Focusing on my own hometown of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, this interactive website crafts a larger narrative, or portrait, of a hometown by combining the historical narrative of the city with anecdotes of my own memories and perspectives.
This personal project was inspired by an experience I had sitting in the Reynolds Auditorium, watching my sister's Nutcracker performance. Before the performance, I couldn't help but think about all the great individuals who had graced that stage before her: Harry Houdini, Yo-Yo Ma, and even Neil deGrasse Tyson. It struck me that while many people may travel from far to witness arguably significant performances, they may not realize the way the place serves in the local community on a day to day basis. It made me reflect on how we often think of places in two separate ways: as tourist attractions to visit and as the everyday spaces where we live. This website aims to explore the intersection between these two narratives.
The places featured on this website were chosen for their historical significance as well as the memorable experiences I had at each of them. They include Historic Bethabara Park, Reynolda House, Reynolds Auditorium, Reynolds Building, Truist Stadium, Krispy Kreme, Old Salem, and Bowman Gray Stadium. Each place has a page dedicated to exploring the history of the place and my own encounters engaging with the space. Understanding the ways these different places form a singular city was also an important part of this project. Each location is marked on an interactive map and accompanied by a symbol or landmark representing it, demonstrating how the different places interact geographically with one another.
Bowman Gray Stadium
Historic Bethabara Park
Old Salem
Reynolda House
Reynolds Building
Reynolds Auitorium
Truist Stadium
Krispy Kreme
As part of this project, I designed a custom font for the website. I titled it "Hometown Regular" in honor of the overall project called "Portrait of a Hometown." The font is based on my own handwriting, giving it a personal touch. I used this font to denote headings, fun facts, and personal asides throughout the website, adding a unique visual element to the content.
This project was featured in the Fall 2022 Appalachian State University Graphic Design Senior Exhibition “Font Family.” The display featured photographs and souvenirs associated with the eight places involved in the project. For example, I included a toy car that my dad bought at the Bowman Gray Stadium as well as a hand-cut and assembled Moravian Star (Winston-Salem's official Christmas street decoration) as a nod to Old Salem. These tangible objects added depth and context to the places featured in the project.
