My Tools of the Trade: Coalesce Designer Barbara Cadorna
We share recs about our favorite products and the stories behind how we use them. Design by Barbara Cadorna.
Barbara Cadorna isn’t just any 23-year-old designer. Her Brazilian flair influences the jaunt in her step here, where she commutes from her apartment in Bushwick to our studio and agency here in Chinatown. She recently produced an acclaimed project, “Mütter Museum;” which earned recognition in the TDC Young Ones 2023 and Communication Arts 2023 Design Annual.
And she’s just getting started.
If you want to see her work, look at our brand — her fingerprints are all over it. Here, she shares five staples of her creative life, from the design reference book she can’t live without to the psychedelic, Salvador Dali-leaning rug that brings her daily joy.
The Visual History of Type: A visual survey of 320 typefaces by Paul McNeil. Image: Barnes and Noble.
It’s huge, and not at all handy, but I consider the “The Visual History of Type” to be a tool of my trade. This is a design reference book that I use for my work. It gives you a timeline of western history of typography, dating back to the 15th century. It has over 300 typeface specimens, their detailed characteristics, backstories, and influences, as well as their availability digitally. It was on my syllabus for Professor Paul Shaw’s History of Type course (10/10 if you’re interested in the most specific type peculiarities) at School of Visual Arts, and it helped me understand how to read the different letter anatomies and make comparative analysis between typefaces. I still reference it today, like even when I was making the branding work for the Creative Factor. This book briefly touches upon letter anatomy. For those eager to dive further into the creation and technicalities of type, I’d also suggest “Type Tricks” by Sofie Beier as a great starting point. This compact yet mighty book taught me about the letter's most basic structure, akin to a skeleton, and it inspired my acclaimed project, “Mütter Museum;” which recently earned recognition in the TDC Young Ones 2023 and Communication Arts 2023 Design Annual.
High Quality Paper Bind Slim Plain Notebook. Image: Muji.
I like to start the creative process with pen and paper, and I like how Muji notebooks are affordable and made of good material. I keep one at home for journaling after my therapy sessions, and I always like to carry a tiny one in my bag in case I have any spontaneous thoughts to write down.
To be honest, these notebooks look so nice that I run away from them. I like to be messy without shame or fear of messing up a nice sketchbook. And because I am scared of “ruining” a pretty journal, I also use the cheapest soft-cover spiral notebooks I can find — the type where you can buy a pack of 10 for $5. I go through those types of notebooks in about a month, fleshing out my creative ideas and doodles. I also use them to write down my notes during meetings and lectures.
No matter which type of notebook you choose, I think it’s important to write down your ideas and details about your life. I write down design problems — my own, or my peers’ — and the solutions that came out of them, to reference back to in the future. And the same idea goes for my personal life: I’ve realized my problems are cyclical. By looking back at my journal, I am better able to own my own story and try to handle problems differently than I did before. Keeping material things from my past helps me realize that I am someone worthy, and that I’ve done a lot, even when high-productivity society says differently.
Think Board Calendar. Image: Think Board.
Universal Melamine Dry Erase Board with Aluminum Frame, 36 x 24, White Surface, Anodized Aluminum Frame. Image: Office Supply.
These are tools I use to keep myself accountable. I call the white board an accountability board, since it reminds me of personal projects that I am setting out to achieve. It has both the dreams and the concrete steps to accomplish my personal endeavors. It’s also a focus board: Sometimes I tend to deviate from my current projects because I had another super duper idea I want to fulfill, so the board makes me focus on what matters now.
The calendar goes right next to it and it is filled with all the events in my personal life (since I use Google Calendar for work). Usually I spend about 30 minutes on a Sunday writing on my calendar, scheduling events for two weeks ahead, so that it's more manageable for me.
Irregular Shaped Throw Rug Illusion Pattern Hand-Tufted 100% Wool Handmade Area Rug Carpet. Image: Beyond Rug Store.
When I moved into my first apartment, I needed to make sure my space reflected my personality to make it feel like home. When I was young, for instance, I would draw on the walls, and that was how I expressed my personality in my space. Now that I am renting, I can’t do that. That’s why I bought this earth-toned, rainbow-like, tufted rug made in India on Etsy. When I work from home, this rug is a visual cue in my space that rejuvenates me.
The rug has a weird shape and it’s completely untraditional, which reflects my personality. And it’s kind of psychedelic (just look at it!). It reminds me of what I like about Salvador Dali’s work — melting, abstract elements that symbolize change and impermanence; something I am trying to embrace more in my life. In the creative world, linearity is a manufactured illusion; and enforcing it leads to generic and half-baked results. It’s hard to feel okay with the fluidity of the creative process, but once you start detaching from being a control freak, there’s always something beautiful in our chaotic nature.
Paper Clip Earring. Image: Studio Cult.
My roommate in college was always interested in fashion, and she used to buy kits of mini collector’s items from 5 Surprise Store and create earrings out of them. These items would be miniatures of things like Lipton Iced Tea boxes, Clorox wipes, handcuffs, ducks, and some up-cycled work. She gifted me some of these earrings and I wear them all the time. I love them so much that to this day, I buy similar funky earrings from Studio Cult, a very hyped and more polished, high-end brand that speaks a lot to Gen Z. Although their earrings are expensive for me, a 23 year old who just started my career, I love how the brand transformed these pedestrian items into luxurious fashion. From there, I’ve bought a handful of single earrings, like fish hooks, can tabs, screws, and more.
These earrings make me feel special, especially when I am passing by a coffee shop before work and someone laughs at my earrings and tells me that they love them. It’s a conversation starter, which is a great tool for my introverted side. They also reflect me and my personality. I would say one of my personal attributes is that I am somewhat unorthodox, and these earrings reinforce that image. Also, who doesn’t love miniatures?
For more unusual earrings and other accessories, check out their website.
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