Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Design Education Around The World, Derek Jones, Violeta Clemente

DRS Summer Meetings

No abstract provided.

The Moral Imperative Of Public Service Design, Federico Vaz

DRS Summer Meetings

No abstract provided.

Fifty Shades Of Service Design, Jung-Joo Lee

DRS Summer Meetings

No abstract provided.

Sound-Driven Design, Stefano Delle Monache, Nicolas Misdariis, Elif Özcan

DRS Summer Meetings

No abstract provided.

Designing For Sustainability And Transitions: An Organic Convergence For A New Sig, Joanna Boehnert, Emma Dewberry

DRS Summer Meetings

No abstract provided.

Pluriversal Perspectives On Design Research, Mariana Braga, Sucharita Beniwal, Juan Guisepe Montalván Lume, Dimeji Onafuwa, Lesley-Ann Noel

DRS Summer Meetings

No abstract provided.

Designing The Future Of Brick-And-Mortar Retail: Towards Effective, Experiential, And Responsible Spaces, Katelijn Quartier

DRS Summer Meetings

No abstract provided.

Visual Development For Descent To Paradise, Rowyn Porterfield

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The focus of this thesis is a study in the process of concept development for video games within the format of a video game pitch. This includes concept designs for important characters, relevant settings, and other supplemental material deemed necessary within my research for a complete pitch. The content shown within this paper includes visual research, creative writing, 3D setting design, and 2D artworks for character, setting, and prop design. All of this is then put into context through two 2D illustrations of key art.

I Wrote Myself Awake: A Personal Encounter With A/R/Tography, Michelle Geipel

Theses

This project and its accompanying short story function as visual and narrative representations of a/r/tography, demonstrating how creative practice can be used to explore and construct personal meaning through writing and art-making. The co-written story exists alongside the altered book as evidence of how the creative process not only engages the brain through neuroplasticity, but also supports meaning-making and the formation or discovery of identity. Through the integration of life writing, visual art, and reflective inquiry, this work illustrates how understanding can emerge from within the act of creation itself.

User-Centered Design For Public Financial Services: A Federal Student Loan Management App Case Study, Carmen River Christopher

Theses

Researchers have studied several facets of federal student loans, such as the impacts it has on borrowers’ finances, mentality, and life goals, plus the history of the federal student system and potential changes. There has been little research conducted on how borrowers make decisions regarding repayment, including choosing plans, navigating the repayment system, and understanding the long term implications of their choices. Since this research largely does not exist, there are few tools and resources to help guide borrowers as they manage the large, complex, and dynamic landscape that is navigating the federal loan system and repaying their debt. I …

Anastasis: Slow Fashion, Barbara Bultman

Theses

This thesis explores how slow fashion principles contribute to the longevity and cultural significance of iconic garments. Using qualitative research methods, including historical analysis, literature review, and practice-based design research, this project analyzes and recreates six iconic garments: the little black dress, trench coat, wrap dress, shift dress, wide-leg trouser, and women’s suit. The research investigates couture-level construction techniques, sustainable materials, and timeless silhouettes, demonstrating how these strategies can extend garment lifespan and foster emotional attachment between consumers and clothing. Ultimately, the research concludes that slow fashion provides a practical framework for creating durable, meaningful garments that support both environmental …

A Comparative Analysis Of Jean Sizing And Fit Across Popular Denim Brands, Brooke R. Sterbens

Apparel Merchandising and Product Development Undergraduate Honors Theses

Denim jeans have been a staple in closets for many decades. In more recent times, human bodies have changed and have a larger variety in shapes than in the past. Brands are looking to create the perfect denim jean for their customer but lack putting in the time and research to make sure their measurement are accurately fitting. Variability in jean sizing among brands creates challenges for consumers to have a consistent fit among different styles and brands. This study aims to examine jean fit through different garment measurement sizing charts across multiple brands at different clothing stores. A quantitative …

Adaptive Leggings For Crohn’S/Colitis/Isbs Patients With A Colostomy Bag, Sarah E. Liebbe

Apparel Merchandising and Product Development Undergraduate Honors Theses

As the prevalence of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, continues to rise in the United States, an increasing number of individuals undergo colostomy or ileostomy procedures requiring the use of an ostomy bag (Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, 2023). While these medical devices are essential for maintaining health and quality of life, they often introduce challenges related to clothing, including discomfort, lack of support, limited concealment, and restricted self-expression (Hubbard et al., 2019). Despite growing attention to inclusive design within the fashion industry, adaptive apparel for ostomy patients remains limited in availability, style, and affordability, leaving …

Fields Of Green, Samaira Snow '26

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Samaira Snow is a senior at DePauw University where she will graduate in May 2026 with double majors in Studio Art and Art History and a minor in Education Studies. Her work is often inspired by procedural efforts and plays with the relationship of layering and texture. She has started to participate in exhibitions.

Adaptability From Tv & Film Into Theatre | The Subversion Inspiration In Celia’S Identity Versatility Throughout William Shakespeare’S As You Like It, Emani White

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the inspiration of adaptability skills, pivoting from television and film into theatre, and the potential of unconventional pathways as a catalyst for reconciling anti-traditionalism within the mediums. It offers insight into the obstacles, segues, and adversities faced during the journey of a former athlete turned television and film actor, and into a theatre actor. It illuminates agency as a subversive identity (the disguise), the sacrifice of status, and the need for an emotional anchor of resilience—acknowledging the systemic transitional barriers in performance, career, and education. The paper also discusses the understandings gained from my journey as an …

Artistic Embodiment: The Role Of Art-Based Research In Communicating Disability Experiences, Juliana Scheopner

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Visual art has immense potential to communicate complex experiences of disability. As a disabled artist, I am interested in how disability has been portrayed in artwork, particularly in how other disabled artists choose to represent their lived experiences. Through art-based research, this study explores how disabled artists have used portraiture to depict their disability. Selected art includes work from Frida Kahlo, Deborah Padfield, Persimmon Blackbridge, and the author. Following an analysis of literature, selected artworks, and salient disability scholarship, emergent themes were identified. The focus on the complexity of disability experiences demonstrated the importance of considering a wide range of …

Tarot - Reimagined: Monotype Tarot Landscapes, Eleanor B. Nelson

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Printmaking is a form of artmaking that utilizes transferring marks from the matrix to the final piece of paper, often through a press. These processes are able to create an edition of multiple identical prints. This is typically considered the highlight of using print processes; however, the process of making monotypes allows for one original piece. Through the process of researching and creating watercolor monotypes, I made a collection of ten original pieces, all depicting different landscapes throughout the Tarot deck. Each piece is 9” x 12” printed on a 13” x 17” piece of paper and created with watercolor, …

Cartoons From Dickinson Poetry, Abby B. Tarr

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This zine interprets poems by Emily Dickinson through cartoons. The drawings do not replace the poems. They offer a different way to understand them, translating abstract language into clear, visual moments. This approach shows how meaning can shift when it moves between forms, from text to image. The zine invites readers to engage with Dickinson’s work in a different format while still preserving the original work and context.

Pussy Protest! Protest Zines To Uplift Marginalized Voices, Alekz Nelson

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

A publication of 4 separate zines made up of 12 pages each. The zines delve into the history of the Americans with Disabilities Act, trans women and their music artistry, lack of lesbian media, and inmate working conditions. These zines aim to not only raise awareness towards these issues, but spark action from readers by providing practical and doable options to pursue. With societal attitudes and political administrations becoming more conservative, spreading this information and awareness is vital to ensure that these alternatives ways of life are not forcibly erased.

Laundry Basket Small File, Dylan Copeland '26

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Dylan Copeland is a senior at DePauw University, graduating in 2026 with a degree in Studio Art. Working primarily in photography, his work challenges perception by placing familiar objects in unfamiliar contexts, creating scenes that feel both recognizable and unsettling.

Designing For Wellbeing: Expanding Frameworks, Deepening Impact, Leandro Miletto Tonetto

DRS Summer Meetings

No abstract provided.

Design For Global Health Research: Challenges And Future Perspectives, Claudia De Souza Libânio

DRS Summer Meetings

No abstract provided.

The Spark, Karen Jackson

Quill & Scope

No abstract provided.

The Duality Of Morals, Priyanka Gera

Quill & Scope

Nature makes no distinction between butterfly and moth; but humans do. Our internal compass is skewed by beauty standards, and what is ugly vs. fair. Half-moth and half-butterfly: the paradox of value. Is this morality or simply preference? Where is the truth?

2025 Summer Meeting Proceedings, Peter Lloyd, Cecilia Landa-Avila, Sara Lenzi

DRS Summer Meetings

No abstract provided.

Utilizing 3d Scanning Workflows For Interdisciplinary Applications: Processing, Optimizing, And Deployment Of Digital Models, Dakota J. Garrett

Master of Fine Arts in Digital Media Culminating Experience

This study explores the development of 3D scanning workflows focused on transforming raw scan data into high-quality, application-ready digital models. While scanning technologies have advanced significantly, the processes required for cleaning, reconstructing, and optimizing data remain complex and underrepresented. Through a series of applied case studies, this research examines geometry processing, AI-assisted texture enhancement, small artifact scanning workflows, and the integration of LiDAR with 3D Gaussian Splatting (3DGS). Each project emphasizes the decisions, challenges, and techniques used to move from raw capture to final output, highlighting the importance of adapting workflows based on object scale, material properties, and intended use. …

"Naija First Aid Al" - A Voice-Activated First Aid Assistant In Local Nigerian Languages, Esther Blessing Onoruke

Master of Fine Arts in Digital Media Culminating Experience

There are now major structural obstacles preventing Nigerian households from receiving emergency care right away. Manageable domestic events can turn into avoidable tragedies due to language barriers, delayed emergency response times, and a lack of basic first aid expertise. In addition to these health issues, Gender-Based Violence (GBV) continues to be a serious epidemic where survivors cannot safely seek assistance due to social shame and unequal power dynamics. A contemporary equivalent that is suited to the low-resource settings of today is required, much as the introduction of first aid manuals in 1901 effectively taught the public and democratized emergency care. …

Designing A Digital Media Experience: An Abundant Reflection On A Personal Journey In Higher Education, Student Experience, And The Adobe Creative Suite, Madison E. Warner

Master of Fine Arts in Digital Media Culminating Experience

This rumination is a capstone reflection iterating the importance of brand identity when designing, and how good design is directly tied to successful events. The author reflects their personal journey through working in the industry, to their time working for an academic institution designing events for students pursuing higher education. Directly correlating their experience as a Digital Designer at a marketing firm, the author talks about the foundation that makes an event successful through measured means of defining identity, recognition, and maintaining a consistent, professional brand. Within this paper, the author highlights some of their experience in large-scale event orchestration, …

In This World: A Scalable Methodology For Scenic Design, Michael W. D. Francis

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

This thesis examines how strong scenic design emerges not from how something looks, but from a clear understanding of how its world works. Rather than starting from aesthetic preference or visual trends, it outlines a process that identifies a central idea within a story and uses that idea to shape a cohesive spatial environment. By focusing on how a world behaves - what drives it, what resists change, and how its internal logic operates - design decisions begin to align, creating work that feels intentional rather than assembled. Through a series of production case studies, it evaluates how that process …

Quietude, Caroline Roberts

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

I grew up in a landscape shaped by the slow withdrawal of an ancient glacier. Its passage carved, gathered, deposited, and smoothed, a force both powerful and tender. What remains is not dramatic ruin, but a terrain of gradual accumulation. Small shifts in light, air, and temperature create an immersive atmosphere—an intimacy that comes through proximity, through a landscape encountered within reach.

This body of ceramic work emerges from an attempt to create such an atmosphere. I am interested in how an object might carry a similar quietude—not as absence or restraint, but as an active force. It is the …