Art and Design Commons^™

Audio To Architecture: House Music As A Form Generator, Polina Timchenko

Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

Contemporary music undergoes similar process of creation to that of the design process through computation and variation. House music as a representation of contemporary culture has a layered structure that allows specific characteristics to identify it as house music. Song components can vary and mix in different orders that form new dynamic compositions. I am going to explore the idea that every house music component can be translated into geometry with the use of parametric design techniques.

Growing A Healthy Childhood: The Value Of Cultivating Young Minds Through Gardening Using Design, Sarah Hoyt

Masters Theses

This research analyzes the effects of introducing gardening as an educational and developmental tool in early childhood. Research includes an in-depth exploration of the benefits of gardening regarding physical, mental, and social health. Furthermore, the research studies why parents do not already implement gardening. The thesis delves into the power that artwork can have as a call to action. The thesis concludes with a visual solution that is intended to draw out a desire for parents of young children to introduce gardening in their home.

Creativity’S Risk To Design, Con Kennedy

Conference papers

The competencies of designers can be summed up in one word: Creativity. Creativity would seem to be the most critical skill of any design practitioner’s repertoire and is a core component of innovation and entrepreneurship. In general; creativity is considered to be a positive thing, generating positive outcomes for design enterprises and their clients. Designers utilise their creative skills to solve problems for clients, and to develop design ideas and to run their design enterprises. However, the perception of creativity and the creative worker outside the paradigm of design differs from the view within, and therefore a negative opinion of …

Visualizing Grief: An Exploration Of The Stages Of Grief Through Image And Design, Audra L. Rygh

Masters Theses

Grief is an emotion that people have felt since the beginning of time, but in modern culture, there is a lack of visual representation of the five stages of grief. Because grief is a highly personal and unique experience, it can be difficult to visualize what those stages may look like for the mass population. However, if one could develop an understanding of what each stage includes, as well as a study of the thoughts and feelings of those who have experienced grief, this research could aid in the creation of an accurate representation of the stages of grief. The …

Seeing By Creativity: A Creative Execution Designed To Bridge The Gap For The Visually Impaired, Breann Carty

Masters Theses

This research explores how design can simultaneously reach people who are visually impaired, along with those who can see, by integrating inclusive design. Research reveals that the visually impaired are frequently overlooked by graphic designers. These findings further show that blind individuals feel excluded from society. The aim of this study is to generate a collection of work that effectively combines visual design and braille to provide visually impaired people with a similar experience to those who are not disabled. To determine the most effective way of combining design elements and braille, experiments within focus groups were conducted. This exploration …

Mave Magazine, Lauren Adams

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

A fashion magazine featuring original photography, articles, advertisements, and graphic design

Prescription Packaging Design For The Impaired : A Meta-Analysis., Amber C. Kleitz

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses

This thesis is a critical analyzation of the state of prescription drug packaging in the United States with respect to unresolved problems for users with visual, physical, and cognitive impairments. It begins with an anecdotal overview inspired by Deborah Adler’s journey of prescription drug packaging for her grandparents and her design solution outlined by a case study. This case study focuses on the need for better prescription packaging for those with the aforementioned and neglected issues.

This thesis uses studies in user-centered design, packaging design, and industrial design among others in order to critically assess and question the current state …

Constructing Identity Through The Lens Of Fashion: An Honors Thesis, Cara P. Doiron

Honors College

Fashion is an artistic decision that every person makes every day. Even those who say they don’t care about clothing are still portraying something about themselves to the outside world with the stylistic choices they make. This creative Honors Thesis explores the impact of fashion on self-representation, accomplished through the design and construction of a capsule wardrobe line of clothing. Due to the project’s personal and introspective nature, the intended wearer is the artist, and therefore the pieces are specifically tailored to her, rather than the straight sized garments that are typically produced in the fashion industry. This line consists …

Creative Micro-Entrepreneurship In Practice: Exploring Digital Tools For Small Creative Businesses, Olivia Messina

Honors Scholar Theses

For the scope of this thesis, my focus is on independently owned businesses

run by “creative micro-entrepreneurs.” I’m using this term, coined by the digital

selling platform Etsy, to encompass artists, craftspeople, and others who sell artistic

goods and services they have made themselves. In addition to being part of this

community personally, I also think that it is important for these small businesses to

have the resources they need to thrive in our rapidly changing economy. Selling

online, clothing & accessories businesses, and cooking & baking businesses are

among the top 5 “side hustles” for Millennials, making creative small …

Zooairyland- Xinjie Yin Mfa Thesis Show, Xinjie Yin

CGU MFA Theses

During the process of discovering myself in my art world, I have determined to use cuteness as a way to express my worldview, values, and experiences. Cuteness is my own philosophy and language in the interpersonal communication. I intend to make cuteness meaningful to me as well as to the rest of the world. I believe cuteness contains a power to bring people back to their original simplicity regardless of their age, it is the idea of innocence. Cuteness is like a shield for me to protect myself from the tough, scary and crazy reality; and it is a positive …

Happy, Dontay Farley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is an exploration of graphic design and how it can be used as tool to create awareness about mental illness and positive solutions to decrease its affect on individuals. Using the “simple things” in life as metaphors, this thesis attempts to use graphic design as a way to help decrease depression. Drawing on the emergent strands of enquiry associated with mental illness, this thesis will investigate how design and its basic principles can be used create positive experiences for the complex issue of mental illness.

This thesis will also review the body of critical and historical design thinking, …