"Belonging" is a typography publication that is completed in a project for coursework. This is an overview of 15 Studio Ghibli films written in reference to Georges Perecs' essay "Brief Notes on the Art and Manner of Arranging One's Books". This is a book written in theoretical comparison between 15 studio Ghibli films and a library, how you arrange these films in your life—as you would in a library. where do they find you in life? where do you keep these stories?
where are you?
The main visual focus is on gradients and a heavy emphasis on typography. The content of the book is following various categories of the Ghibli films–where they find you and what part of your life you keep these stories in. The important characters and themes and a pivotal quote from the film. From the introduction, the publication gradient darkens in color following a categorization of these films into "the enjoyment", "the comfort", and "the breaking". Each film title is in both English and Japanese, the original language of these films.
The front cover and back cover are tied together by a yellow line, signifying a timeline or the interconnectedness of your life and these films throughout time. The gradient reflects the interior pages, from light to darker blue to black. The words: Where are you in life? Are abstracted across the background of the front cover. The white border along the front brings contrast and is reminiscent of a post card, with a white vertical stripe connecting front to back on the covers with the title, subtitle, and a brief introduction.
the introduction
Following the essay from Georges Perec, his theoretical approach to arranging books in ones home or in a library. Immediately following with context about the Studio Ghibli film studio; both following consistently with the gradient color scheme and tone of the book.
the ENJOYMENT
"the enjoyment" is the beginning, the youth. The section of the book that discloses the easiest to watch and the most innocent films. They serve the purpose of enjoyment, and are the films you carry in your childhood. They can be identified with the lighter color schemes, being rated below 4/10 on the scale of "how heart wrenching".
the COMFORT
"the comfort" is the adolescence, the lesson. It's the section that finds the thought provoking and reflective films in the collection. They serve the purpose of introspection and self fulfillment. They are films carried as you grow up, identified with the increasingly darker color schemes. These are rated between 5 to 8/10 on the scale of "how heart wrenching".
the BREAKING
"the breaking" is the end, the resolve. The section of the book that find you at your lowest and can be the hardest and more heartbreaking watches. These films serve the purpose of breaking, or regretting and contemplating. These are films you carry after tragedy and after you grow older and face challenges. They can be identified with the darkest color schemes, being rated the most heart wrenching.
you are here
"where are you?"
belonging.
"belonging" is an ode to Studio Ghibli from the lens of a personal library: where I keep these narratives, how they found me and where I carry them with me. In what parts of my life do I see these films, and in what part of these films do I see myself. These stories carried me into my own adulthood, and they themselves can be categorized by age of belonging. Where these stories belong and where you belong are one in the same. The fluidity and theoretical nature of these ideas is shown through the gradients and pairing of typography.
