A Mindful Manual for the Modern Gladiator, is the result of a year long study and exploration. This project has an abundance of topics, ideas and components. It contains sports, philosophy, mindfulness, spirituality, mental health and of course design, all which interest me daily. This project not only celebrates athletes and their abilities, but its main goal is to serve as a manual, handbook or Bible, in which they can gain inspiration or peace of mind. Today, athletes are portrayed and perceived as robots, warriors, and ferocious beasts, with no feelings. Hence the word gladiator. There is always backlash and scrutiny when athletes open up and talk about their mental state, and feelings. They are not taken seriously, and are told to shut up and focus on the millions of dollars they are making. This book is to show that mental health is just as important as physical health, and is a tool that athletes of all ages can use on their athletic journey.
I first researched the idea of spirituality and the ways that this abstract idea has been represented. I looked at images of a variety, of athletes in action, explored spiritual spaces and architecture, read articles about mindfulness and the lives of athletes, and gathered inspirational language from a range of sources. I then began to develop dynamic posters and ethereal compositions, blending images of athletes with geometric forms from stadiums and playing fields. I also used techniques of cropping, splitting, repetition, layered fields of color, scale-change, aiming to generate an emotional response. I want the viewer to look, slow down, and feel.
I was also tasked with creating wall graphics for the senior show, which would introduce my project. It would also serve as a place where my book lived and create a context that offers a glimpse of the visual tone, energy, and rhythm of the project. The vivid graphics on either side of the book shows the extreme scale and tonal contrasts I employ throughout the book.
Song Used - J Dilla Sunbeams
