At the end of my sophomore year at the University of Washington, I studied abroad in the Rome Design Program that covered photography, design history, and art history. At the end of the trip, I handmade a book filled with photos I took in Italy. In the process, I learned so much more about editing photos, designing layouts, and binding books that brought out my strong passion for visual design. I will always cherish the inspiring memories in Rome. Hope you enjoy!

Course: UW Rome Design Program
Duration: 1 month
My Role: Visual Design, Photography, Book Binding (and Eating Italian Food)
Tools: Indesign, Photoshop, Lightroom
Collaboration: None

Crafting the book was like composing a symphony of paper, paints, and photography - creating the perfect balance of elements to present to the reader.

When I was touring near Campo de' Fiori, I stopped by an amazing shop of leather goods. There, I met the store owner and designer Federico Polidori. I was immediately attracted to his leather craft techniques, and admired his dedication to crafting. He kindly accepted my request to take of portrait of him in his environment. I later gave him the photo printed and framed with care to thank him for showing me his work and sharing his life story. We exchanged a few emails, and sent each other sketches of this customized camera bag that I made myself a promise to get in the future. :)