Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Function Follows Material, Pablo Ejarque González

Masters Theses

Dear Designer,

How often do we find ourselves lost in the design process, unsure of the next steps? It’s tempting to view every aspect of design as a problem needing a solution. However, function is not a problem. For a long time, I approached design from a problem-solving perspective, treating material as a secondary consideration after the idea had already formed. This approach needed to change.

This book is a journey—a map of material exploration. It is an embrace of experimentation and innate curiosity. Many of the experiments conducted did not culminate in finished furniture pieces, yet this does not …

Variations On Noise, Clinton Van Arnam

Masters Theses

Variations on Noise is a three-part collection: an index, a set of interviews, and a perspective on a working practice in graphic design and sound.

If noise is ubiquitous in our everyday lives, how do we define it and use it as a catalyst for dissonance and change? As a designer, I use noise algorithms to generate pseudo randomness and break up repetitive textures. As a musician, I use noise to create scores and performances that challenge our perception of what is comfortable and uncomfortable.

Seven interviews with designers, artists, musicians, and a Tibetan monk offer ways to approach the …

Toward An Artifact-Forward Feminist Design History, Celeste Caldwell

MFA in Illustration & Visual Culture

Feminist Design History is a field abundantly sown, with lots of room for growth. This essay digs through seminal and contemporary works of feminist design history to learn how to contribute to the field most thoughtfully. I find that future scholarship must meet four criteria in order to effectively meet the goals of feminist design. The proposed research criteria are to cut across definitions of craft and design, challenge the centrality of individuals, draw from a broad pool of resources, and study objects in and outside of the public sphere. I use these criteria to advocate for design research which …

Generations, Jayla Watkins

Student Projects

Understanding your family can be the starting point of understanding your personal identity. Coming of age, you begin to view your family members as individuals as opposed to their titles of “Mother” or “Grandmother” names that once seemed to elude that she possessed some sort of supernatural power. As Jayla Watkins looks across 3 generations of her family, she sees different versions of the same person affected by life experiences, environments, and choices. Some oddly similar and some worlds apart. Understanding the generations of woman before her helps inform the woman she is becoming.

With influences such as Deana Lawson …

Defining Her Future Conference Application, Michaela Stauber

Graphic Communication

The Women and Business club hosts the Defining Her Future Conference every year in order to empower young women and aid in their professional development. The conference has many opportunities for students to connect with professionals and learn from inspiring women but it does not currently have an application to enrich the experience. An application with all current conference information would minimize waste, provide conference information and logistics, and allow participants to network.

Input / Output, Zach Scheinfeld

Masters Theses

Input/Output emphasizes the processes and systems that create engagement, narrative, and meaning in graphic design, as opposed to singular inputs and outputs. In a series of experimental frameworks, ranging in form from 3D printed objects to browser-based painting tools, variables are put into the hands of the audience and user, creating conditions that are prime for retooling, repurposing, world-building, and play. Throughout, an open dialogue and feedback loop is formed between interface and user, author and reader, and teacher and student, where power, agency, and structure are in constant circulation, resulting in the emergence of unexpected forms, speculative technologies, and …

Postindustrial Playbook++, Maxwell Fertik

Masters Theses

There is no such thing as an undisrupted ecosystem. Every inch of the planet is impacted by industrial development and its chemical legacy has mutated the soil and water. As a response, this thesis is designed to promote abundant over extractive resources and visualize a post-industrial reality. It consists of a series of objects, writing and design research on the relationship of industry and ecosystem.

In many ways it is a playbook++, laying out possible strategies or “plays’’ for making do with what exists around us amid collapse.

Japanese knotweed (Reynoutria japonica)(ي'ڑ*), a plant that grows in the most degraded …

Battaglini Winery: Marketing Collateral Development & Rebranding, Lexi L. Battaglini

Graphic Communication

The Battaglini Winery is a small family-run winery located in Sonoma County. The winery has no existing brand guidelines and any marketing collateral in current use has outdated information and design elements. The purpose of this project is to provide the winery with cohesive and refreshed brand guidelines while using these guidelines to generate relevant marketing materials for consumers.

Rebranding Lauren Hope Photography, Lauren H. Toomey

Graphic Communication

Lauren Toomey has been building her business, Lauren Hope Photography, for the past six years. During this time, she has developed a website as well as a social media presence, but has yet to establish a clear brand identity. This project served as motivation for Lauren to define her brand identity, which allowed her to create branding guidelines that could then be implemented across print and digital media.

All Clear: A Workbook For Sexually Active Accutane Users Who Can Become Pregnant, Taylor Petersen

Honors Projects

Accutane is a pill-based derivative of Vitamin A used to treat cystic acne. The process to start and continue the medication each month is tedious and full of potential for error. This is especially true for female patients who are able to become pregnant as they have the additional step of monitoring and updating their birth control through an online portal. Patients are treated like numbers and there is little to no customization within Accutane treatment from patient to patient. To make this worse, reliable information about the drug is scarce and many turn to social media platforms or other …

Uni_Form Space: Exploring Environment Through Fashion+Architecture, Alanzo Price

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Henry Van de Velde advocated for the German concept, ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’ which translates to ‘total work of art’. This concept became popular during the Art Nouveau Movement around the 1890s when architects began utilizing their knowledge of scale to design fashion and other everyday objects like silverware. Though this concept has produced intriguing designs, architects still shy away from design processes that seem ornamental assuming that they will not produce work that is ‘architectural’. The goal of this project is to create an architectural environment by curating designed elements that use a recognizable design language present in fashion and architecture. The …

Visual Development Of The Night Sky Circus, Rebeca Ortiz

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This creative thesis explores the process of visual development and how one can apply it to their own body of work. Visual Development encompasses the entire concept design process, from the idea to the final design. Vis Dev artists document their journey to depict how an idea becomes a fully refined and polished concept. They illustrate a wide variety of elements, such as characters, costuming, props, and environments. The development of all of these factors then allows the artist to cultivate an imaginative and creative world that could be used for multiple forms of entertainment, such as animated films, video …

Nightmares And Hand Grenades: Dreams As A Storytelling Tool, Olivia Felber

All Theses

Dreams and nightmares feature prominently in art, story, and religious practice and tradition throughout history. In this paper I will discuss their prominence throughout these facets in daily life, and the various ways that we, as humans, have tried to elucidate meaning from them. I will study the nature and definition of dreams and nightmares through a scientific, cultural, and historical approach. I will also discuss folklore and the interpretation of nightmarish imagery in the context of an otherworldly adventure through a nightmare. These topics and themes will be shown, explained, and discussed through the methodology of my project- a …

Creating Character, Alexa Tenney

Honors Projects

This project explores the relationship between merchandise development and narrative development, with a specific focus on the creative development between dolls and animation. Through exploration of these creative mediums, I began to question: How does the creative process combining animation and merchandise develop, and what is the impact on the final product? This concept is broken down even further to focus specifically on characters, and how creative characters are developed for dolls. This project provides an overview of the history of animation and merchandising beginning with Felix the Cat in the 1920s. Felix represents an instance of an animated character …

Alif: Building A Bridge: Arabic Calligraphy And Arabic Typography In Design, Saba Esho

Honors Theses

The project is centered around the exploration of Arabic typography and its multi-faceted uses. Arabic calligraphy is an old practice and tradition that has been studied and refined since it was founded. Comparatively, Arabic typography is a much more recent creative study that is still developing, thus there has not been much literature that covers it. Therefore, the main goal of the project is to highlight and integrate Arabic typography with Arabic calligraphy. By doing so, the project builds a bridge within Arabic graphic design, connecting the rich Arabic calligraphy to its newer counterpart, Arabic typography.

In our day and …

Making Nature Accessible: Building An Accessible Wellness Retreat Within Nature For People With Physical Disabilities And Their Communities, Jenna Morell

Capstone Projects

Nature impacts our lives in such a way that it can be incredibly detrimental to our health and wellbeing to be away from nature (1). Nature helps us heal faster, relax more, and just generally lead a more well-rounded life (2). It provides an opportunity to feel the sun on our face, breathe fresh air, and get the exercise we need. When deprived of these experiences, our bodies truly suffer (1). People with physical mobility limitations suffer from mental health issues at a much higher rate (3), this issue is often exacerbated by the fact that much of the built …

Goodreads App Redesign, Lily Atazai

Graphic Communication

This project will be working on a redesign of the app, GoodReads. This app is used for readers to rate and comment on the books that they are currently reading or have finished. It allows for a community for readers to interact with one another, which essentially acts as a social media. All the users contribute to the rating of each book, which helps others decide if they would like to read it or not. There is also a filter function that allows readers to find new popular books, as well as search for them based on the genres they …

The High Tide Inn Rebrand, Caroline Turnbull

Graphic Communication

For my Senior Project, I found a small Inn in Maine that was just purchased by a new owner. The previous owner of The High Tide Inn was very old and had owned the Inn for a long time, running on word of mouth and the quaint charm of the location. Their website was not a priority and had not been updated in decades. It was not mobile friendly, up to date, or easy to navigate. The logo reflects a charming sign on the property, but does not translate well digitally. In addition to this, there is no vector file …

Laguna Love: A Sustainable Bikini Collection, Aubrianna L. Davenport

Graphic Communication

Graphic Communication can be applied to various industries of design. As a Cal Poly student I had the opportunity to study abroad in Florence, Italy. During that time I studied fashion and product development, which sparked my desire to become a textile designer one day; I specifically hope to work in the surf apparel industry. Whilst taking textile design classes abroad, I learned that I could apply my love for graphic design to the fashion industry quite seamlessly; I am thankful that Graphic Communication has provided me with the skill sets in Adobe Creative Cloud, especially, when applying my knowledge …

Fraz, Caitlyn Frazer

Master's Theses

Phrase /fraz/ noun:

A small group of words standing together as a conceptual unit, typically forming a component of a clause.

Frazer:

My last name. A word that encapsulates my family's stories, creativity, and legacy.

Fraz:

The title of my thesis show, it combines both the former words into one. Fraz is the idea of pulling family history and distilling it into visual storytelling through graphic design and creating the conceptual unit that is me. I am a unit that is multifaceted and strive to have work that is dimensional and encompass aspects of all different media including photography, sculpture, …

Mettle, Chelsey Augustine

Master's Theses

While many see Graphic Design as a separation from art, for me, it has always been a happy blend between my fine art and technological skills. In both areas, I think about what I want the audience to think of feel when the pieces in question. Form, color, anatomy, and concept are all part of my creative process, regardless of whether I am creating digitally with a Wacom or building a wax form in the foundry.

During my graduate studies, I started to get into a flow of building narratives to hone in on conceptual branding ideas. Being able to …

Above & Below, Kelly N. Munson

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

“Our ability to perceive quality in nature begins, as in art, with the pretty. It expands through successive stages of the beautiful to values yet uncaptured by language.” —Aldo Leopoldo

My work often finds itself in a lonely space. Is it science? Not really. Is it Art? Maybe. Is it Design? Sometimes. I have never fit neatly into any box. As a once want-to-be Chemist, I found the results of its study too tight and often detached. As I dove into the world of Fine Art, those efforts yielded work that was too loose—in many cases leaving me wanting a …

Burt's Bees: Branding And Packaging Update, Mia Rogers

Graphic Communication

This project will focus on examining the existing brand identity, package design, and social media marketing collateral for Burt’s Bees personal care company in order to create updated versions of each. I will be re-branding the products to appeal to a wider target audience, focusing primarily on Generation Z and their consumer preferences.

My deliverables will consist of a complete brand style guide (logo variations, primary and secondary color palettes, typography, and visual collateral), updated packaging (four popular lip balm flavors, the beeswax hand salve, and two facial cleansers), and an example of a digital advertisement showcasing the new brand …

Design/ Rebranding Of Andies Cafe To Go Packaging, Ryan Oscar Kastella

Graphic Communication

The following pages goes over the creation of To go packaging for a restaurant called Andie’s Cafe that sorely lacked it. The To go packaging that was created for this was Menus, Tamper Seal Stickers, Bags, and a Burger Wrapper. The goal in creating these is to increase there brand awareness and improve there current packaging branding.

Rebranding The Cal Poly Writers' Collective, Micah Wilkins

Graphic Communication

For my senior project, I rebranded the Writers’ Collective, Cal Poly’s creative writing club. This process included collecting feedback from the club members and creating both physical and virtual deliverables. I designed a new logo, then created a brand based around it. Using these, I then designed merchandise featuring the logo, such as stickers, and also designed a new template for the club newsletter. To ensure the rebrand is effective, I created a guide on best file practices and uploaded this, as well as all the designs I had created, to the club’s Google Drive, so that future officers can …

Skins+Fabrications: Addressing Fashion And Clothing Waste, Renee Palmer

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Articles of clothing; they are the second organ, the Second Skin. Their functions are to protect the body from the harsh external elements and create a sense of design with Fashion—the same as exterior facades on a building. However, where architecture and Fashion differ is sustainability.

The Global fashion industry contributes 10% of greenhouse emissions. From that 10%, about 13 million tonnes of clothing waste ends up in landfills or burned. Most of the waste comes from the Fast Fashion Industry, which sees cheap labor from underdeveloped countries to maximize profits. These companies will spend a good portion of their …

Break Time, Quinlan Maggio

Theses and Dissertations

In this graduate thesis artist Quinlan Maggio describes their two-part art project in which they create site-specific private/public spaces and encounters within a larger public, specifically, that of the Hunter MFA community and its art-viewing audience.

Crochet As An Allegory, Maeve R. Wallace

Student Projects

I have created a series of photographic installations that are inspired by the work of feminist and queer thinkers. I draw parallels between the manipulation of a weaved material through crochet and the way feminists work to continually create change. I find that the physicality, patience, detail, and repetition that comes with crocheting yarn or creating a photo mimics the ways in which activists, and more specifically feminists, have worked to combat the oppression and intersectional oppressions they face. String theory, potentially a theory of everything, proposes that in the quantum realm, stings, or loops, are the foundation of all …

Shiso: Asian Culture In San Luis Obispo, Natalie Elise Tsoi Rockhold, Mia Lee Candy

Graphic Communication

There is a serious lack of representation on the subject of Asian culture and history in SLO. This magazine aimed to put a spotlight on this topic, with the unique lens of both authors also being mixed-race and how that factored into us finding a cultural community. Through our use of applied design we demonstrated and developed our technical skills in Adobe CC and tactile skills in printing and binding. We created a printed magazine which incorporated cultural elements into its design. We aimed to reflect a strong message in a captivating visual medium, and used personal skills in web …

Culture In Disney Films: A Comparative Analysis Of Color, Composition And Rhythm, Megan Paul

Interior Design Undergraduate Honors Theses

As a student of design, I take inspiration from everything around me. The media I consume, the places I visit, and the people I meet.By choice or not, I and my generation are subject to the various forms of pop culture, film is one of them. Film is one of few art forms which combines several methods and elements of design to produce a cohesive result, as opposed to a singular medium. This forms the connection to design thinking and is the foundation for the study.

Another critical component to pop culture is the ability to reach the masses. Due …