What If / Then
Generative Design
2024
SIZE: 6 x 4 in., each
What If / Then is a set of 50 Risograph-printed cards, featuring a question about my design methodology and process. Every card includes a unique background pattern generated using JavaScript code. The code uses attributes from the question itself, such as the first letter, total word count, number of vowels and consonants, and spacing, to generate a completely distinct visual output.
The patterns were not designed manually. Instead, I created a system where the content of the question dictates the visual form. This process removed my control as a designer, allowing the code to interpret and visualize the structure of each prompt. No two cards are the same.
I chose to print the cards using Risograph as a way to extend the hands-off approach I took with the generative code. Riso printing is an analog process that introduces its own kind of unpredictability through misregistration, inconsistent ink coverage, and unexpected color overlap. This choice was a response to the digital nature of the pattern generation. While the code was structured and computational, the final output became tactile, imperfect, and physical. The combination of generative logic and analog printing allowed the project to sit between control and chance, digital system and material output.
This project was an opportunity to explore generative tools within a structured system. It reflects my interest in how rules, when applied consistently, can lead to unpredictable results. By designing a framework where questions generate their own visuals, I was able to test how content and form can be tied together through constraint-driven logic.