactile, organic feel that reflects the exhibition’s theme of natural, lively friendship.
We translated visual elements from our motion graphics into posters and postcards for The Sight of Sound. Paths, windows, and ripples created unique, vibrant patterns while maintaining cohesion with the animations. I began with hand-drawn sketches to design custom type for the exhibition title, emphasizing flowing curves, varied stroke weights, and dynamic scale to capture energy and rhythm. The sketches were scanned and vectorized in Illustrator, preserving hand-drawn lines and imperfections to reinforce a tactile, organic feel that reflects the exhibition’s theme of natural, lively friendship.
We translated visual elements from our motion graphics into posters and postcards for The Sight of Sound. Paths, windows, and ripples created unique, vibrant patterns while maintaining cohesion with the animations. I began with hand-drawn sketches to design custom type for the exhibition title, emphasizing flowing curves, varied stroke weights, and dynamic scale to capture energy and rhythm. The sketches were scanned and vectorized in Illustrator, preserving hand-drawn lines and imperfections to reinforce a tactile, organic feel that reflects the exhibition’s theme of natural, lively friendship.
Riso Postcards
I explored scale and detail in a set of four 5×7-inch postcards, translating elements from the posters to focus on areas that might be overlooked. By highlighting small curves, stroke variations, and other hand-drawn qualities from my sketches, the postcards create a more intimate, tactile experience that encourages viewers to engage closely with each composition.
I explored scale and detail in a set of four 5×7-inch postcards, translating elements from the posters to focus on areas that might be overlooked. By highlighting small curves, stroke variations, and other hand-drawn qualities from my sketches, the postcards create a more intimate, tactile experience that encourages viewers to engage closely with each composition.
I explored scale and detail in a set of four 5×7-inch postcards, translating elements from the posters to focus on areas that might be overlooked. By highlighting small curves, stroke variations, and other hand-drawn qualities from my sketches, the postcards create a more intimate, tactile experience that encourages viewers to engage closely with each composition.
I explored scale and detail in a set of four 5×7-inch postcards, translating elements from the posters to focus on areas that might be overlooked. By highlighting small curves, stroke variations, and other hand-drawn qualities from my sketches, the postcards create a more intimate, tactile experience that encourages viewers to engage closely with each composition.
Collaboration Through Zine and Exhibition
We combined my Violet and Yuting’s Medium Blue in the zine, using shapes and lines from our posters and postcards. The vellum cover featured the title Sight of Sound over a Riso halftone texture. Inside, French-folded pages were bound with a two-hole punch and presented an abstract travel story with figures, paths, textures, and a page introducing our songs. Alternating our design voices, the zine brought all our ideas together into a cohesive, tangible piece.
We combined my Violet and Yuting’s Medium Blue in the zine, using shapes and lines from our posters and postcards. The vellum cover featured the title Sight of Sound over a Riso halftone texture. Inside, French-folded pages were bound with a two-hole punch and presented an abstract travel story with figures, paths, textures, and a page introducing our songs. Alternating our design voices, the zine brought all our ideas together into a cohesive, tangible piece.
We combined my Violet and Yuting’s Medium Blue in the zine, using shapes and lines from our posters and postcards. The vellum cover featured the title Sight of Sound over a Riso halftone texture. Inside, French-folded pages were bound with a two-hole punch and presented an abstract travel story with figures, paths, textures, and a page introducing our songs. Alternating our design voices, the zine brought all our ideas together into a cohesive, tangible piece.
We combined my Violet and Yuting’s Medium Blue in the zine, using shapes and lines from our posters and postcards. The vellum cover featured the title Sight of Sound over a Riso halftone texture. Inside, French-folded pages were bound with a two-hole punch and presented an abstract travel story with figures, paths, textures, and a page introducing our songs. Alternating our design voices, the zine brought all our ideas together into a cohesive, tangible piece.
Contact Me!
Contact Me!
janetjliu
janetliu.ca@gmail.com
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Key Projects
Key Projects