Hi,
My name is Mattie Di Giovanni and I’m a fashion design major. I’m interested in different types of fashion and haven’t figured out one specific section I want to work on. I’m thinking about minoring in printmaking and incorporating it into my work.
The research project was a new take on a hot topic. We took a uncomfortable subject and made it into a more positive one for those affected by it. My project helped unite people and was a unique approach to how it went. I felt like the project did not take a clear form until a couple of days before, but when it was done it really came together. Our group dynamic wasn’t exactly equal but that was okay because we got the final product that we wanted.
Planning: Some of the first things we looked at for this project were signs of protest. I picked a jar that holds Marijuana as a more comedic sign of protest. We were then asked to think about three issues that are really important to us. I picked mental health, economic insecurity, and sexual harassment. Each of these issues are really important to me. I was selected to be apart of a gender bias group which eventually turned into sexual harassment. Some of the past projects were focused on working in groups and taking time to understand new perspectives which is what this one was about to in a sense. So I felt the past projects helped lead up to this one. We did research on organizations that had similar goals as us and what they did with funding, we also used the news to research. Seeing as a new sexual assault claim is made daily it was helpful for us to understand better. We made connections when we started making our logos and zine. The research and our goals started to align when they became more physical and it felt more real. When we started having a more plan our goal and motivation seemed to grow as well.
Outcome: What we made for the final outcome of this project was stickers, posters, zines, tote bags, and water bottles all including our logos on them. Our stickers were simple stickers of the logos that were chic. Next is our posters which featured the logos as well as the saying “we don’t deserve this” which is an allusion to the commonly said thing that ” she deserved it dress liked that” when regarding sexual assault crimes. These posters also have the Met logo on it because our groups goal was to pair up with the Met. We felt that since our theme was around art it made sense to combine with an institution like the Met. The project communicates a more positive way to look sexual assault and is pleasing to the eye. It feels less aggressive than other movements but something just as meaningful. It would be a powerful and respectful way to look at each other if we all respected each other like works of art. The research project opened my eye to how often it happens and how severe some cases tend to be. I think our logos are successful because they are visually appealing and are something people would want to have. I also think the zine does a good job of outlining the project and make a clear statement.
Looking forward, I think I would like to be able to pursue my interest more with printmaking and fashion design. I also want to explore the other topics I have more interest in as well as working in groups where everyone cares as much as I do. This project taught me how to push for the best product possible and how to give my best effort. I definitely think it relieved how much I enjoy graphic design and would want to work on making logos. I learned to pay more attention to my surroundings and whats going on in the news because thats one of the best ways to learn about how a topic is still relevant. I want to pursue working on projects where I can include my interest of fashion and how I can use different approaches to fashion the same way I used a unique approach to sexual assault. This project might inspire me to think about what kind of clothes I could make using this topic and what kind of message I would want to send to people.
