The concept of my post-modernist grid system was to capture the essence of Frida Kahlo’s tumultuous, but inspiring life through pieces of imagery and text from her diary.
I used a combination of two grids. The bottom layer grid was based off of a deconstructed grid I created from one of Frida’s imagery entries named “Motion in Dance.” I loved this drawing because it emphasized the essence of movement by strong diagonal lines and heavy black parallel lines that conveyed a sense of a gesture learned and repeated. I took inspiration from this and wanted to use this theory of lines to create contrasting, unfinished patterns that anchored to the grid and echoed across the pages to make them feel alive. On top of this layer, I formed another 5 column grid where I layed out my imagery and some typographic elements.
I used a cropping technique on all my imagery that I felt imitated the very chaotic events of Frida’s life. Each tragic event that happened to her life destroyed her physical well-being, but at the same time it forced her to focus on her emotional energies and integrate even more passion into her artwork.
I used large typographic elements to counter the imagery and give some contrast. Each letter interweaving with each image is the first initial of an important word from the quotes on the right-hand pages of the spreads. The word itself is revealed on the following spreads as a way to reference the letter and create breathing room throughout the magazine.
