Art and Design Commons^™

Coarse-Work: An Investigation Into The Impact Of Materiality In The Interior Educational Setting, Isabel G. Robb

Honors Theses

Education design in modern suburban America curates learning environments that are cold and impersonal, being used more as a place to keep youth during the day than as a place where they can truly learn about and understand the world around them. This learning environment does not suit all students, especially those with learning disabilities, and it leaves little room for flexibility in classroom usage.

Focusing on creating a learning environment where all students feel welcome and are able to effectively learn, this projective design research project aims to provide a comprehensive intervention through the built environment and interior design, …

Modern Practices For Responsive Web Design And Web Accessibility, Keyaun Washington

Honors Theses

Responsive web design and web accessibility play crucial roles in ensuring an optimal user experience on the web. By designing websites with responsiveness and accessibility in mind, more opportunities are opened up for a wider audience to access and interact with our content. Through modern practices, responsive web design allows websites to reach several different devices ranging from compact smartwatches to expansive television screens. Designing for accessibility provides accommodations for individuals with impairments while also providing benefits for individuals without impairments. However, designing for responsiveness and accessibility can present challenges; a poor attempt at providing accessibility features can worsen a …

Game Design: Competitive Mobile Games, Kalen Wallin

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the design process for a competitive multiplayer game mode in “baldorf,” a ball-throwing mobile game developed by Mystic Rhoads Productions. The research aims to enhance the overall gaming experience by introducing a competitive mode that challenges players’ skills and facilitates interaction with others. The research methodology included reviewing the popular competitive mobile games: Marvel Snap, Clash Royale, and Clash of Clans, which boast high download numbers and chart rankings. This analysis helped identify key features and mechanics that contribute to an engaging multiplayer experience. As a result, several designs were proposed, covering the profile, matchmaking, match, and …

Balancing Data- Vs. Art-Driven Decisions In Video Game Design, Jaden D. Goter

Honors Theses

Video games, like software, need to be designed. Video game development studios tend to use data-driven or art-driven decision-making to design their games. Data-driven decision-making is where active and passive data is collected in order to make informed decisions about the design of a game. Art-driven decision-making is when designers use their artistic intuition to design games, potentially ignoring player data. This paper elaborates on the advantages and disadvantages of both approaches and provides case studies of games designed under both approaches. Based on these studies, for a game to be successful, a combined approach of data- and art-driven decision-making …

Developing Indie Games With Agile, Camden Obertop

Honors Theses

Agile software development has ushered in major improvements to the development of software in the 21st century. Video game development is a form of development that is unique from other types of software engineering, as it can involve work from artists, musicians, voice actors, and others. This paper explores the question whether agile software development as Scrum is an effective tool for creating video games. Ultimately, it can be seen that agile is a very important asset to game developers.

The Woman Behind The Whitney, Breanna Epp

Honors Theses

Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney was the founder of the Whitney Museum of American Art, as well as a prominent sculptor and patron to artists in the early 1900s. Her art collection was the largest of American art at the time, and she led the nation into an appreciation of its own native art. Native in this context specifically means any art that was made in America, not strictly art made by the indigenous people of the Americas. Tackling her entire life, from growing up in the Vanderbilt family to her death, I provide an overview of her interactions with the art …

The Multi-Sensory Design Of A Synesthete's Everyday Experience, Madeline M. Spicer

Honors Theses

Perception, which can be defined as becoming aware of occurrences in the world through the senses, is different for every person (Merriam-Webster). My thesis deals with perception in the form of a condition called synesthesia and the communication of this condition using graphic design. Synesthesia is a condition that involves the involuntary crossing of the senses, resulting in multi-sensory experiences every time a synesthete absorbs the world and visible language. Utilizing the field of graphic design, I created several projects to communicate my three goals of conducting research on synesthesia, sharing what I experience every day, and educating others about …

Sustainable Stories: Linking Graphic Design And The Environment To Inform, Educate, And Inspire, Shannon M. Stanforth

Honors Theses

The importance of the field of graphic design lies in its ability to communicate with others. It can serve to transcend barriers, to clarify messages, and to deepen universal understanding. Similarly, sustainability encompasses the three spheres of the environment, society and economy—demonstrating its interconnected complexities and multifaceted applications. In pursuing my Honors Thesis, I aimed to develop a project which would reflect the ideals of sustainability while simultaneously serving to educate about the importance of caring for the natural world. Furthermore, my research explores how the disciplines of sustainability and design overlap and interact, searching to discover ways in which …

Understanding Spaces Of Abandonment Through Virtual Frameworks In Landscape Architecture, Aus Perez

Honors Theses

In recent years, design professionals have implemented many contemporary landscape architecture projects across the United States. With a primary goal of returning nature to urban environments, contemporary landscape architects and other transdisciplinary partners work diligently to sculpt physical spaces that reflect the human-living experience. However, a leap into the world of video game design could allow landscape architects and urban planners to more freely create virtual social environments to address rising issues of abandonment in today’s urban and rural spaces. Video game mechanics and methodologies can be used extensively in the disciplines of design that value participatory processes, like landscape …

Printed Repeat Pattern Development For Textiles: Design Theory And Process, Erin Kelly

Honors Theses

I created a collection of fifteen printed repeat patterns accompanied by a written description of the research and development process as a creative project to fulfill the requirements of a Senior Honors Project. Looking at this project from a traditional research standpoint, I sought out to answer several questions that would help me to develop as a textile artist. How do you find current, up-to-date, relevant trends, both ideological (macro) and material (micro)? How do you take these trends and communicate them visually, in an original fashion? How do you produce a collection of designs that is both diverse and …

An Exploration Of Western Graphic Design Art Movements Through The Korean Lens, Hyunjung (Anna) Lee

Honors Theses

Art history has historically centered around Western and European art. This creative thesis explores what Western graphic design movements could look like merged with Korean themes and subject matter. The movements in question include Art Nouveau, Plakatstil, Constructivism, Pop Art, and Memphis Design. What would Alphonse Mucha’s allegorical beauties look like if they were Asian? What would Korea look like represented through Ludwig Hohlwein’s reductive planes of color? Who would the celebrity-obsessed Andy Warhol make art about if it was a Korean actress? Each movement is combined with Korean events that occurred within the art movement’s lifespan. This amalgamation not …

Study Of Native Colombian Tribes: Art As A Means Of Inspiration, Sofia Fernandez

Honors Theses

Study of Native Colombian Tribes: Art as a Means of Inspiration, examines Latin American art, particularly Indigenous Colombian art as a source of inspiration for the creation of a series of artworks. This project considers two Colombian tribes: Wayuu and Okaina. It emphasizes these tribes’ ancestry, history, purpose, and traditions, with the objective of giving them a voice in a community where they are underrepresented and unknown. This thesis provides a critical look into the tribe’s traditions and artistic techniques through the creation of a variety paintings, drawings, and prints. This body of work concentrates on textiles and patterns from …

Engagement And Computational Thinking Through Creative Coding, Dana Hoppe

Honors Theses

Rising enrollments in Computer Science pose an opportunity to engage students from diverse backgrounds and interests; and a challenge to deliver on positive learning outcomes. While student engagement is the driving factor for increased learning performance and retention, it has been declining to new lows for Computer Science students in recent years. In order to further explore the potential of contextualized computing as a tool for increasing engagement in computing and developing Computational Thinking aptitude in students, we have developed an introductory computing course contextualized with Art and Design with modules centered around guiding pedagogical principles and aimed at middle …

Perceiving Place: A Social Design Case Study, Mary Anne Brinkman

Honors Theses

Space is one of the most basic foundational systems for living things. No matter what happens in the world, it happens in a spatial setting. The specific design of that setting or place plays a large role in the lives of those within it.1 Other factors within place—factors that might inform design choices—also affect perception of place. Broad consensus exists in scholarly literature about the general role that history, culture, environment and social factors play into the perception of place. Past studies have supported that our perception of reality before actually observing it, actively affects the reality we then observe.2 …

Interrelationship Of Forms: Research Into The Juxtaposition Of Material, Color, And Texture, Emily Bartolone

Honors Theses

I have completed a body of artistic work composed of a series of paintings with the intent of exploring my use of material, color and texture. I am interested in using these tools to complete paintings which feel equally balanced and surprising, with subtleties that materialize through time spent with each piece. This exploration will continue past my thesis project, as the intention behind this project was to obtain a firmer grasp on myself as an artist along with the body of work I wish to pursue in the coming years.

Where Do We Put Our Flesh? Intersecting Feminism With Art And Contemporary Printmaking, Claire Bowman

Honors Theses

My work is concerned with the correlation of society’s standards for women, their bodies, and the resulting effects on their perception of themselves. Due in part to society’s obsession with a universal female beauty and the treatment of the body as an object to be controlled by the mind, many women experience a form self-objectification, putting their body through rigorous self-analysis in an attempt to target their perceived flaws. Through my chosen medium of relief printing, I endeavor to represent this objectification of the self and the detrimental effects it can have on the female presence in the world. In …

Artistic Syncretism In Latin America: From Olmec To Spanish Colonialism, Nicole Timm

Honors Theses

The purpose of this paper is to provide a historic and systematic review of colonial Latin American art. The first half will focus on the ancient arts created by the ancient civilizations that sculpted culture in Latin America centuries before the Spanish were aware another continent existed. The latter portion of the paper will look to the post-colonial period. It will begin by delving into the influence of European artistic styles blending with Latin American culture and style of painting and vice versa. The final goal of this paper is to uncover the syncretism that took place across Latin America …

Inform: A Mobile App To Teach Untrained Listeners Of Classical Music About Fugue, Sonata, And Rondo Form Through Interactive Information Graphics, Miranda Finn

Honors Theses

This thesis introduces adult non-musicians to large-scale structural components of three fundamental musical forms (fugue, sonata, and rondo) through a mobile application containing interactive information graphics and audio examples. This provides the knowledge and vocabulary necessary to discuss and listen critically to classical music, as well as enhance the overall listening experience. The written component of this project describes the content of the app and how it is presented, as well as the reasoning behind creative decisions such as color palette, page design, and development of the information graphics. Also reviewed are the programs used in the creation of the …

Reconceptualizing Space: Multisensory Rooms And The Immersive Art Experience, Melanie Zebrowski

Honors Theses

The modern human being lives in human built society, very much separated from the natural world. Often, the thoughts, ideas, and feelings that filter through from our built environments do more to disconnect us from ourselves and the present moment rather than help us feel centered in it. As an artist, I’ve set out to build a multisensory, immersive art installation with the intent to use this space as a way to connect more deeply to ourselves and our surroundings. This thesis is an exploration into the psychology of lived-in spaces as well as an experiment to see if installation …

This Book Is Valuable: An Anthology Of Essays On Design And The Perception Of Value In Luxury Fashion Objects, Carlos Velasco

Honors Theses

This Book is Valuable seeks to analyze how different concepts related to design and culture have influenced the apparent and perceived value of luxury fashion objects. This question is explored in different contexts to provide clarity and observation to the contemporary construction of value through systems of design.

This thesis is an anthology of three essays. The first essay is about immaterial capitalism, a system of knowledge, skill and imagination based capital. The second essay is about the strategy of artification, using fine art as a way to link systems of value together. It is also about how luxury conglomerates …

Challenging The Postwar Narrative: The Art And Agenda Of Boris Lurie, Kiersten Signe Remster

Honors Theses

Art history is shaped, studied, and taught based on narratives, artistic movements, and the biographies of celebrated artists. While contributing to an understanding of prevalent traditions and artists working in those traditions, these narratives are also constructions of inclusion and exclusion that establish art historical placement for certain artists while relegating others to historical obscurity. It is clear what happens to the critical fortunes of artists who are placed within these narratives. Yet what happens to the artists who do not fit within any of the categories established by these constructions? Are they then to be understood as simply minor …

Looking Anew At The Rothko Chapel: The Future Of Interfaith Space On The Catholic Campus, Krista Bondi

Honors Theses

The University of Dayton is among many Catholic institutions that are experiencing the need for multi-faith accommodation as its student body becomes more diverse in the 21st century. While the majority of the University’s population is Catholic, there are growing numbers of Muslim, Jewish, and Protestant students as well as others of undeclared faiths or of no faith traditions who must interact on campus. In view of the history of Catholic higher education and the current practice and philosophy of interfaith dialogue, how should the University of Dayton approach this new multi-cultural reality in terms of dedicating space and designing …

The Passion For The Goddess; A Comparative Study On The Reverence Of The Goddess In Contemporary America And Ancient Mesopotamia, Sierra Helm

Honors Theses

Through a comparative study of contemporary America and ancient Mesopotamia, the devotional practices directed towards the goddess Inanna in ancient Mesopotamia and towards celebrities in present-day America are analyzed. Celebrities have replaced Inanna in terms of representing exceptional figures exemplifying certain qualities--qualities of motherhood, fertility, sexual appeal, wisdom, intelligence, and even that of the warrior--once associated with the ancient goddess. The position of women within these cultures is an important aspect of the research. In ancient Mesopotamia, the position of women decreased over the millennia, from 4000 BCE to 1000 BCE, in which the people of Sumer, Akkadia, Assyria, and …