Obsessively Compulsive

Author/Artist Name

Macie KaneFollow

Files

Academic Level at Time of Creation

Senior

Date of Creation

Spring 4-15-2022

Artist Statement

When I was 7 I was diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) which is a debilitating neuropsychiatric disorder that affects men, women, and children. But, most people often use it as an adjective to describe when a person is organized or a perfectionist. My designs attempt to inform and demonstrate to viewers who do not have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder what it is like to have OCD. Through package, product, and layout design, I have created boxes and informational materials that not only raise awareness about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, but also demonstrate the repetition and overwhelming, chaotic nature that is associated with living with OCD into tangible experiences for viewers.

The work in my show begins with a moire pattern that illustrates the brain scans of a person with OCD and a neurotypical person, and the subtype of OCD that is typographically illustrated using a decoder design on the interior of the box. Inside of the larger box I designed interlocking compulsion boxes whose exterior matches the chaotic, overwhelming decoder design of the larger box they are in. These boxes are meant to demonstrate the repetition of obsessions and compulsions. Also inside of the boxes are various informational materials including, decoder filters, stickers, a brochure, and an informational booklet. The materials on the inside of the box are meant to be a way for viewers who don’t have diagnosed OCD to begin learning about what OCD actually is while also dismissing the trivialization that is often associated within the disorder. Because OCD is a diagnosed medical disorder I relied on factual information from the International Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Foundation, which is a foundation that is chaired by medical professionals who have researched and/or treated OCD.

Stylistically, my work consists of minimal illustrations and typography. Throughout my designs I only use 5 colors and black and white. I chose these 5 colors for my work because they are bright and overwhelming while still having the ability to overlap and contrast to make the layered typography designs. The 5 colors I use in my works help me to complete intriguing and educational layered compositions. While choosing these colors I was inspired by Massimo Vignelli’s Knoll designs in which he uses bright, saturated colors, bold sans serif fonts, and typographic overlay. For the overall typographic designs I chose Futura, a bold sans serif font, to make the designs seem overwhelming to the viewer while still being readable. Paula Scher’s use of typography as an illustrative element, especially her work with typographic overlay and her “How are you?” posters inspired the layout designs of my informational materials and posters. Overall, while designing the pieces in my show I drew a lot of my inspiration from minimalist designs often seen in modernist typography design.

For more information visit…

• https://iocdf.org/

Advisor/Mentor

Jim Bryant; G. Scott Cook; Danielle Mužina; Todd Herzberg, Mike Martin

Description

Obsessively Compulsive is awareness raising materials that inform/educate people about the realities of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). OCD is a debilitating neuropsychiatric disorder that affects men, women, and children. Through package, layout, poster, collateral design I created an informational starter kit to educate people on OCD. Through bright CYMK color and chaotic, overlapping typography I have made brochures, handouts, and info booklets that explain what OCD, obsessions, compulsions, and subtypes of OCD are. To make these materials more accessible I have made 5 unique boxes for them to be placed in. The boxes have an individualized interior that corresponds with the OCD subtype listed on their exterior. Along with these materials there are boxes that can be manipulated to move in different directions as a way to demonstrate the repetitiveness of obsessions and compulsions that people with OCD have or perform. When all of the materials are viewed together they offer answers to the question, "What is OCD?".

Photo Credit

Photos #2, 3, 4, 10, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 22, 24 taken by Shinyong Kim. All other photos taken by Macie Kane.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Kane, Macie, "Obsessively Compulsive" (2022). B.F.A. Practicum Exhibition (ART 498). 96.
https://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/art498/96