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Flick Chicks

Digital

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Print

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Identity

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Multimedia

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Book page spread featuring a photo with hand-drawn doodles of stars, moon, and bubbles overlaid on pink background. Text discusses female character tropes "The Klutz" and "The Ethereal Weirdo" in movies.
Book page spread featuring a photo with hand-drawn doodles of stars, moon, and bubbles overlaid on pink background. Text discusses female character tropes "The Klutz" and "The Ethereal Weirdo" in movies.

Intro

The satirical styling of Mindy Kaling, consciously illustrated.

Given the chance to design spreads for the article “Flick Chicks” by Mindy Kaling, I aimed to capture the sarcasm she puts forth on the stereotypical roles of women in film by implementing style and imagery that are just as ironic as her writing itself.

Magazine spread featuring "Flick Chicks" article by Mindy Kaling with black typography on white page, adjacent to pink text block displaying movie titles in white handwritten style.
Magazine spread featuring "Flick Chicks" article by Mindy Kaling with black typography on white page, adjacent to pink text block displaying movie titles in white handwritten style.

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Magazine spread featuring "Flick Chicks" article by Mindy Kaling with black typography on white page, adjacent to pink text block displaying movie titles in white handwritten style.
Magazine spread featuring "Flick Chicks" article by Mindy Kaling with black typography on white page, adjacent to pink text block displaying movie titles in white handwritten style.

Opportunity

Deliberate Derision

In order to achieve the desired direction for this piece, I understood that I would have to lean into the absurdity of it all. I would accomplish this by creating imagery that pulls inspiration from the coming-of-age genre and pair it with a more polished style when it came to other design elements. A visual juxtaposition such as this would afford me the creative freedom to express ridicule while preserving the professional integrity of the text. It would also work to reinforce the message behind the article by highlighting the unrealistic expectations imposed on women to fit ridiculous archetypes while demanding perfection everywhere else.

White hand-drawn illustrations centered on pink background, minimalist design with textured brush stroke effect.
White hand-drawn illustrations centered on pink background, minimalist design with textured brush stroke effect.

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White hand-drawn illustrations centered on pink background, minimalist design with textured brush stroke effect.
White hand-drawn illustrations centered on pink background, minimalist design with textured brush stroke effect.

Development

With a vision in mind, I began by staging photographs of women in poses that reflected my interpretation of the characters discussed throughout the article. These photos were then edited post-production to enhance the visibility, contrast, color, and tone. I followed that up by illustrating doodles that would accentuate the characteristics of the aforementioned archetypes and laid them over each scene, mimicking that of a scrapbook. With the images composed, I then created a grid structure that allowed them to be the focal point of each spread and formatted the typography accordingly.

Warm-lit restaurant interior with herringbone pattern walls, pendant dome lights, and a whimsical cartoon collage of woman eating ramen with hand-drawn illustrations overlaid.
Warm-lit restaurant interior with herringbone pattern walls, pendant dome lights, and a whimsical cartoon collage of woman eating ramen with hand-drawn illustrations overlaid.

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Warm-lit restaurant interior with herringbone pattern walls, pendant dome lights, and a whimsical cartoon collage of woman eating ramen with hand-drawn illustrations overlaid.
Warm-lit restaurant interior with herringbone pattern walls, pendant dome lights, and a whimsical cartoon collage of woman eating ramen with hand-drawn illustrations overlaid.

Solution

Illustrated Irony

Flick Chicks would live as a conceptual editorial design for the featured article. This self-aware print piece dramatizes the stereotypical roles of women in film through its satirical writing, theatrical imagery, and refined design.

Magazine spread featuring "Flick Chicks" article by Mindy Kaling with black typography on white page, adjacent to pink text block displaying movie titles in white handwritten style.
Magazine spread featuring "Flick Chicks" article by Mindy Kaling with black typography on white page, adjacent to pink text block displaying movie titles in white handwritten style.

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Magazine spread featuring "Flick Chicks" article by Mindy Kaling with black typography on white page, adjacent to pink text block displaying movie titles in white handwritten style.
Magazine spread featuring "Flick Chicks" article by Mindy Kaling with black typography on white page, adjacent to pink text block displaying movie titles in white handwritten style.
Book page spread featuring a photo with hand-drawn doodles of stars, moon, and bubbles overlaid on pink background. Text discusses female character tropes "The Klutz" and "The Ethereal Weirdo" in movies.
Book page spread featuring a photo with hand-drawn doodles of stars, moon, and bubbles overlaid on pink background. Text discusses female character tropes "The Klutz" and "The Ethereal Weirdo" in movies.

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Book page spread featuring a photo with hand-drawn doodles of stars, moon, and bubbles overlaid on pink background. Text discusses female character tropes "The Klutz" and "The Ethereal Weirdo" in movies.
Book page spread featuring a photo with hand-drawn doodles of stars, moon, and bubbles overlaid on pink background. Text discusses female character tropes "The Klutz" and "The Ethereal Weirdo" in movies.
Magazine spread with handwritten pink annotations and doodles overlaying photo of person eating noodles from bowl, demonstrating playful editorial design style.
Magazine spread with handwritten pink annotations and doodles overlaying photo of person eating noodles from bowl, demonstrating playful editorial design style.

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Magazine spread with handwritten pink annotations and doodles overlaying photo of person eating noodles from bowl, demonstrating playful editorial design style.
Magazine spread with handwritten pink annotations and doodles overlaying photo of person eating noodles from bowl, demonstrating playful editorial design style.
Magazine spread showing back view of person in denim jacket with white hand-drawn doodles, light bulbs and geometric shapes overlaid on dark background.
Magazine spread showing back view of person in denim jacket with white hand-drawn doodles, light bulbs and geometric shapes overlaid on dark background.

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Magazine spread showing back view of person in denim jacket with white hand-drawn doodles, light bulbs and geometric shapes overlaid on dark background.
Magazine spread showing back view of person in denim jacket with white hand-drawn doodles, light bulbs and geometric shapes overlaid on dark background.