Otherwise known as the podcast book project, "Counting the Bugs & Bacteria" was based on the podcast I found and transcribed from Fresh Air: NPR that was hosted by Terry Gross on the microscopic life hiding in or interacting with our daily lives. The assignment entailed designing a book or small zine for the podcast content to reflect aspects, themes, or general sentiments of the subject discussed. From the title, the podcast was an interview of Rob Dunn and his expertise with microscopic organisms such as bacteria, fungi, and even bugs in contemporary human habitation.
In the making of this book, I decided to create my own bacteria icons with distinguishable features and personalities, and I wanted to explore the theme of hidden/seen through the presence of the bacteria throughout the narrative. One method was using red film sheets to filter the red bacteria or text on the next page, which will come to reveal once the red sheet is turned. Another was using abstracted macro photographic images of soap or common household ingredients to play on the similarity of form between bacterial environments and the chemicals we use to exterminate them. I wanted the reveal to shed light on the hidden community that we often forget about or want to ignore, as well as emphasize on some misconceptions about germs that we often have.