Matchbox Project
Matchbox Project
In January 2021, for a design assignment, I was presented with a list of indie films and was asked to choose one to study. Then I was tasked with designing, printing, and constructing a matchbox/matchbook that adhered to the tone and style of that film. The film that I chose was “The Art of Self-Defense” directed by Riley Stearns. This film follows Casey Davies, played by Jesse Eisenberg, as he becomes a part of the dark world that is his karate class.
Expectations: Create a matchbox or matchbook, The design must reflect the film’s tone, style, and colors, the matchbox must look like it would actually exist in the world of the film, and matchboxes needed to display an ample level of craftsmanship.
Process:
To begin this project, I started by watching the film and discerning how it felt, the various themes that are displayed throughout, and how a matchbox could be incorporated into this setting. For “The Art of Self-Defense” I figured a matchbox could be used as marketing for the dojo in the world of the film, to do this I put myself into the shoes of the sensei in the film and designed something I felt he would.
Attempt #1
Results:
After some iterations, my final design evokes two of the colors that are at the center of the film, black and yellow. These colors are representative of the main character Casey (a yellow belt) and his Sensei ( a black belt). In the film, Sensei has a strong focus on masculinity, with him repeatedly talking about how martial arts will help Casey become more manly. I incorporated this into the messaging on the side of the matchbox. Something else from the film that I included was Sensei’s rules, number eleven being “guns are for the weak”, I incorporated this on the inside of the matchbook with the idea that He would put different rules on each matchbook.
