Graphic Design Commons^™

Aspirations Incubator: 2017–2023 Final Evaluation Report, Sarah Goan, Elora Way, Emma Schwartz, Becky Wurwarg

Publications

The Rural Futures Fund launched the Aspirations Incubator in 2017 as a six-year pilot initiative aimed at supporting youth development in rural Maine by increasing resiliency, fostering connections to communities, and expanding students’ awareness of opportunities beyond their everyday environments. The program partnered with select rural youth organizations to build capacity for mentoring-based programs serving students from seventh grade through high school graduation. Guided by the Trekkers Youth Programming Principles, the initiative focused on long-term mentorship, meaningful relationship-building, and community engagement. A comprehensive multi-year evaluation conducted by the Data Innovation Project at the University of Southern Maine examined the implementation …

Color Psychology: How Colors Can Reflect Our Emotions In Relation To Gender, Age, And Cultural Background., Virginia Alvisi

Honors Theses

Our lives are surrounded and influenced by colors. Colors help us in our everyday lives, from helping us understand different concepts to helping us drive around town with road signs and streetlights. Colors regulate our lives not only physically but also, especially, psychologically. Warm and bright colors can give insight into
energy and happiness. On the contrary, cool and dark ones can be soothing and calming.

Research has demonstrated that colors can shape our experiences and affect our psycho-emotional status (our mental state related to a situation or circumstance). To demonstrate the link between our psycho-emotional state and the use …

Researching & Designing Marketing Materials For Rachel Messer & Connor Dale, Isabelle Bauer

Honors Projects

Isabelle Bauer’s Honors Project, “Researching and Designing Marketing Materials for Rachel Messer and Connor Dale” is split into two components. First, the research paper titled "The American West as a Cultural Phenomenon" explores the fascination with the American West and its integration into various aspects of American culture, particularly in music, film, and art. The essay discusses the historical significance of the West and its transformation into a cultural obsession. Focusing on the resurgence of Western aesthetics in modern country music, the project’s second component involves the creation of marketing materials for country artists Rachel Messer and Connor Dale.

The …

Sacred Heart, Ashley Knight

Honors Thesis

This work explores the interplay between love, memory, and mortality through three distinct but interwoven pieces: Sacred Heart, Godsent, and Satan’s Greetings. Each piece is centered around personal and collective experiences, utilizing various mediums. These works explore my overflowing feelings of love and gratitude meeting my existentialism and fear of death. Together, these works offer a reflection on the dualities of existence, drawing from personal history, cultural traditions, and a general sense of existentialism to articulate my journey through love, loss, and the human condition.

My Daily Grounds: A Journal Of Creative Alchemy, Kathleen A. Donovan

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

My Daily Grounds: A Journal of Creative Alchemy is a project intended to renew artistic confidence and prepare a mindset for a writing retreat in Ireland in June 2024 by revisiting childhood memories and exploring the impact of early domestic abuse through a visual journaling process. This endeavor aims to stir up the creative voice and find authenticity in creation by gathering and clarifying personal data visually, following the Creative (CPS) approach to unlock new insights and ideas for writing. The resulting essays will illuminate the unseen effects of trauma and are intended for publication, reflecting a co-creative process between …

An Empirical Study On The Efficacy Of Llm-Powered Chatbots In Basic Information Retrieval Tasks, Naja Faysal

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The rise of conversational user interfaces (CUIs) powered by large language models (LLMs) is transforming human-computer interaction. This study evaluates the efficacy of LLM-powered chatbots, trained on website data, compared to browsing websites for finding information about organizations across diverse sectors. A within-subjects experiment with 165 participants was conducted, involving similar information retrieval (IR) tasks using both websites (GUIs) and chatbots (CUIs). The research questions are: (Q1) Which interface helps users find information faster: LLM chatbots or websites? (Q2) Which interface helps users find more accurate information: LLM chatbots or websites?. The findings are: (Q1) Participants found information significantly faster …

Away From Keyboard: Practical Applications Of Antifascism, Amber Sarelle Easley

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

My work sits uncomfortably between and across the disciplines of activism and art. This tension is typical of Socially Engaged Art: a social interaction proclaiming itself as art. I aim for these interactions to center antifascism in interrogating the complex interrelation between digital spaces and the streets outside our front doors, as antifascism is the only appropriate response to the blatant fascistic aspirations that is both digitally and physically present.

Unveiling Existentialism And Self-Expression: Utilizing The Arts, Raquel Eduardo Nunez

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This analysis is an exploration of identity through the examination of art as a means of self-expression and societal critique. It delves into existentialism to explain the impacts of art on both positive societal experiences and negative interactions unique to the immigrant and Mexican American community. The artist, Raquel Eduardo Nuñez, examines their own art to dissect their position in life as a Mexican-born individual living in a foreign country. This method was chosen to allow a space of self-reflection and awareness to explore the components that shape identity and reveal art as a medium for interpretation of links between …

Art And Math Via Cubic Polynomials, Polynomiography And Modulus Visualization, Bahman Kalantari

LASER Journal

Throughout history, both quadratic and cubic polynomials have been rich sources for the discovery and development of deep mathematical properties, concepts, and algorithms. In this article, we explore both classical and modern findings concerning three key attributes of polynomials: roots, fixed points, and modulus. Not only do these concepts lead to fertile ground for exploring sophisticated mathematics and engaging educational tools, but they also serve as artistic activities. By utilizing innovative practices like polynomiography—visualizations associated with polynomial root finding methods—as well as visualizations based on polynomial modulus properties, we argue that individuals can unlock their creative potential. From crafting captivating …

The Influence Of Culture On Graphic Design: Rebranding Glossier For The Japanese Market, Hannah Kuvshinov

Senior Honors Theses

Due to globalization, many companies are expanding their reach into foreign markets that have different cultural contexts. As a result, having versatile branding that can be easily adapted to different cultures becomes extremely important when communicating with consumers from other countries. To develop this branding it is crucial for companies to employ cross-cultural design, which involves much more than simply translating text into the consumers language. In order to successfully expand its products to the Japanese market Glossier will have to apply cross-cultural research to redesign their current branding materials and communication channels. This project focuses on preserving brand cohesiveness …

Implementing Effective And Meaningful Environmental Graphic Design Within Modern Protestant Church Buildings In The U.S., Hannah Gilmer

Senior Honors Theses

The Church, the body of Christ, is filled with people gifted in visual arts, which should present boundless creative opportunities to encourage the body and glorify Christ. However, many modern Protestant churches in the U.S. do not reflect this creative potential in their interior spaces. Christian graphic designers have the unique gift of bringing all the visual arts together into a whole solution that communicates the message of the gospel with richness, power, and beauty. This thesis will show the process of creating environmental graphic design solutions that are intended to encourage a local church and glorify the Lord, building …

The Interaction Of Strategy And Design In Comprehensive Branding, Tiana Miller

Senior Honors Theses

Branding directs how consumers view businesses. Focusing on strategy and design equally aids in making a brand comprehensive, cohesive, and effective. Different aspects of brand strategy determine how to effectively build the backbone of the brand. Understanding design elements and the creative process are important in developing the visual identity of the brand. The findings were combined to create comprehensive personal branding for Tiana Joy Creative. This creative application included an archetypal brand strategy with deliverables including a logo and brand elements.

Communication Branches Out: Developing Interpersonal Skills Through Genealogical Research, Julian Costa, Gary Snyder

Proceedings of the New York State Communication Association

Communication students of the twenty-first century must not only be able to interact in multiple formats but be able to express their ideas across varied platforms. A common deterrent faced by students conducting research is the lack of applicability of the subject matter to their lives. The integration of genealogical research can address this issue because it allows students to learn about, and celebrate, their family history. While engaged in such a pursuit, students will develop core communication skills, such as speaking and listening, online research, and message design.

The Art Of Motion, Audrey Caleb, Selina Shang

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Animation is an integral part of our daily lives. From entertainment, to advertisements, to medical visualizations and everything in between, it permeates our world. But what makes animation so compelling? Why do we connect with it so well? And what makes it visually appealing?

Humans are story driven creatures, and so we gravitate towards time-based media—it’s the perfect vehicle for telling stories. Our goal was to explore the variety of styles and tools used in animation, research the 12 principles, understand the process of creating a work from start to finish, and successfully demonstrate the science and art of animation.

Queer Coded Branding And It's Brief History, Lars Madden

Student Research Symposium

Sappos, the Greek poet from Lesbos, both gifts and recieves flower crowns and necklace wreaths made of violets and lavender for her female lovers.

Designing For Mental Health, Kate Page

Student Research Symposium

More than 1 in 5 adults in America struggle with mental illness (National Institute of Mental Health). As someone who has personally struggled with mental health challenges, I can relate to the struggles of so many other people in the world. I wanted to do something about it with the tools I have.

Ddx219.2 Social Media Comparison And Marketing Strategy Example 1, Sae University College

Exemplars

Social Media Comparison and Marketing Strategy.

Front Cover (Spring 2024), Tina Geissler

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

Tina Geissler is a graphic design student at Tidewater Community College.

Chapter 07: What Can Instructional Designers Learn From Graphic Designers?, Mark Richard Parsons

Instructional Message Design, Volume 3

Instructional message design uses learning theories to effectively communicate information using technology. The instructional designer identifies the main objectives and skills to be learned to devise and deliver a strategy for the learner. The graphic designer plays a role by helping guide the learner through the material without distraction. Graphic design plays a vital role with visual learners. Using instructional and graphic design principles is important for effective instructional message design. This chapter looks at the importance of graphic design in the instructional design process. It will explore what skills and strategies instructional designers can utilize from a graphic design …

Collaboration With Lillee One "Sucker Puss", Garald (Gary) Barton Iv

Waldo Library Student Exhibits

No abstract provided.