I've always considered that my adoration of the place where I grew up is a defining aspect of myself. I was raised in a small town with a population of 410 in Southeast Minnesota, the bluffs region. For this project, I wanted to design four different illustrations highlighting key characteristics of four of the towns I spent most of my time in. I wanted each design to stand out on its own while also remaining the same integrity as a set of four.

It didn't matter what matrix I chose to plan the design around but I decided on coasters as a nod to the frequent pastime of people sharing drinks with each other and catching up. This was something I witnessed a lot while growing up. I strove to have each design be circular and not to have the viewer stop on any one aspect, but to keep their eye moving as they took in each new unique part. I also chose a color set of four to ensure that no color would ever touch itself, adding a black stroke outline helped a lot in this procedure. I also strove to have recognizable objects reduced to their most geometric forms, although some objects may only be recognizable by the residents of that particular town.

With each critique, I'd show my designs to friends of mine from each town and the response was always positive. I was successful in capturing the abstract essence of each town in a way that also worked as a complete set.