POPPY

DURATION: 9 MONTHS

PROGRAMS+MATERIALS: Illustrator, Photoshop, Indesign, RPGMAKER

CLASS: SENIOR PROJECT

Love has an ambiguous definition. Depending on the context on how the word is said, it could mean many different things. Though, when we discuss 'love' and its meaning, we tend to lean towards the romantic sense of the word— either because this is the form that the media tends to explore the most or because of societal pressure. This leads to the view of romantic love being of utmost importance, creating a very socially isolating way of living.

This project aims to create a singular narrative that will explore common (yet unhealthy) romantic tropes, the importance of self-care, and how to let go of a failed relationship.

IDEATION

This project’s goal was to turn the ideas and thoughts I had about love and relationships into a project that others, besides myself, could relate to.

The problem was figuring out a concise way to explain to the public that romantic and platonic love shouldn’t be placed on separate pedestals; romantic love shouldn’t be seen as more important than the other. Romantic love has the tendency to be over-sensualized as something perfect and the end of all of one’s problems, and platonic love is rarely explored in quite as much depth as romantic love is.

PROCESS

Below are a few thumbnails from the sketchbook used during the initial planning process. If you wish to view my process book, you can view it here.

RESEARCH

Love has been frequently explored, but many of the questions I wanted answered hadn’t been touched in many of the readings I began with. While platonic love was briefly covered, it wasn’t the sole topic. I ended up conducting most of my own research by asking friends, coworkers, classmates, and even strangers if they could define love, friendship, if they found one more necessary than the other, and whether they could live a fulfilling life without any form of love.

From there, I researched popular couples in the media and statistics involving love in today’s society. Below, you can see the infographic created with this data.