Book Design + Graphic Design
The Shape of Saudade
2020
“The shape of Saudade” explores the intricacies of this emotion and how humans experience it in their own individual way. Intense research spanning over a period of 50 days helped me trace the occurrence of this feeling of melancholic longing in people, art, literature and space.
The final result is an interactive book exploring the themes and construct of Saudade through the experiences of others. It enables the viewer to flip through the pages and use their own memories to understand the different aspects of Saudade - longing, absence, loss and acceptance. By using the 4 main senses of sight, sound, smell and touch, the aim is to create a very unique and intimate experience for the viewer.
Full case study here
Human emotions go beyond love, anger, happiness, jealousy and sadness. Saudade is a Portuguese term for longing for absence from life. It is loosely translated as yearning, missing and nostalgia in English. Although, in Portuguese culture, it holds a much complex and deeper meaning. It is just not a marginal feeling but a complex feeling of nostalgia, yearning, melancholy as well as joy.
