Art and Design Commons^™

Design Your Career - Design Your Life, Joshua R. Beal

Masters Theses

This research investigates the current plague of unemployment and underemployment that nearly half of qualified individuals in the field of Visual Communications are met with after graduation. Students who major in this field dedicate a tremendous amount of time, money, and energy toward developing a broad skillset that resolves critical matters of communication through visual solutions. Research has demonstrated that despite conditions that are subject to ongoing change of economy, industry, and marketplace there are contributing factors that must be addressed to overcome un/underemployment regardless of circumstances. These include an underdeveloped network of professional contacts, deficiency in recognizing or responding …

Elevating The Environment Through Artistic Expression, Becky Gumbrewicz

Senior Honors Projects

REBECCA GUMBREWICZ (Environmental Science and Management)

Elevating the Environment Through Artistic Expression

Sponsor: Judith Swift (Communication Studies, Coastal Institute)

Currently there are multiple areas of environmental concern that require not only scientific research but increased public awareness in order to motivate further action toward preservation of our environment or remediation of human impacts. To promote a broader perspective of the most effective ways to communicate science, this project offers the culmination of an environmentally-focused art showcase of student interpretations of science that one could posit elevated public perception of the environment. An integral part of conducting research is understanding how …

The Utilization Of Visual Design Systems To Promote Higher Levels Of Learning In Educational Environments, Keenan Sultanik

Masters Theses

Traditional higher education environments have changed very little in the last hundred and fifty years, while technology has advanced in nearly every other area of society making each more productive and more capable. This study identifies key aspects of a comprehensive and universal visual learning system that incorporates a more holistic approach to design and interactivity in educational environments. The desired effect of this is elevating classroom learning to higher levels as defined by Bloom’s Taxonomy. In this thesis, I have collected and explored empirical and observational data to examine the relationship between effective learning environments and the use of …

Automation In Graphic Design, Robert M. Doehling

Honors College Theses

Advances in technology have had dramatic impacts throughout history on a myriad of industries outside of the technology industry itself. These changes are showcased through a brief examination of the changes within the graphic design industry since the recorded birth of the graphic. With the advent of popularized artificial intelligence seen in the modern day, many are predicting the end of graphic design. Through an analysis of current automated design products within the consumer market and a dive into the research alongside design automation professional Peter O’Donovan, it is evident that the role of the graphic designer will most likely …

Teacherless: The Futures Of Design Education, Andrew Hladkyj

Publications and Scholarship

With the ever-growing disruption of education by technology and the trend toward self-directed and autonomous learning, how might we reimagine legacy postsecondary design education in a “teacherless” society? Through a human-centred examination of today’s educational environment, this Major Research Project (MRP) derives 20 aspirational motivations at the heart of an independent

learning model. It reframes the disconnect between design academia and industry using an ’80s computer game and a Greek myth as fresh paradigms to uncover the value of strategic partnership, addictive learning, and platform-agnostic foundational training in preparing post-secondary design education for the future. This research offers four alternative …

A Child Could Do That: Communicating Fragmented Memories Outside Of Their Context, Rachel Weinstein

Honors Papers

Undergraduate Honors Thesis exploring the relationship between memory and language, and their visual expression.

Critical Voices: Reinterpreting American History At The Eiteljorg Museum, Megan True

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

"The complexity of the relationship between Native Americans and Western Americans is reflected in the visual culture of both societies, and in how it is displayed within the context of museums. The Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art is unique because it contains collections from both of these societies. It can be argued that displaying art from both societies in the same space only contributes to the colonial mindset because the voices of the Native Americans will be drowned out by the more dominant voices of the white settlers. I argue that the way that the Eiteljorg Museum …

From The Dirt Up: Layering Story, Place, And Environmentalism Within Three Picture Books, Lucinda Rowe

Children's Book Writing and Illustrating (MFA) Theses

The world is changing before our eyes – species are going extinct, the amount of habitat available to wildlife has decreased, and children are spending less time outside than in the past. Through analyzing environmental ideology within early childhood education and children’s literature, I demonstrate that picture books can inspire nature conservation, appreciation, and stewardship by encouraging outdoor play and exploration. I compare picture books that successfully demonstrate eco-consciousness without being didactic, how my thesis fits within the current environmental movement, and how it helps stretch the definition of what is considered eco-writing.

This thesis consists of three illustrated picture …