Shaping The Body: building the Heritage and Stories of the Koto
Print | Publication
This project is a tribute to my mother, who played the koto in Japan from ages 3 to 18 and earned a certificate. It is also a way to reconnect with my Japanese heritage, which I didn’t grow up fully knowing the culture and language. She didn’t want to share photos or her koto background, which led me to have the book focus on learning more about the instrument and exploring the stories of others.
Body Copy Treatment
As one flips through the book, the columns shift up and down. This is to have the reader’s eyes flow through the text similar to the flowing feel music gives.
There are multiple treatments within the body copy:
1) Italicized and colored Japanese terms; emphasize
2) Bold Superscript
Image Treatments
Programs Used: Photoshop
Before
After
Before
After
Before
After
Before
After
There are two distinct image treatments. Both the treatments bring attention to the koto and the subject interacting with the instrument.
1) Subject and koto in color, background in B&W
2) Instrument isolated from the background
Maki-e Illustrations
Programs Used: Procreate
Butterfly
Sakura
Crane
Chrysanthemums
Photography
Camera Used: IPhone 16 Pro
Photos of a koto from Sound of Asia (2146 S Hacienda Blvd, Hacienda Heights, CA 91745)
Poster Series
Initial Directions
Refined Iterations
April 2025
Programs Used: Procreate, Photoshop, InDesign
8 in x 8 in x 0.27 in
Acknowledgements
Course: Communication Design 3
Professor: Tracey Shiffman, Cheryl Miller
TA: Allyssa Acevedo