Mira: Illusions in Print
Jessica Wynn Cole
See it On Campus: Level 1
Visitor InfoProject Overview
Set in the year 2100, this project explores a technology that is part paper, part screen. With the weight and feeling of paper but the interactive capabilities of a tablet, this technology has recently been released and is about to change the world of print and photography.
Within this framework, I developed a fictitious magazine titled Mira and imagined what their first foray into using this new interactive paper might look like. In the world I’ve created, Mira is the first magazine to take on this highly technical invention with a specific focus on fashion photography.
Scope
The goal of this project was to produce an editorial fashion campaign around the idea of interactivity. The focus was on:
- The inherit interactive qualities of the garments featured (through movement and texture)
- How the images themselves could be made interactive and therefore more compelling to a viewer
- Combining design and photography into one cohesive project
The focus of this project was not the branding of the magazine but rather on the images it contained.
Why This Project?
When it came to creating this project, I was inspired by the idea of speculative design and the notion that design doesn’t always need to solve a problem. Throughout my degree, I felt pushed towards creating solutions (usually in the form of apps or websites) that I didn’t feel connected to. For my capstone, I wanted to focus on the joy in design.
Framing this project as an exploration in what could be possible, as a journey I wanted to take just because I could, was very useful to me. It let me view both Mira and design as a whole through a playful lens where every question doesn’t need to be answered in order for a project to be meaningful.
AI + Image Creation
Another key part of this project was envisioning a future where technology has not made print obsolete but instead has helped discover an opportunity for it to change and grow. I grew up in an era where “magazine editor” was a dream job for a lot of young girls and it saddens me to see how the industry has been eroded over the last twenty years.
With the vague threat of AI looming before us now, I wanted to use Mira to explore a world where traditional and new media are not at odds but instead work together to create an entirely new space.
