JAQ AILEEN

The Shape of Water is an analysis essay turned zine that explores the duality of women in Greek mythology through the lens of water: a force that both nurtures life and brings destruction.

This project reimagines classical myths to examine how femininity is often tied to nature’s most fluid and unpredictable element.

Size: 8 x 11in, handmade resin cover
Binding: Coptic Stitch
Typeface: Carta Nueva Display, Faculty Glyphic, Big Caslon CC

Where ideas entwine and stories emerge in delicate balance. This interactive card game celebrates the art of connection through 80 cards across 10 themes.

Players weave their ideas together by physically interlocking the cards through slits, building layered structures that grow into intricate forms — both visually and conceptually. Each structure tells a story, revealing how creativity, collaboration, and meaning can interlace into something greater than the sum of its parts.

Size: 3 x 4.5 x 2.5 in
Binding: Handmade Rattan Weaved Box with Button & Tie Closure
Typeface: Geographica Script, Geographica Regular

Food has always been used as a medium to connect people. This book is meant to highlight that New York’s street food vendors play a crucial role in a New Yorker’s daily life whether they notice it or not.

By combining photography with articles on history, legalities, and economic impacts, I’m creating a multifaceted narrative that speaks to the significance of street food in NYC. This approach acknowledges street food vendors as essential contributors to the city's cultural and economic landscape.

Size: 5.8 x 8.3 in
Binding: Spiral
Typeface: Ghost, Helvetica Neue

Based in Jakarta, BUMI Museum is a Natural History and Geology museum dedicated to bridging the worlds of science, art, and cultural heritage. It offers visitors an immersive understanding of Indonesia’s rich geological history while nurturing a sense of wonder and responsibility toward preserving the earth’s treasures.

I created the brand identity guide book for BUMI Museum, developing a visual and narrative system that reflects its mission to connect people with the natural beauty and history of our planet.

Size:8.26 x 6 in
Binding: Spiral
Typeface: Ghost, Helvetica Neue

Located in Jakarta, BUMI Museum explores Indonesia’s geological past through a blend of scientific discovery and artistic storytelling. Its mission is to inspire appreciation and care for the earth’s natural heritage.

Building on the museum’s visual language, I designed and developed a website that showcases BUMI’s collections and values through an interactive and cohesive digital experience based on the brand identity I created.

Website Link ↗

Code: HTML, CSS, Javascript
Typeface: Ghost, Helvetica Neue

Aqura is a New York-based small business specializing in sophisticated, nature-inspired handmade jewelry. The brand identity needed to reflect this while staying true to the ocean-inspired, nature-focused vision. Balancing sophistication with a fresh and organic aesthetic was a critical design challenge.

Typeface: Custom Type

Inspired by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki's essay of the same name, this website is is a desktop-friendly creative coding project. This work explores the intersection of typography and interaction, using light, motion, and contrast to echo Tanizaki’s meditations on shadow and subtlety.

The project features a typographic dialogue between the contemporary sans-serif Buljirya and the classical serif Cardo, inviting users to engage with text in a space shaped by quiet tension and visual play.

Website Link ↗

Typeface: Buljirya, Cardo