The Secret Miracle project was incredibly exciting, marking my first experience with Art Direction. Tasked with visually capturing Jorge Luis Borges' evocative story about an author living in Nazi-occupied Prague sentenced to death, I sought a powerful metaphor to communicate its profound, painful themes.
Genocide represents not only the extermination of lives but the intentional erasure of human existence and identity. This understanding inspired me to reimagine the book as an archive, thoughtfully assembled by an unseen observer intent on preserving Jaromir Hladik’s memory and exposing the inhumanity of the Nazi regime. Each artifact; scanned, torn, redacted, and intentionally incomplete; was designed to feel salvaged, fragile, and urgent, emphasizing the importance of bearing witness. From arrest warrants to street signs and book covers, every element was meticulously crafted to authentically evoke 1940s Prague. Typesetting, designing, and hand-binding the book helped me turn the project into both a reconstruction of Hladik’s story and a profound act of remembrance.
Initially, I felt significant pressure to create something deeply profound and unique on every page of this book. However, I soon discovered the power of building a clear, intentional system. Through thoughtful feedback from my professor and peers, I established a set of design rules that provided structure and consistency to the storytelling. With these foundations in place, the process evolved into finding rhythm; following the established guidelines, then intentionally breaking them to create subtle moments of surprise and depth. Balancing control and disruption brought a sense of cohesion without sacrificing freshness, ultimately making the final piece feel complete and engaging.