Design Map · Eindhoven
Look Book : 101 Ways of Looking Illustrated
Graduation project by Ananya Maithel at Design Academy Eindhoven, 2026. Shown during Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven on Design Map, location F5.
‘Look Book’ is a publication that addresses social interactions in public spaces. Born from an observation of different cultural habits of looking, this field guide illustrates non-verbal interaction through gaze. With this publication, graphic designer Ananya Maithel explores her contrasting experience of public spaces in the Netherlands and India with humour. While being seen by a stranger can feel intrusive at first glance, it also implies visibility and recognition. Ignorance and invisibility, in contrast, separate social realities as if we were collectively participating in a parallel march. The publication expands looking into a visual system through the use of arrows, to make something which doesn’t have a formal language readable and relatable. Each of the 101 diagrams carries a subtitle that contextualises the illustrations, and points towards the deeper weight of the act of looking. As humour, discomfort and curiosity drive this work, its designer applies an analytical lens to everyday observations.