portfolio

photography by zuzana kubišová, 2014
PORTFOLIO: SELECTED WORKS
ZUZANA KUBIŠOVÁ
SLOVAKIA // CZECH REPUBLIC // OHIO
2012 // 2018
photography velka fatra mountainside




ARCHITECTURAL STUDIES // INTERIOR DESIGN // PRODUCT DESIGN // PACKAGE DESIGN // GRAPHIC DESIGN // DRAWINGS // ILLUSTRATION / FINE ART //
3 - 18 19 - 30 31- 36 37 - 38 39 - 42 43 - 46 45 - 52


3 BETWEEN HERE & THERE
Between Here and There, my exploration of time, became the most prominent work of my palimpsest collection. Consciously or unconsciously the source for this body of work is in my life experience.
The narrative agenda of this work was based on my personal reflection upon the in-between cultural space where I have found myself - a Slovakian living in the United States. As an outsider to an adoptive culture and not anymore an insider to my native one either. This work places the viewer in a moving vehicle that serves as a metaphor for the condition of the outlander: a constantly alternating substance reflecting transient states swinging between past and present, rule and chaos, and certainty and contingency. This body of work suggests a possible way of thinking about the world that carries along uncertainty, honestly reflecting my experience.
project 1 architectural studies


4
METHODS AND THEORIES IN REPRESENTATION
KENT STATE UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN
KENT // OH SPRING 2018
project 1 between here & there


5 project 1 architectural studies


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project 1 between here & there
“between here and there” work composes the triptych clearly emphasizing the idea of different parts - past - transition - a presence


7 project 1 architectural studies


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project 1 between here & there


9 PLAN & SECTION
Studying the presented bodies helped me to became aware of their inner natures. Thus I was able to transcribe these features into their plans and sections cuts, which I combined into a single projection for each body.
While the plan of the wrapped wire body is evident in shape, the section cut reveals the structure of this body, focusing mainly on the material density depicted through the different values of the graphic elements - lines.
The plan and section of the second convergent form (on the following page) emphasizes its complexity. The thicker and bolder elements are employed first to divide the space while the finer line defines less significant relationships. Both organizations are stressed with a pattern repetition. These streams are variable depending on the particular of visual distortion.
project 2 architectural studies
own photo of selected contrastive body: wrapped wire


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METHODS AND THEORIES IN REPRESENTATION
KENT STATE UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN
KENT // OH SPRING 2018
project 2 plan & section


11 project 2 architectural studies


12
project 2 plan & section
own photo of convergent form: convergent industrial ceiling


DIAGRAM
To create an experience that would enable viewers to see beyond the obvious forms, I developed a diagram that imagines four different situations that materialize beyond the vanishing point portrayed in the combined forms of the translation study.
The diagrams imagine series of possible visual distortions: parallel projection, the body formed by spherical mirrors, the body formed by angles, and the body projected by a spatially distorted lens. In each projection, a dense stream is always present. However, the shapes of these streams are variable depending on the particular of visual distortion.
13 project 3 architectural studies


METHODS AND THEORIES IN REPRESENTATION
KENT STATE UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN
KENT // OH SPRING 2018
14
project 3 diagram
the diagrams imagine possible visual distortions: parallel projection (left), by spherical mirrors (right)


15 project 3 architectural studies


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project 3 diagram
the diagrams imagine possible visual distortions: the body formed by angle (left), by a spatially distorted lens (right)


17 TRANSRIPTION
As a 3D Designer, I have always been interested in the process of transforming a 2-D representation into 3-D form. When I was asked to place my bodies into a single vessel, I embedded them in a field of three-dimensional space supported by a perspective grid. The aim was to find the singular vanishing point for the convergent form and wrapped non-convergent arrangement in the same three-dimensional space. While the converging body clearly depicts parallel lines toward the vanishing point, the two- dimensional form of the wrapped body had to be converted into the three-dimensional projection to be perceived as a spatial subject. Because the orientation of the parallel lines is not strictly determined, freedom of twisted deformation led lines toward the vanishing point of the first body. This method of translation brought two different perspectives together into the same vanishing point within the same three-dimensional geometrical system.
METHODS AND THEORIES IN REPRESENTATION
KENT STATE UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN
KENT // OH SPRING 2018
project 4 architectural studies


18
project 4 transcription


RESTORATION 44
Restoration 44 is a new coffee shop scheduled to open this December in the historic mill town of Mantua, Ohio. The project was started by a group of local people who hoped to turn a long-closed grocery store at the center of town into their village’s first coffee shop. The real challenge for this project was to turn a large open room into an inviting, homey but yet stylish space. To be successful the shop would need to be comfortable for locals as well as inviting to people from the broader area and commuters passing by in heavy traffic on Rt. 44. My approach was to design a functional, open space for the cafe that has within it natural elements and intimate spaces that create a relaxing atmosphere. Because of the budget and the regular-folk customers we sought, I chose to intentionally work with less expensive and unobtrusive materials and detailing. Through the addition of extra-large windows along the front wall and around the corner to the south side, light now floods into the interior, and the dark cavern of the former grocery store becomes a bright and welcoming place for socializing. I have tried to keep the space simple and harmonious, creating neutral wall colors and keeping the original concrete floor, with a light-colored staining, and featuring wood elements intermittently through the space. The selection of a temperate color palette and the addition of green floral details provide intimate connection with nature as well as a relaxing mood. Overall, visitors of coffee shop Restoration 44 will experience a warm, relaxed atmosphere that invites them in, as if to a living room, like guests calling on good friends.
19 project 5 interior design


RESTORATION 44 COFFEE COMPANY FREELANCE
MANTUA // OH 2018
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project 5 restoration 44


21 project 5 interior design


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project 5 restoration 44
renderings of the coffee shop designed for local customers in mantua ohio (left and right), space before the reconstruction (top left)
layout for the interior solution for restoration 44 coffee shop


POST - COWORKING SPACE
Post is a new coworking space scheduled to open in January 2018 in downtown Kent, Ohio. Local design studio Each&Every decided to reconstruct the whole top level of the historic building from the very beginning. The challenge of this project was to turn the raw, long narrow and dark place into a light, open environment an area fostering productivity and collaboration.
Through of addition of an extra-large glass partition in front of the facade front wall, I was able to achieve a better distribution of light that is crucial for a productive potential. The selection of a warm color palette as well as natural materials creates a homely, comfort feeling that supports creativity and mental health towards increased collaboration and productivity. For Post’s decor, I attempted to use inspiring modern graphic prints. A cohesive design of other spaces belonging to Post such as kitchen and small meeting room create a unifying feeling of simple, warm and highly creative space. The design studio office, Each and Every, that is also set on the second floor of the coworking space is designed in a separate individual feel, emphasizing its brand identity and personality.
23 project 6 interior design


POST - COWORKING SPACE EACH AND EVERY
KENT // OH 2018
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project 6 post - coworking space


25 project 6 interior design
renderings for post coworking space in kent ohio (above), original rough sketch by architect (below right)


26
project 6 post - coworking space


27 HELL’S
Hell’s is a new restaurant concentrating mostly on selling healthy fried chicken, located at a busy corner of Euclid and Mayfield in University Circle, in Cleveland. The space is planned for openning in April 2019. The project is conceived as a reconstruction of the previous restaurant space that should reveal modern interior space by reflecting its own identity. Because of specific requests and requirements of the client, I was limited to the use of black, grey and red color palette, metal-like materials and stone and concrete surfaces. Taking these restrictions into consideration, I aimed to design a stylish, characteristic space for a target that enjoys healthy fast food. The overall layout is open and organized, which allows every customer to see everything. The light perforated knee wall divides space to maintain a correct flow. The use of black and perforated metal and red colors exemplify the theme of Hot, Fried Chicken, Hell’s. A raw feeling has been mellowed by wooden elements and plants that should support the idea of providing healthy meals. The perforated metal sheet with the punched chicken images on the back wall is employed as a focal point of the restaurant.
CLEVELAND RESTAURATEUR FREELANCE
CLEVELAND // OH 2018
project 7 interior design


28
project 7 hell’s


29 renderings of hell’s restaurant in university circle, cleveland (left and right), the layout of the space (center), space before reconstruction (top right)
project 7 interior design


30
project 7 hell’s


31 CARDBOARD TOYS - BLOX
The Cardboard Blocks are a thesis project that explores the process of designing and developing an original toy for children. The process began with my despair over the growing reliance on screen-based devices for children’s play as well as the alarming addiction children seem to develop to a screen-based imaginative life. My goal was to develop a simple toy that would engage children in a more open-ended way than the programmatic “imaginations” of software productions. The screen can be vivid and enticing but shallow and repetitive. I aimed to make a child’s toy that would be tactile, dimensional, inexpensive, and open to multiple and even undefined uses. Something the child could program. Break apart, remake, invent. I didn’t want my toy to provide imagination to a child. I wanted my toy to provide an opportunity for the child to imagine.
At the end of my prototyping process, based on my research, I created a stack of brown corrugated cardboard boxes. I develop a modular system which allows creating various arrangements easily by stacking pieces on a top or next to each other, across a half or a quarter of the block. The first part, the top part, of the easily assembled template bears the cross enclosure shape with the cross cut out in the center. The second part consists of a simple strip. Both pieces are scored to direct folding by users. The whole design template is cut from brown corrugated cardboard. The novelty part of these cardboard blocks is in creating a broad range of different life-size structures or installations.
project 8 product design


32
MASTER THESIS PROJECT
KENT STATE UNIVERSITY
VISUAL COMMUNICATION DESIGN
KENT // OH SPRING 2018
project 8 cardboard toys - BLOX


33 simple templates of the block design made of corrugated cardboard, strip (left), cross enclosure shape (right)
project 8 product design


34
project 8 cardboard toys - BLOX


ROCKING ANIMAL
The rocking animal is my reply to the challenge of conventional rocking horses. I aimed to design a playful object that would provide entertainment, comfort, healthy motoric development and, of course, safety. The playful object is intended for 2 to 5-year- old children The rocking animal is a soft and appealing object that is very well cushioned, extremely difficult to overturn, sturdy, and all of its wooden surfaces are well rounded. At the same time, the rocking animal manages to have the irrevocable appeal of a plush toy with real sheep wool. During my testing period, even the youngest children were drawn to its soft and inviting presence. They immediately recognize a rocking horse in its simplified shape. The rocking animal (or rosking sheep) can be also used in many different ways: as a playful rocking object, as a two-by-two see saw, or after simple readjustment as a hammock for a lying position too.
35 project 9 product design


BACHELOR THESIS PROJECT TOMAS BATA UNIVERSITY IN ZLIN 3D DESIGN
ZLIN // CZECH REPUBLIC 2014
36
project 9 rocking animal


SOY’N’HEALTH PRODUCTS
Soy’n’Health company makes a variety of soy products, with emphasis on yogurts, in their manufacturing facility in Slovakia.
Their brand identity needed a refresh for their existing products. Additionally, they were set to launch new lines of a dairy yogurt packaging design. Each product line needed its own distinct look, yet had to fit in as part of the overall Soy’n’Health’s brand family. With the collaboration of my sister, I developed a whole brand identity as well as packaging design that set the product’s branding apart from the rest. Our approach with clean, sans-serif typography and mostly black & white color palette gives Soy’n’Health a luxurious feel primarily associated with high-end fashion brands, and at the same affordable products. To differentiate the flavor, every product also includes the image or color that alludes to the flavor of the product inside. Overall, the minimalist design serves as a stark contrast to more traditional yogurt packaging. The products are placed and sold in the mall across all of Slovakia and parts of the Czech Republic.
37 project 10 architectural studies
tofu packages of various flavors (left), soy yogurts of various flavors (center)


SOY’N’HEALTH S.R.O. FREELANCE
TRENCIN // SLOVAKIA 2013
38
project 10 soy’n’health products
tavenyr package of two various flavors (above center), soy white yogurt of various flavors (right)


EINSTEIN ON THE BEACH
Einstein on the Beach is an avant-garde opera of Phillip Glass and Robert Wilson depicting a metaphorical look at Einstein and his theory of relativity. The real challenge of this project was to adhere to the rigorous internal logic of a senseless music score and at the same time develop my typographic response for a score performance. Through attentive listening of a mystic non-narrative spoken text of numbers, solfege syllables and cryptic poems formed by precise shifting of mathematically configurations, I was able to record some distinctive patterns. These records helped me to develop a typographic logical system that reflects the song’s logistics. In the end, I created seven posters divided by a continuous line leading across the set, indicating the main stream of every song individually. Incorporating the idea of folded paper creating a vision of light and shadow supported the concept of space.
39 project 11 graphic design


PHILIP GLASS MUSIC SCORE
KENT STATE UNIVERSITY
VISUAL COMMUNICATION DESIGN
KENT // OH FALL 2015
40
project 11 einstein on the beach


41 project 11 graphic design
seven three dimensional different typographic posters depicting the music score of philip glass opera interpreting einstein theory of relativity


42
project 11 einstein on the beach


PERSPECTIVE STUDIES
Perspective studies were one of the assignments for Drawing course. The goal of this course was to learn the perceptions and misperceptions of achieving space and depth using line, tone, and detail. Using a tool, a carbon pencil, I was supposed to analyze space and capture an atmospheric perspective.
43 project 12 drawings


DRAWING
TOMAS BATA UNIVERSITY IN ZLIN 3D DESIGN
ZLIN // CZECH REPUBLIC FALL 2012
44
project 12 perspective studies


45 project 12 drawings


46
project 12 perspective studies
perspective studies of traditional
folk architecture, vlkolinec in slovakia (vlkolinec is listed in unesco world heritage)


47 TRAVELLING STANZA ILLUSTRATIONS
Working for Wick Poetry Center brought me an understanding of the emotional and philosophical relationship between poetry and illustration. Through different experimentations of combining two instruments of expressions, descriptive and imaginative, my illustrations reflect the tone of the poems. Overall my approach for illustration is to express the mood and atmosphere rather than merely designing a pleasing graphics layout.
project 13 illustration / fine art


48
WICK POETRY CENTER KENT STATE UNIVERSITY
KENT // OH 2016 - 2018
My Heart
Sometimes my heart feels like a baseball thrown into the air.
Sometimes my heart is hoping for a scarf against the cold.
Sometimes my heart feels like it is floating to the top of a chimney
then falling all the way down.
Sometimes my heart waits to put on its glasses
to take a closer look at life.
Sometimes my heart sits on the bench thinking about why it waited so long to show the world how much it can love.
Lily Tidrick
Design by Zuzana Kubišová
My Heart
My heart is a box of bright crayons that can draw my rich imagination and my multi-colored life.
My heart is like foggy glasses.
I can’t see the world as clearly as I would like to.
My heart is like a pair of dancing shoes that can take my soul to any destination and spin with the scenery.
My heart is a natural clock.
I wish I could turn its hands back to the past to spend more time with my mom..
Yanqin Weng
Design by Zuzana Kubišová
My Heart
My heart is a shiny lamp that provides light
for the children
of the world
My heart is a ladder I climb
to reach my goal.
Thoo Lei
Design by Zuzana Kubišová
My Heart
My Heart
My heart is a letter, every time it is sent to someone they tear the envelope.
My heart is a glass.
When I am thirsty the glass is empty with no water.
My heart is a phone. When I want to call someone it doesn’t have the charge.
My heart is a door. After work,
when I come to my house,
the door is locked.
Farid Ahmad Alkozai Design by Zuzana Kubišová
My Heart
My heart is a colorful dress, that can attract people
who want to buy it.
My heart is a neat dresser which mends the clothes
I put in it.
My heart is sharp scissors that can cut different emotions into pieces.
My heart is a belt which binds the feelings of human beings.
Bo Mi
Design by Zuzana Kubišová
My heart is a grateful key that can open
the locked door to the future.
My heart is a dream umbrella. When I open it, I can fly away from my fear.
My heart is a hidden map that cannot show me
the way to my homeland.
Donna Victor
Design by Zuzana Kubišová
project 13 travelling stanza illustrations


49 NaM Created by the Wick PoetrTraveling StanzasTM is a proWick Poetry Center at KentSchool of Visual Communicproject 13 illustration / fine art
illustrations created for different purposes - postcards, posters, magazine layout and such