GRAPHIC DESIGNER PARINDA SAKDANARASETH CREATES BOOKS THAT CAN BE READ VIA BOTH VISUAL, TACTILE AND AESTHETIC LANGUAGES…
When it comes to the design of products and environments, accessibility and flexibility of use allowing for those with diverse abilities to access and utilize the opportunities they provide for is gaining increasing priority and, in terms of book design, braille and tactile writing systems are a common solution employed. However, books are not only a pleasure to spend time with for the words and stories they narrate, but also for the nature and character of their designs and the aesthetic qualities they portray – valuable factors that universal book designs often leave behind.
“I wanted to create a common language communicating with both sighted and visually impaired users by integrating graphic design and tactile design together,” describes Parinda Sakdanaraseth, recent graduate of the Graphic Design program at Chulalongkorn University. “By using the key concept of this ideal universal language, I’ve created a series of books utilizing various techniques that can be read via both visual, tactile and aesthetic languages.”
“The more I researched the project, the more I questioned – how could I translate the visual to the tactile? Could it be possible for both sighted and visually impaired users to use the book together? What type of art direction should I use in order that both users could understand the information equally?
Parinda’s inquiry led to the creation of four books, each of which utilizes different techniques ranging from a puffed-screen printing technique where the ink itself can be discerned by touch to a cut-paper approach in which the created texture can be read as visual information and exploration into materials ranging from embossing on clear plastic film to cross-stitching on paper. “They are all the results of my exploration into a combination of approaches and media, all of which I really enjoyed!” furthered Parinda.
For this designer, the results thus far have only sparked further interest into “how tactile graphics can affect our emotional perception” and there are many more pages yet to be turned. “There are countless more choices in terms of crafting techniques, materials and methods of application,” concluded Parinda, “and so many more approaches I wish to explore.” Nonetheless, when it comes to providing the same means of use for all users, identical whenever possible and equivalent when not, it seems this story is undoubtedly off to a good start.
