As a designer, I often lean towards a more quirky, playful and abstract style. This influences me to explore the surreal and fantasy-based themes like dreams, the imagination and cyber-space.
For my final major project, I took inspiration from tarot card designs but changing the traditional meanings behind them to relate to social media. More specifically, I looked at issues or topics young females experience online in the twenty first century.
As an example, I took the ‘Judgement’ card, which represents a time of resurrection and awakening or a ‘new beginning’. I then took this into my social media theme and had the idea to interpret this as a young woman comparing herself to others on Instagram – i.e. judging herself and the way she looks. Another one was ‘The Lovers’ card and I interrupted it as online dating.
In terms of my collection, I have created 15 tarot designs for a mini deck of cards, each one focusing on a specific topic, and 18 pattern designs which focuses on motifs found within the tarot imagery. These designs will all work for a bedroom environment; the pattern designs more for bedding, throws, lampshades, coasters, etc while the tarot designs are more for prints, wall-hangings, etc.
The aim of my project is to highlight these important topics and help young women to feel less isolated in their situation by adding a relatability, encouragement and sometimes a bit of humour.
Fel dylunydd, rwy’n dueddol o arddel arddull anarferol, chwareus, haniaethol. Mae hyn yn dylanwadu arnaf i archwilio’r themâu swreal a ffantasïol fel breuddwydion, y dychymyg a seibrofod.
Ar gyfer fy mhrosiect mawr olaf, defnyddiais gynlluniau cardiau tarot fel ysbrydoliaeth gan newid yr ystyron traddodiadol i ymwneud â’r cyfryngau cymdeithasol. Yn fwy penodol, edrychais ar faterion neu bynciau penodol sy’n wynebu menywod ifanc ar-lein yn yr unfed ganrif ar hugain.
Fel enghraifft, cymerais y cerdyn ‘Barn’ neu ‘Judgement’, sy’n cynrychioli cyfnod o ddeffroad, atgyfodi neu ‘ddechrau newydd’. Defnyddiais hyn wedyn ar gyfer fy thema cyfryngau cymdeithasol, a phenderfynu dehongli hyn fel menyw ifanc yn cymharu ei hun ag eraill ar Instagram – h.y. yn barnu ei hun a’i hymddangosiad. Un arall oedd cerdyn ‘Y Cariadon’ a’i drin fel pwnc caru neu ganlyn ar-lein.
O ran fy nghasgliad, rydw i wedi creu pymtheg cynllun tarot ar gyfer dec bach o gardiau, pob un yn canolbwyntio ar bwnc penodol, a deunaw patrwm sy’n canolbwyntio ar fotiffs sydd mewn delweddau tarot. Bydd y rhain i gyd yn addas i ystafell wely; gyda’r patrymau fwy ar gyfer dillad gwelyau, carthenni, lampau, matiau diodydd ac ati, tra bod y cynlluniau tarot fwy ar gyfer printiau, addurniadau wal ac ati.
Nod fy mhrosiect yw tynnu sylw at y pynciau pwysig hyn a helpu merched ifanc i deimlo’n llai ynysig yn eu sefyllfa drwy ychwanegu elfennau o uniaethu, anogaeth ac ychydig o hiwmor.
