A Brief Inquiry Into the Listening Habits of Others
An exploration into the relationship people have to the music that’s important to them by exploring their habits and preferences through storytelling, photographs, and ephemera.
Printed 12”x12” hardcover book created for my senior capstone at Northeastern University, Fall 2020—Spring 2021.
Concept Development
Project Brainstorm
I wanted to combine my love of music with my interest in print design while also exploring a variety of graphic elements, such as photography, infographics, and illustration. I figured a large-scale coffee table book would be ideal, and I conducted a sample interview with my dad to exemplify the type of content each spread might contain.
Visual Influences
I tried to articulate the styles, movements, and artists that I wanted to embody in this project. I was drawn to Bauhaus typography and composition, and various collage artists. I started to experiment with collage; I wanted something that looked retro but would look good with contemporary imagery.
Content
I conducted eight interviews with people I thought would offer a variety of music perspectives. I conducted each using a set of questions that fell into three main categories: What they listen to, how they listen, and why they listen. I encouraged them to go on tangents and speak freely about whatever felt relevant to them about their relationship to music. The conversations lasted about 1-2 hours each.
I then attempted to identify the underlying theme or essence of their relationship to music and selected excerpts for the book.
Typos due to typing fast to record key moments of conversation in the moment or while listening to the recording!
Execution
February 24
Initial Draft.
Refining layout, making it feel lighter. Established minimal use of color, and experimented with infographic elements.
February 27
Leaned into Bauhaus influences more with typography and geometric shapes. Also eliminated infographic element, which no longer seemed to fit direction of project. Added Spotify scan codes per classmate suggestion.
March 11
March 25
Changed book size to square foot (previously 8.5”x11”). Experimented with full-bleed photography collage page as a companion for some spreads, but didn’t feel cohesive with current style.
March 26
Met with a professor to help with project trajectory, because it wasn’t coming out how I had hoped. Completely shifted design direction: Bradbury Thompson as primary visual reference, new grid system, and a lot more white space.
Finished Spreads
The book was printed as a hard-cover book with full-bleed, and was displayed in the Northeastern University Class of 2021 Senior Show. Each page also includes a Spotify barcode below the person’s favorite artist list, linking viewers to a companion playlist containing their favorite songs from each artist listed.
For those without the Spotify mobile app, the playlists can be reached at the links below.
