The Marvelous Order Zine was a project done to depict the two contrasting personalities of master architect Robert Moses and socialist Jane Jacobs who played a vital role in determining the structure of the urbanization of New York City. This project was done to complement the opera called Marvelous Order led by Joshua Frankell and his team of artists.
In order to understand the visual language of the city, I decided to visit the village of Greenwich for a site study. The photos I took proved as a starting point in realizing the direction for this project.
For illustration projects, I usually start my process by collecting and documenting my influences and inspirations. I then develop a style guide so that my direction stays clear.
In the image above, for instance, I collected a combination of different methods of storytelling to serve as an inspiration point. Each of the references were carefully picked for different visual and stylistic aspects.
Based on my mood board, I decided on a set of parameters that help in visualizing this story. I wanted the project to showcase the lives of people in different perspectives.
Considering the importance the city of New York played in evolving the zine culture, I decided that a zine would be a great way to create a storytelling sequence. It would also serve as a tangible experience for the user - taking them through the evolution of a city with different lives.
A series of loose sketches were made as a starting point.
I tried different approaches to understand which visual direction to go with.
Before Adding colour, each spread was done in grey scale to understand how well the contrast played out.
Each of spreads were then rendered in color.
The illustration on the front page was required to show the dual nature of the personalities Robert Moses and Jane Jacobs.
The backside of the zine can then be used as a poster. It illustrated the complex nature of the city as a living and breathing organism.
