In this week’s class, we began decoding the book Invisible Cities. In our groups of threes, we each chose a chapter from the book and analysed it to better understand what the author, Italo Calvino, was suggesting through his writing. Calvino chose the city of Venice and gave it a face. He personified it, giving it exaggerated, unrealistic and fantastical characteristics, making the reader envision the cities in a very detailed manner. He appealed to emotion, sensory, and also made the audience spot design elements within the text, such as interior, product designs and several more interesting characteristics that expanded the imagination of the reader.

I learned that as a designer, it is important to learn how to decode and sell your designs convincingly. You have to break it down to the core elements and understand what your audience want. This made it easier for me to gauge what Calvino was imparting helped me understand his writing a little more.