Process

The process began with observing how time is experienced in everyday life and how strongly it is connected to stress, performance, and constant self-optimization. Calendars, schedules, and routines are usually presented as tools for control and efficiency, but they often create pressure and a feeling of never being enough.

I started by analyzing conventional calendar systems and identifying which elements reinforce this pressure — such as fixed structures, calendar weeks, comparison, and productivity-based thinking. From there, I deliberately began to break these rules.

The design process was highly experimental and intuitive. I worked with sketches, typographic tests, graphic compositions, and playful visual ideas. Randomness was not only a theme but also a method. Many decisions were made intuitively to allow unexpected outcomes. Humor, exaggeration, and absurdity became tools to rethink time on an emotional level rather than a functional one.

Concept

The core concept of the project is the idea that happiness does not need structure, meaning, or optimization. Instead of organizing time to make life more productive, the calendar questions why time always has to serve a purpose.

The project uses the familiar format of a calendar to create contrast. While the calendar still follows a real year with 365 days, it reorganizes this time into 14 irregular months. The months differ in length, rhythm, and naming, creating an experience that feels unpredictable and playful.

By removing familiar systems such as calendar weeks and linear progression, the calendar invites users to let go of control. Time becomes something to experience rather than manage. This shift creates space for lightness, humor, and moments of joy that exist without justification.

The calendar

The calendar exists as a printed object in A3 format with ring binding and can be used as a wall calendar. While it visually resembles a traditional calendar, its structure and content break with familiar expectations.

A calendar overview and an ironic instruction page explain how the calendar “works” — mainly by reminding users that time passes regardless of planning or productivity.

The months

The year is divided into 14 months, each with a distinct name, duration, and visual identity. The month names range from playful and absurd to direct and ironic, reflecting different emotional states related to time and everyday life.

Some months are very short and pass quickly, while others are intentionally long and visually stretched. Each month follows its own visual idea, using typography, graphics, or minimal compositions. This variety prevents routine and reinforces the idea that time is not uniform or predictable.

The months are not meant to be compared, optimized, or completed. They exist as experiences rather than units of measurement.

Result

The result is a calendar that transforms time into a playful and emotional experience. It creates moments of humor, irritation, and recognition. By breaking with familiar systems, the project offers relief from pressure and invites a more relaxed relationship with time.

Conclusion

This project suggests that happiness can be found in moments that are unnecessary, unplanned, and free of purpose. By questioning calendar logic and embracing randomness, the calendar becomes a medium for reflection rather than organization.

It challenges the idea that time must always be efficient and meaningful. Instead, it invites a more relaxed, playful relationship with everyday life. Happiness here is not something to achieve, but something that appears quietly when pressure fades and control is released.

Zine