Digital Commons Network^™

Study Of Creative Processes That Lead To Successful Visually Narrative Art Products, Denissa U. Kiehl

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The success of an artist’s work depends upon a few key factors. No matter which field of study you pursue as an individual it is important to examine and understand previously collected knowledge and works developed within that field. Once an artist has learned from the successful “Old” methods and examples of artworks he or she may then combine the “Old” with some of his or her “New” methods and ideas. When it comes to visual narrative art there is a large variety of visual art and other creations to learn from. Factors related to decision making will change with …

Grand Valley Forum, Volume 039, Number 11, November 03, 2014, Grand Valley State University

2014-2015, Volume 39

Grand Valley Forum is Grand Valley State's faculty and staff newsletter, published from 1976 to the present.

Choices In The Editing Room: How The Intentional Editing Of Dialogue Scenes Through Shot Choice Can Enhance Story And Character Development Within Motion Pictures, Jonathan Pfenninger

Masters Theses

This study examines the content of six feature length films, which showed in theaters in 2010 and 2011, from a communication perspective. Five of the scrutinized films are Academy Award winning and nominated films for Best Editing. The sixth film was the top grossing Christian feature film to be widely released within the two years. Utilizing Foss's rhetorical schema for the evaluation of visual imagery, this study examines and evaluates the composition of dialogue scenes within each film, identifying the functions of shot composition and movement choices within each film, individually. Through identification of a function, assessment and support found …

Bilingual Typography: Study Of The Linguistic Landscape Of Jeddah, Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia, Shayna Tova Blum

Faculty and Staff Publications

Abstract: With the rise of globalization and the spread of Western culture across the globe, the use of English as an “international” language is often represented in bilingual and multilingual typographic signage. Throughout the Middle East North Africa and the Gulf region, the integration of Arabic and Latin letterforms is commonly viewed within the signage of storefronts, street signs, advertising billboards, and informational materials. This paper explores the use of bilingual/multilingual typography within the linguistic landscape of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Disseminating Devotion: The Image And Cult Of The Black Christ In Colonial Mexico And Central America, Elena Fitzpatrick Sifford

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Following the conquest of Mexico in 1521, Spanish conquerors and friars considered it their duty to bring Christianity to the New World. Even before the task of conversion began, they introduced Christian images, like the cross, to the native peoples they first encountered. Eventually, local artists began to create the sacred objects.

This study is the first in-depth, art historical inquiry into the significance of the most prominent Black Christ crucifix images and cults in various regions of Mexico and Central America from the sixteenth to early nineteenth century. It traces the origin and history of the Black Christ, often …

Impact Of Corporate Sustainability Behavior On Financial Performance In Aerospace Companies, Petulia Blake

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sustainability is increasingly becoming an integral part of how organizations communicate their business operation to stakeholders. As it is common knowledge that organizations are more inclined to invest in programs that contribute to their bottom-line, this study presents an analysis of the relationship between corporate sustainability behaviors and their impact on financial performance. The sample size was 40 United States (U.S.) aerospace companies, selected from the “Top 100 Aerospace Companies” world-wide in a report produced by Candesic consulting firm in 2012. Of the 40 U.S. companies, 21 were found to provide some form of sustainability report. Quantitative and qualitative instruments …

Chitenje: The Production And Use Of Printed Cotton Cloth In Malawi, Sarah Worden

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

A number of recent exhibitions and publications have discussed the pan-African production and use of factory print cotton cloth, for example, ‘Social Fabric. African Textiles Today’ at the British Museum (14 February -21 April 2013). However, there has been no substantive published research on the subject of the production and use of this cloth in Malawi. Historically cotton has been an important crop in Malawi, whilst imported cotton cloth a hugely significant trade commodity. The paper will contextualise the current trend in factory made cloth (chitenje pl. zitenje) within the longer run history of cotton in the country and will …

The Adversity Pop Culture Has Posed, Darel Joseph

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

I am a collage artist working with multiple mediums such as paint, photography, video, audio, and performance. As a New Orleans’ native, I have a unique history that is unflattering, for my history echoes that of America’s historical misdeeds. I make sociopolitical art because I am of a historically oppressed people. I make art that celebrates my diverse culture that is a collage of Native American, African, and New Orleans’ French Creole.

Chere, Wilson Andres Borja

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Chere is research project and a thesis exhibition installation composed of a series of drawing/paintings and short animations that explores the phenomenon of migration and the African diaspora. This exploration was originated by contrasting aspects of forced and voluntary migration in addition to Kvasnyand and Hales' idea, that "Belonging everywhere or not belonging anywhere" describes the situation among people of the African diaspora.

Through research I intersperse layers of personal history with that of my ancestors and their descendants in the Americas. As a biracial person, a self-identified Afro-descendant from Colombia, South America, I am interested in the process of …

Computer Animation For Learning Building Construction Management: A Comparative Study Of First-Person Versus Third-Person View, Jun Yu

Open Access Theses

In this paper, we have explored the effect of perspective view in educational animations on students' learning of building construction management tasks and on students' preference of perspective views. We conducted a pre-test and post-test and found no significant advantages of computer animation presented in different perspective views across three different groups. Results showed that although students have preference on perspective views, perspective views did not influence learning outcome. The study also investigated the efficacy of animation as a teaching/learning tool in comparison to the traditional textbook. Findings showed that animation enhanced student learning, although the difference was not statistically …

Designing Affiliative Objects: Investigating The Affiliations Of Medical Identification Jewellery, Alexandra Haagaard, William Leeming

DRS Biennial Conference Series

affiliation of medical identification jewellery with paramedics as the central user group. In doing so, we use Suchman’s notion of the affiliative object to reframe medical identification jewellery as a compound epistemic object with affiliations to paramedics in the province of Ontario, Canada. The paper begins by providing background including the methods used to assess the use of medical identification jewellery. There follows a section on how the findings from fieldwork were used to develop a first iteration of design recommendations. A compliancy table then appends discussion of key findings and design recommendations. Three design concepts were found to be …

Designing A Goal Journaling Application, Kevin Lufkin

Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies

Achieving a personal goal and making a positive change in one’s life can be a difficult and elusive task. Everyday people are creating and setting new goals for themselves, but more often than not these goals are never realized. Motivation, determination, and discipline are all key elements when it comes to accomplishing a goal, but if there is no clear idea as to how to connect the dots from where one is to where one wants to be these important qualities lose their effectiveness.

The applications that exist today largely fit in the realm of goal/task management and planners. This …

Brand Identity For New Artists In The Music Industry, Drea Achacoso

Graphic Communication

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the aspects of brand identity and apply it to new artists in the music industry. The research from this study was applied to Hills & Strongholds, an aspiring alternative rock band. Designs were created for the band’s brand identity on multiple platforms that attempted to portray the band’s musical vision. A survey was conducted to determine which logo and album artwork designs were able to effectively transport the bands genre and vision based on the audience’s perception. The results of this study can be used to develop Hills & Strongholds into a …

Not Not Real : Exercises In Styling, Sophie Mascatello

Masters Theses

As a generative process of visual form, styling and artifice are co-dependent. Styling mediates visual and sensorial elements for aesthetic benefit, and artifice produces a fantasy otherwise unattainable. Together they are a rebus — an orchestration of symbols and shifted realities — that impacts modes of representation and subsequent shifts in taste.

In Not Not Real, the logic of “real” life is moot. Relevance and subjectivity are the only fixed parameters that govern stylistic intuition. The image produced — however candid or authentic it may appear — is artificial. But this imagery supersedes reality in provoking aspiration, rendering the …

The Abstraction Of Toys, Dan Ruben Thornhill

Theses and Dissertations

painting style. The toys depicted in the paintings were used at on time by my two grandchildren, Kaylee Smith and Brennan Thornhill, and serve as inspiration for this body of work. These compositions are based on direct observations of the toys used in this series, and relate to abstraction as defined in this thesis as simplification, distortion, exaggeration, invention, and erasure. The works that date later in the series fall under this definition. My work draws heavily upon Pablo Picasso and is influenced by his use of abstraction. The series tries to capture the essence of the toys and evoke …

Assessing Writing On The Job: Toward Development Of A Workplace Writing Curriculum, Betty J. Scull

Theses and Dissertations

In a nine-week online survey, the perceptions of 86 nonacademic workplace salaried employees concerning the kinds and frequencies of documents written, and the writing knowledge and skills needed to effectively perform writing tasks in their jobs, were studied. The primary objective was to determine if employees understood concepts of audience and audience analysis. The results suggest that the majority (64 percent) of participants are not familiar with audience or audience analysis concepts. In addition, most participants stressed the importance of Lower Order Concerns (LOCs) &mdash elements such as sentence structure, punctuation, word choice, and spelling &mdash over Higher Order Concerns …

Visual Tension In Graphic Design, Raven Heinstein

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

My thesis explores the use of visual tension in various graphic design areas and works. It delves into the purposes of creating visual tension and in which instances it can be most effective, as well as most ineffective. It discusses the use and creation of visual tension with design hierarchy, rhythm and dynamics, symmetry and asymmetry, negative and positive space, color relationships, and typographical design. I will define visual tension, discuss its relevance and significance, and show informative examples. I'm using mainly secondary research in the form of textbooks and examples by other designers, but I have also included a …

Beatrice, Michele Helene Marglis

Graduate Student Independent Studies

An original picture book biography about the life, ideas, and work of the American artist Beatrice Wood.

Interactive Instructional Technology To Bring Art Students Meaningful Museum Experiences, Sarah Elizabeth Brown

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

The purposes of this study are to: (1) investigate how pre-service art teachers are prepared to implement instructional technological tools for virtual museum experiences and art lesson plans; (2) determine the impact of preparing pre-service art teachers to use instructional technological deliverables to create a virtual art museum experience for the classroom; and (3) investigate the impact of using instructional technology in art teacher lesson plans and instructional delivery. I believe pre-service teachers need specific training on how they can use technology in their art classrooms. Technology is a necessary tool for teaching creatively and can enhance an art curriculum …

Green Relationship, Fadel Imad

Theses and Dissertations

Green Relationship is a design solution attempting to raise awareness toward the environment and reduce consumerism. Waste generation and pollution have become major concerns of many governments, municipalities, organizations and individuals around the world since they are affecting human wellbeing and the environment. As an MFA student with VCUQatar, I chose to use design to contribute in protecting the environment hoping to make a difference in life. The thesis includes a research and a design component. The research explores the recycling programs and facilities in Qatar, the governmental and private sector actions toward waste generation and collection, as well as …

Visions Of Terror : Reconstructing Literature Through 9/11 Texts, Jennifer Michelle Agens

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The shift in communication since the turn of the century necessitates an understanding of visual rhetoric. Critics claim that verbal communication is more effective than using images to communicate ideas. However, visual rhetoricians argue that images appeal to the reader’s emotions, thus making an immediate, truthful, and powerful impact. The purpose of my research is to examine the functionality of visual rhetoric and to determine how this field enhances 21 st century communication. In consideration of how visual rhetoric has shaped literature since the turn of the century, I have concluded that the September 11th terrorist attacks have made an …

Millennial Rust, John Mcgowan

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Millennial Rust is a one-artist anthology comic, consisting of the first chapter of a serialized story, The Turkey Avenger, a series of autobiographical comic strips, and a collection of developmental material from the two projects.

The Turkey Avenger follows the exploits of the Turkey Avenger, a self-styled superhero with no discernable superpowers who hopes to “do good” in the best way he knows how: fighting crime. Unfortunely for him, the Turkey Avenger has no idea where to begin his quest for justice, stumbles into what appears to be a kidnapping, and is soon drawn into a conspiracy that’s clearly over …

A Comparison Of First-Year Composition Textbooks In Four-Year And Technical Colleges In The University System Of Georgia And The Technical College System Of Georgia, Ryan Horadan

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects (Full IR Collection)

No abstract provided.

Reconsider Everything, Hyunjin Kim

Masters Theses

This thesis is composed of three overarching chapters that exploit conventions as a tool to reexamine our social and cultural habits. Observing commonalities in our everyday experiences, this body of work explores subjectivity of rules of convention, questioning assumptions and common values.

In the first chapter, "Formal Conventions," I observe formal qualities and definitions of existing objects and explore alternative meanings and the performance of form. In the second chapter, Limits of Vision," I look at imperceptible subject matter to explore limitations of default modes of human perception. In "Boundaries of Techniques," I search for possibilities of expanding graphic design …

Selected Projects In Scenic Design And Painting, Chelsea Richards

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

A parent’s passing will always generate drama within a family, but when you add a family heirloom with a potential value in the millions of dollars, the stakes are quickly raised. Theresa Rebeck’s gripping, anxiety-producing play, Mauritius, introduces tension through a subject most theatre patrons are unlikely to suspect: philately, the study or collection of postage stamps.

Hybrid Gulf — Excavating Future Identities, Robert Canak

Theses and Dissertations

This Project examines the coexistence of two cultures?–?in this case the host Gulf, and the imported Western?–?and addresses certain problems that still need attention. This Project celebrates the creation of the third, hybrid, culture as a result of their intermingling. In this Research, Postcolonial Theory? and Transitional Object Theory? are used as conceptual frameworks, and are combined with Archaeology and Design as a practice. On a personal level, the Project evolved out of my cross-cultural origin and experiences. On an academic level, the Project serves as an experiment, trying to fill the gaps in the Gulf region’s search for identity. …

Anti-Heroics, Modesty, And Bad Taste, Philip Hinge

Theses and Dissertations

My thesis work revolves around investigating painting’s relationship with “bad taste” and heroism. By comparing my paintings to illustrative depictions of “heroism”, artists who turn bad art good, ideas concerning modesty, humor, and invention I will contextualize my stance towards “heroism” and bad taste. By establishing my relationship to the aforementioned examples I will trace the growth of my work over the past few years and discuss how its role within contemporary painting has changed as well as how it interacts with various cultural references.

The Children’S Literacy Project: Classic Literature As A Graphic Novel, Joshua Talbot, Robert Barrett

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In the fall of 2011, my fellow classmates and I decided to create a graphic novel anthology of classic literature as an encouragement for young children to read great, time-tested writing (I decided on Treasure Island). The following is my continued experience on this project, the project’s outcomes and how this project has affected me as an artist, group member and visual communicator.

Fashioning A Rhetoric Of Style: A Rhetorical Analysis Of Urban Street Style Representations In New York City, Amber Pineda

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines how urban street styles are used rhetorically within local boroughs in New York City as a form of resistance to the dominant fashion industry that dictates what is "in fashion" through media. A total of fifteen video blogs developed by The New York Times were analyzed, each containing a representation of one of the five boroughs of New York City: Staten Island, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, and Queens. The analysis identified themes of a rhetoric of style, consisting of primacy of text, imaginary communities, aesthetic rationales, market contexts, and stylistic homologies. These themes were then analyzed by drawing …

Métissage Culturelle: Identity, Aesthetics, And The Social Roles Of Portraiture In Saint Louis Du Sénégal, Shailee Wilson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

With so clear a history, geography, and memory located in the colonial area, this study explores how contemporary St.Louis, du Sénégal expresses a synthesis of two identities. Métissage culturelle, defined as Franco-African mixed cultural heritage, is rooted in both the public and imaginative identities of St.Louisans creative, artistic, and political force, was heavily influenced by social upheaval and transformation post Independence. This essay argues that nineteenth century portrait photography was an outlet for Sénégalais to create their alternative, self-defined identities in response to changes within their social and cultural environment. Portrait photography is discussed through two frameworks, the social role …