7.5” x 9”
This cover redesign draws from Murakami’s Norwegian Wood an exploration of memory and the protagonist’s emotionally complex relationships with two contrasting women. Set in 1960s Tokyo, the design uses a retro color palette and period-inspired typography to reflect the era while maintaining a subdued, mature tone. The silhouetted and partially obscured female figure references the fragility of memory and emotional distance central to the novel, allowing the faceless figure to remain ambiguous and open to interpretation.
8.5” x 11”
This project explores typography as a reflection of local and personal history through the collection of found type in my everyday environment. I researched and photographed vernacular letterforms such as signage and domestic typography that I found on Clement St. in San Francisco and curated them into a magazine-style cover story.
The final piece spans ff editorial spreads and features original writing, captions, and photography, unified by a consistent grid system and typographic hierarchy. This project strengthened my understanding of publication design while examining how typography can function as a cultural and community-based record.
(From top left) 4” x 4” ,8.5" x 11" ,11" x 17", 8.5" x 11", 5” x 8”
This project focuses on organizing and designing text-driven content through a series of typographic studies. Working with pre-existing material, an advertisement, recipe, schedule, poem, and publication spread. I explored layout, hierarchy, alignment, spacing, and grid systems to improve readability and legibility.
Across five iterative studies, I applied typographic standards within Latin scripts while gaining fluency in typesetting software and publication design. The project reflects industry practice, emphasizing interpretation of given content and thoughtful information organization using type as the primary visual element.
2.5” x 3.5”
This project translates a six-word memoir into a typographic trading card designed to reflect personal voice and identity. Using type as the primary visual element, I explored how typography can function as image while communicating tone, emotion, and personality.
Multiple printed copies were produced and exchanged with classmates, resulting in a shared deck of cards that documents our collective presence and community.
13” x 19”
Following the Philippine-American War (1899–1902), the American Dream became deeply embedded in the Filipino education system, shaping generations to idealize the promise of life in the United States. This three-part poster series explores that complicated legacy by contrasting Hollywood-style glamour with the lived realities of early 20th-century Filipino migration and identity.
Far Away From Home depicts the first wave of Filipino migrants who arrived in Hawai‘i and California as contract laborers, highlighting both the physical toll of farm work and the emotional weight of leaving family behind. Dance for a Dime! captures the nightlife of the manongs, who spent their wages at taxi dance halls, revealing the tension between spectacle, romance, and deep loneliness. Amigo Warfare references the Philippine-American War and its propaganda, using the visual language of vintage Hollywood and wartime posters to critique how violence and colonial power were obscured by heroism and myth.
Together, these works reframe Filipino-American history through pop-cultural aesthetics, questioning the ideals of belonging and prosperity promised by the American Dream.
13” x 19”
This poster was created in response to a design prompt focused on visualizing an often-overlooked environmental issue. Having worked at a grocery store for nearly three years, I’ve seen firsthand how quickly paper bags are used, even within a single hour. Through research, I discovered that the annual number of bags consumed is far greater than most people realize.
The goal of this piece was to translate that statistic into a visual form, allowing viewers to grasp the scale of the problem intuitively, without relying solely on text.