Art and Design Commons^™

The Gibbs House: Visual Storytelling Through Brand Identity And Placemaking, Elizabeth Tran

Honors Theses

Managed by Western Michigan University’s (WMU) Office for Sustainability, the Gibbs House has a rich history of existing as the functioning university urban farm since the late 60s. Throughout the years, the location has transformed into a learning laboratory as well as a permaculture research and demonstration site for WMU students and the Kalamazoo community. As individuals scramble to come up with solutions to combat climate change, the two-acre plot becomes a vital resource where students are able to participate in sustainable practices that are both hands-on and outdoors. It pushes forward transformative ideas like composting, food forestry, and permaculture …

The Rebrand Of Sheamoisture, Anna Lechard

Honors Theses

I would like to start with why I chose the company SheaMoisture to rebrand. SheaMoisture was introduced to me by a hairstylist. I was looking for a product that was affordable and healthy for my hair. Before knowing of this company I would not have picked it off the shelf for myself. Not many hair care companies are affordable, hair type specific, and ethically sounded meaning they have good company values, an interesting origin story, and contain clean ingredients. However, with all these good things said, I did not understand that with the current branding in place which is why …

Poster, Expanded, Lynnae Strait

Honors Theses

The poster is a fundamental part of graphic design that has existed since the 1800s. Throughout the years, its purposes and aesthetics have changed, but its format has adapted very little. This thesis project sought to define the traditional format of the poster, and then challenge the definition to expand the audience’s understanding of what a poster is and isn’t. This project’s primary goal was not to create aesthetically unique poster, but to create a poster that redefined the format—which would likely result in the achievement of the former goal as well.

The definition was derived by viewing and understanding …

Benefits Of Doodling, Olivia Bevacqua

Honors Theses

Hello, my name is Olivia Bevacqua and my thesis is on the benefits of doodling. Doodling is something that’s really important to me as an artist and a human. I doodled growing up at lot, especially in high school. It’s something that I often do when I’m bored or when I need something to ground myself during lectures.

Growing up and into adulthood, doodling is seen as a frivolous act. Multiple studies have proven that doodling can be beneficial in many ways including relaxation, focus, and information retention. For these reasons among others, discouraging doodling during development and into adulthood …

1984: Book Arts As A Driver Of Thought Expansion, Kelly Brandon

Honors Theses

No abstract available.

Taino Revival, Carla Sofia Zorrilla Baquero

Honors Theses

The Taino people were the first known inhabitants of La Hispaniola. They started a foundation of culture for the Dominican Republic that currently lives in the museum, El Museo del Hombre Dominicano. This museum is one of the most important promoters of our identity to the world, which means that how it looks and what is in it is ultimately how we present ourselves to the rest of the world. Which is why, as an effort to protect our identity and heritage, I propose this revamp and rebrand.

Reifying Digital Histories, Ed Ryan

Honors Theses

The use of sites like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat is rooted in nowness. Most users rarely think about the long-term aspects of their relationship with the networks to which they belong, instead focusing on an ever-refreshing interface filled with fresh content. But what happens to this content when it is removed from its familiar digital context? Do the archived interactions, updates, tweets, and other pieces of our digital histories take on new meaning when placed onto a physical substrate? Using the form of the book and my personal Twitter archive, I have addressed my own digital history, looking specifically …

Alcoholism, Domestic Violence, & Mental Illness: As A Graphic Novel, Abigail Jackson

Honors Theses

My inspiration for my project, “A Day on the Back Forty”, came from my personal experiences with domestic violence and alcoholism and my interest in not only sharing and hopefully lifting the taboo of having these experiences cast a negative light on my life, but to expose these issues and hopefully bring awareness to those who are not close to domesticviolence or alcoholism and to also offer a connection to those who have experienced these issues. My thought process for this project was to be able to create a thought-provoking familiarity that could be experienced on both an intimate and …

The Waste Land, Mariesa Desantis

Honors Theses

Designing a handmade book with a concentration on the tactile qualities and ability to engage the senses will heighten the reader’s experience and revive tangible books’ relevance in a digital society. By driving readers to become physically involved and relating directly to the literature, the book will act as a vehicle that foreshadows the literature, so the readers can become more involved in the story.

My primary goal of my project is to open up new possibilities for printed book design that can become more common in society, while also keeping printed books relevant for as long as possible. The …

Connecting The Disciplinary Dots: Faculty Attitudes Toward The Professionalization Of Web Development, Kathleen Mary Kalata

Dissertations

Professionalization offers rewards such as prestige, financial benefits and autonomy. Fields such as nursing and social work have undergone the professionalization process. This exploratory study examined faculty attitudes regarding the professionalization of web development as defined by the Hall model of professionalism. The purpose of the study was to understand how faculty view web development as a profession. Based on the Hall’s Professionalism Scale (1968) and modified survey by Snizek (1972), the Web Development Professionalism Inventory (WDPI) was used to explore faculty attitudes toward professionalization.

This study surveyed faculty about their views on the structural and attitudinal components of web …

Visualizing Music, Thomas Grill

Honors Theses

The results of this project were far from what I expected both in process and final solution. My topic was rather vague, tempting me to research a broad range of information, much of which was not necessary to the development of my pieces, but perhaps got me thinking in new ways. My project was unique in that it was not the typical, world problem thesis, and the logic behind my decisions was made almost entirely based off of my knowledge of music and and visual subjectivity. Though it was easily the most important part of the piece, and most visually …

Environmental Systems And Patterns Applied To Design, Aaron Cooper

Honors Theses

Looking at the variety of organic form in a natural setting is always an eye opening experience. Seeing how those forms are based on a common system in the environment is even more amazing. Applying the concept of form driven by ratios in the environment to design layout seems like a common sense approach to functional design, yet this is not a common solution in modern design.

Organic form looks organic because it is a product of the environment it is from. If a page is the originating environment for content with a specific function, the content should look like …

Local Identity, Melissa A. Phizacklea

Honors Theses

Buying local is the first step preventing numerous economical and environmental issues and is becoming more crucial every moment. Unfortunately, independent businesses face unprecedented competition from larger competitors that enjoy national or international branding power. Local governments, chambers and independent business networks have recently launched hundreds of buy-local campaigns to increase awareness on these issues. Regrettably, most campaigns quickly fade away with little or no impact on shifting local culture.

With this idea in mind I am proposing to explore and develop a permanent local identity that will endorse a number of local brands. This identity highlights the individual local …

Increased Enrollment For The Graphic And Print Science Program Through Specialty Print Advertisement, Christa Ickowski

Honors Theses

This project evaluates whether a mailer (containing information on the Graphic and Print Science Program) that is folded in a unique manner and containing color graphics would attract more students to the program. With this printed piece the capabilities of the program's students and the program are demonstrated to attract more motivated students who wish to pursue the Graphic and Print Science field. The current method of advertising the program consists of sending form letters which tend to be a little interest to the target audience of high school graphic arts students. With a specialty folded, 4-color mailing in a …