PROBLEM: Many of my classmates focused their capstone projects on large-scale, socially-driven problems. I wanted to take a different approach: a project with a single, personal audience — myself. My goal was to deepen my skills in illustrative design, celebrate my hobbies, and explore creative freedom before entering the professional design industry. I also wanted to demonstrate that design doesn’t always have to solve external problems — it can be a space for personal expression and experimentation.
SOLUTION: The result was Selfish Escapism, a project celebrating my favorite video games and the personal moments of immersion they provide. The project includes six minimal vector-style illustrated posters and a companion book, featuring game synopses, critical quotes, design rationales, and exclusive poster variants.
As part of the project, I held an on-campus exhibition, giving me hands-on experience collaborating with printers to ensure the colours, gradients, and effects matched my vision. I also experimented with advanced print techniques, including spot colour inks and creative laminate finishes, to produce patterns and foil effects in the book. This project allowed me to refine my technical skills while creating work that was fully personal and experimental.