Sindija Matvejane is a designer originally from Riga, Latvia with a keen interest in UI/UX design, photography, and illustration which is reflected in her work. She strives to work as a freelance Graphic Designer hoping to continue to develop her skills and work with other creatives within the field.
This project is a small publication in response to the colourful story brief set by ISTD. The book aims to educate artists and those alike about cochineal insects and its historical significance throughout the world specifically in Europe and South America. Cultivating cochineal dates back to 300 BCE and is still used primarily as a dye today. The publication will guide you along the journey of a cochineal insect's life all the way up to it being created into a red dye used by the Nazca tribes in Peru to many different industries in the contemporary world. Although cochineal is small their impact on the world was massive and changed the way we use red pigments forever.
The publication is a Super Octavo size and draws inspiration from illuminated manuscripts from around the 16th century when the colonisation period began, and when cochineal began to be exported to the New World. Scattered are reimagined illustrations with a contemporary twist inspired by old encyclopaedias and illuminated manuscripts creating a playful and intriguing publication. Try and spot the small, illustrated cochineal insects on the pages!