After just getting back from Switzerland where she was overseeing the hand manufacturing of a super limited amount of her recent design publication, Intersection: 4 Cities/360 People, Cynthia took some time to forward me the URL to her recently launched personal portfolio site and a more detailed descriptive text on her truely amazing and meticulous typographic specimen of a book…

Her biography follows…

Originally from Houston, Texas, Cynthia Tuan spent her formative years in the eclectic and colorful city of Los Angeles. In 1996, she received her BFA with an emphasis in visual communication from Art Center College of Design. She has an extensive background in editorial, information and interface design for companies such as Banana Republic, Buzz Magazine, Leagas Delaney, Phoenix Pop and Levi’s.

In 2001, her passions for structuring narrative and information led her to the University of Art and Design in Basel, Switzerland where her thesis project, “Intersection: 4 Cities/360 People” was awarded one of the Most Beautiful Swiss Books of 2004.

Now, her journey brings her full circle, back to the States, to work as designer, utilizing her skills and sensitivity to content, collaboration and process. When she’s not working, Cynthia enjoys reading, sport climbing, surfing and knitting.

Here is some more information on Cynthia’s hand crafted design publication…

Intersection: 4 Cities/360 People

The Irish have a saying, “a stranger is just a friend you haven’t met yet.” However, the reversal is equally valid. A friend can be at times but a stranger who has happened to cross your path.

This fundamental revision of thinking is especially relevant given the global context of the world we now live in. Development of cosmopolitan centers, cheaper transportation, advancements in communication technologies and the breakdown of a singular national identity in favor of more complex and overlapping allegiances, have opened new opportunities to whose paths we intersect. Our relationships are no longer restricted by rigid yet passive constructs such as citizenship, ethnicity or national identity; and therefore evolve according to more flexible and dynamic ways of interaction.

Spanning the period of over four years, Cynthia Tuan meticulously documented her encounters. The collection of encounters is assembled into Intersection: 4 Cities/360 People, a book which explores the dynamics of connections and interactions; black and white statistical data are translated into colorful narrative dialogues reflective of the author’s own multicultural landscape. The goal was not to create information graphics rather to stay true to the content and show how graphics can be transformed and inspired by information.

The secondary and adjoining title: Intersection: 360 People/4 Cities introduces the people and their relationship with the author. Important to also note, the second book acts as a key to the first one.

Designers Notebook: This is the first blog entry of its kind in the Designer Profiles Category. I am planning on posting to this section more over the coming weeks. So keep your eyes peeled for more featured Designers

View: a bridge to… Cynthia Tuan, Design Portfolio