100 Days is an annual project at New York City’s School of Visual Arts that was founded by Michael Bierut. Each year, the students of the school’s Master’s in Branding Program spend 100 days documenting their process with a chosen creative endeavor. This year, we’re showcasing each student in the program by providing a peek into ten days of their project. You can keep an eye on everyone’s work on our SVA 100 Days page.
Dan Azic is a brand designer and strategist based in New York. When he moved in with his partner, Caitlin, he saw firsthand how sentimental she gets, even with the simplest of objects. Everything to her has a story. These stories make up who she is. For 100 days, he aims to learn more about Caitlin by learning more about her things. How much do you know about your loved one’s things?
See the full project on Instagram @caitlins.things
013 | Ring, 1960s
“This was my grandma’s wedding ring. I really loved her a lot and I miss her… I have really strong memories of her hands and that they always had rings on them.”
053 | Moka pot, 2022
“Last summer, I stayed in a really lovely apartment in Venice. The one problem with the apartment when I got there was that the Moka pot didn’t work and that was just not going to work because I am a coffee addict. So I went to a store and bought this little guy. It makes me happy; it makes me think of living there.”
029 | Game Boy, 2009
“In high school I just thought it would be fun to get this.”
061 | Matchbook, 2022
“We ate literally one of everything on the menu. I was so full, I couldn’t move. And the table next to us, some guys from London, were like, ‘Oh, are you guys on a first date?’ Like, who would eat that much on a first date? That was pretty funny.”
025 | Flatware set, 2018
“I really wanted to own wooden silverware, this sort of Danish modern look. I just stalked Etsy and eBay for like six months until one went on sale. I really love these.”
002 | Bowl, 1999
“I’ve carried this everywhere I’ve lived… It always makes me think of home.”
043 | Sweater, 2002
“When I was in middle school, I played competitive chess on my school’s chess team, coached by Ray Orwig. My relationship with Mr. Orwig was tested because in sixth or seventh grade, I was also really into acting and musical theater. Thus my first AIM screen name, which was chesstap. The first performance of our play was the weekend of the state chess championships or something. And I told Mr. Orwig that I had to miss it. And he was, like, you have to choose, musical theater or chess. And I chose musical theater and I didn’t play on the chess team anymore.”
038 | Book, 2020
“So I went down a Wikipedia rabbit hole and landed on this really famous graphic designer, Otl Aicher. He designed some famous book covers and I really loved this one. Berlin is just a really special place to me.”
011 | Magnifying glass, 2016
“It became a joke among my friends that when they came in the library, I’d always be hunched over a coin with my magnifying glass.”
010 | Met buttons, 2011
“One guy from visitor services told us that the museum was going to phase out the buttons and move to stickers, which is what they have now. So when I heard that, I held on to a bunch of them and then of course, they’re extra special now because the Met not only phased out the buttons, but they changed their logo.”