Graphic Design Commons^™

Toast Pastry Studio: Bakery Brand And Pastry Packaging Concept, Christina Ann Tan Ventura

Graphic Communication

TOAST PASTRY STUDIO is a fictitious bakery branding concept made to host an innovative pastry packaging system. The aim of the conceptualized package is to offer additional functionality to bakery consumers by implementing a perforated knife unit directly into the box. The overall idea of the project stems from a long-term appreciation toward bakery culture/aesthetic as well as clever packaging design.

Cal Poly Collegiate Cookbook, Grace C. Boyle

Graphic Communication

In this project, I developed and design a cookbook for Cal Poly students to teach techniques and highlight experiences of exceptional local cuisine within Slo county. Cooking in college is usually viewed as either a daunting task or a stress-relieving activity. Wherever each individual may fall on that spectrum, I feel passionate that there is a need for an educational cookbook tailored specifically to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo students.

This opportunity for students who are competent chefs will serve as an extension of techniques with the immersion of local Slo food experiences that can broaden their cooking pallet and …

Goodreads Redesign, Brooke Mylander

Graphic Communication

The following project is a redesign of Goodreads.com. The current user interface of Goodreads’ website is outdated and not user-friendly. This project addressed many problems current users complained about the site and made new designs for each major frame of the site with new, fixed features.

Fiore Jewelry: Branding And Packaging Design, Trevor A. Mcgall

Graphic Communication

My senior project incorporates my interests in the packaging field with structural and graphic design challenges, as well as materials consideration. I have designed the primary packaging for a hypothetical online jewelry brand. I have also created the logo, color scheme, and corresponding packaging graphics for this made up brand.

Tech-Sheet Infographics Designed For Tolosa Winery, Jennifer A. Craddock

Graphic Communication

Wineries produce thousands of wines that are individually altered by each growing season and conditions that Mother Nature presents, which vary year-by-year. From increased rainfall and fog conditions, to soil composition and vineyard proximity to the ocean, there are countless factors that go into each bottle’s unique taste and aroma. In order for consumers to understand the details of their wine they must know what aromas, growing conditions, and notes go into each bottle, hence the importance of having readily accessible “tech-sheets.”

For my senior project, I chose to revamp the informational tech sheets at Tolosa Winery during an 8-month …

Luminature: 3d Printed Light And Packaging Concept, Mallory Browne

Graphic Communication

This project will be an exploration into product design and the opportunities presented with 3D printing. I will be explaining how learning how to design in 3D compliments 2D illustrations. I will touch on the many new forms of more sustainable 3D printing that are emerging and how this is a great opportunity for those who love design as well as environmentally conscious consumers.

The personal objective of my project is to gain experience making branding and packaging while learning about 3D printing and 3D design. I hope to inform and inspire my audience with the use of this relatively …

Mytrials: Clinical Trial Application Concept, Katie Hollister

Graphic Communication

A clinical trial’s success is dependent upon whether a patient attends their highly-structured clinical trial visit schedule, which may include both in-person clinic visits and virtual check-in visits. MyTrials is a clinical trial journey app prototype that enables patients to schedule, reschedule, and attend join their in-person or virtual clinic visits. This product seeks to reduce the burden that scheduling places on the patient, and provides trial-provided resources and a daily and weekly timeline to help patients navigate their clinical trial journey.

Khruangbin On Tour, Meghan Eileen Connolly

Graphic Communication

My senior project, Khruangbin On Tour, creates the opportunity to ideate and promote Khruangbin’s, a three-person band, tour through branding and merchandise. The goal is to create visuals, such as a poster or t-shirt design, to complement their songs and the band as a whole through the use of color palettes, typography, objects and illustrations. The music’s feeling and aesthetic should be reflected in the visual aspects as it represents the artist overall and speaks to the audience.

Wilde House Paper Brand Update, Claire Butler

Graphic Communication

For this project, I will be working with the team at Wilde House Paper to expand current brand assets and create an updated guide and collection of brand collateral. The goal of my project is to help the team at Wilde House Paper have a straightforward structure for their content and have these updated and organized design pieces at their fingertips. I am creating a comprehensive brand guide, organizing and updating a drive of assets, and expanding our collection of social media and email templates as my deliverables.

Non-Fungible Tokens On The Blockchain, Talyssa Janae Cruz

Graphic Communication

The premise of this project is to see how rising artists would perform in this new method of sharing and selling art. With the skills learned in Graphic Communication, the deliverables would be a well-marketed artistic brand and cohesive art collection that will be launched on the Cardano blockchain. Whether the collection succeeds or not, it would be an excellent learning experience to see if the collection will sell. If it succeeds, the information and findings would be gathered to conclude if it is feasible for rising creators to put Non-fungible Tokens on the blockchain.

Artisan Tea Project Re-Brand, Alyssa J. Tong

Graphic Communication

Artisan Tea Project, a local cold brew tea pop-up in San Luis Obispo, aims to communicate the brand’s quality, simplicity, and creativity. The company is in need of design collateral that can best market the nuances of their product to target audiences, especially through digital means. The end result of the project is a fully re-branded company with a cohesive brand image that supports the company’s products, mission, and vision.

Corvette Pacifica Website Redesign, Kyra M. Smith

Graphic Communication

This project is meant to redesign the website for Corvette Pacifica by improving usability and overall experience in order to increase website traffic and revamp the company's branding. The end deliverables include high fidelity mockups for various pages of the website, as well as improved branding such as logos, fonts, and color schemes. The end goal is to have something that could potentially be coded into a fully working website in the near future.

Cal Poly Frankenreads: An All-Day Public Reading Of Mary Shelly’S Frankenstein, Robert E. Kennedy Library

Creative Works

Celebrating the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, the Cal Poly English Department and Kennedy Library organized a series of interdisciplinary events including FrankenReads, an all-day public reading of the novel. Spanning twelve hours, members of the Cal Poly community from all colleges participated in the celebration by volunteering to read portions of Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus.

This catalog is based on the celebration of events “FrankenFall” which took place on October 31, 2018 at the Robert E. Kennedy Library.

Effective Methods Of Marketing An On-Campus Resource To College Students, Samantha Gary

Graphic Communication

The problem this research it attempting to solve is how to market an on-campus resource to college students. Through conducting surveys, gathering research, reviewing case studies, and analyzing data, the author has found that the answer is to not to segment college students by major. It is more effective to figure out what a typical students’ needs are and address them by providing a solution to their problems. By strategically placing printed posters around campus that capitalized on student’s needs for study breaks and outlets to tap in to their ideas, the author found that more students respond to this …

Trends Within Craft Beer Packaging, Aurelia See

Graphic Communication

While the print industry is facing a changing atmosphere, one thing is as sure as death and taxes— there will always be a market for print within the packaging industry. There is a growing market within the craft beer industry, and with that comes competition for each brewery. Many breweries are finding it difficult to use their beer’s first point of sale, the packaging, to their advantage when attracting consumers to their product. The purpose of this research is to provide the reader with knowledge and insight into package design, with special emphasis on designing for current trends and for …

Testing The Viability Of A 3d Workflow Using Only Adobe Creative Cloud, Matthew D. Oakes

Graphic Communication

To determine whether or not a design team or individual designer can create 3D prototypes and the subsequent finished product in a more economically sound and timely manner by purchasing and utilizing Adobe Creative Cloud applications as opposed to the standard workflow that has been established in the past 20-25 years.

A 15-question qualitative survey was submitted to twenty (20) 3D product designers/engineers that currently work in the established industry. Questions were asked to determine what the standard industry professionals are using in their 3D design workflows and if they are open to newer methods that are becoming available through …

How-To Understand And Create Hip-Hop Art, Joshua Wolcott

Graphic Communication

Typography is an essential component of Graphic Communication. The purpose of this study was to bridge typography with hip-hop art. To bridge the two disciplines, hip-hop art was presented in the context that it is actually practiced by these artists. The use of a questionnaire and a drawing lesson was intended to bring the subject within its true context. Presenting the art form in its true context enabled participants involved in the study to understand the art form with the perspective that the discipline, like typography, involves the use of lettering. Participants that were interested in drawing were able to …

Designing An Effective User Interface For A Mobile Application, Cynthia N. Kim

Graphic Communication

The purpose of this study was to determine the best user interface design practices for an iOS mobile application created for Pre-R, a local start-up company that offers physician house calls and telemedicine services throughout San Luis Obispo. The study included initial background research on best user interface design practices, mapping out and implementing the entire process of designing for mobile applications, conducting usability tests on potential users, and making changes according to the test results. Usability tests allowed for a greater understanding of the effectiveness of Pre-R’s mobile interface design prototype. Results from the usability tests have indicated a …

Visualizing Population Density Based On Wifi Router Location And Network Usage, Tyler Deitz

Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies

This research paper introduces a prototype of a feature for Robert E. Kennedy’s maps web application. The feature visualizes population density based off wifi router location and network usage within the building. The significance of the feature is noted by documenting the library’s transition into a hub for student life and campus culture, which increases the space’s occupancy and visitor retention for a longer time. The feature is based off a Voronoi diagram map distribution which strongly affects its technical and visual implementation. The end product is user tested by Cal Poly students and received a 93.5% satisfaction rate.

The Effectiveness And Impressions Between Responsive And Non-Responsive Websites Displayed On A Computer, Tablet And Cell Phone: Displaying Websites Of Eichler Homes, Camille Mary Duckett

Graphic Communication

The researcher designed two types of websites for Eichler Homes in Thousand Oaks. The researcher created both responsive and non-responsive websites.

The researcher performed a study and observed the data. Afterwards, the data was analyzed to see people’s preferences and which one they liked best.

Most of the general public is not knowledgeable about responsive design. In business, people need to decide for themselves if responsive design is worth the investment since most people aren’t aware of it. As responsive design continues to grow with the use of mobile devices most people aren’t educated about responsive vs. non- responsive design. …

Designing An E-Commerce Website For Summit Outdoor Supply (S.O.S.), Eliott Kentaro Mason

Graphic Communication

The purpose of this study was to design an appealing and easy to use e-commerce website for a startup company called Summit Outdoor Supply (S.O.S.) in order for them to expand their customer base and continue to grow. This new website will provide customers with a convenient online store to order S.O.S.’s unique survival gear products at the click of a button.

This study investigated the requirements to design a successful e-commerce website along with increasing visibility of the company through search engine optimization techniques. A usability testing questionnaire was sent out to students, faculty, and personal friends through e-mail …

Design Practices In Mobile User Interface Design, William Hunt Robbins

Graphic Communication

The purpose of this study was to determine optimal user interface design practices for differing age demographics and mobile operating systems. Specifically, users at three different age groups were administered a test to gauge their preference of mobile app icons. The style of the first set of icons, commonly known as flat design, was minimal and simple, with few colors, bevels or gradients. The second style of icons was a more realistic and detailed style known as skeuomorphic design. Users selected the preferred icons, and then took a brief survey to gauge their opinion. After the data was collected, it …

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 …

The Impact Of Branding And Marketing Strategies On Events With Sole, Jennifer Vucinich

Graphic Communication

The purpose of this study was to research current marketing, branding, and social media strategies and apply those to Events with Sole, a nonprofit organization that establishes running and multisport races in Northern California. This study explored the impact of these strategies on nonprofit organizations and the importance of sustaining a brand identity. More specifically, this research defined effective logo design for nonprofits, and based on collected data, provided suggestions for potential improvements to be made to the current Events with Sole branding. This research also provided suggestions for improvements to be made to social media strategy and marketing tactics, …

Aesthetically Designed Maps: Development And Perception, Catherine Wang

Graphic Communication

This research explored the creative element of subway map creation in light of its effectiveness. Printed subway maps, used often for metropolitan cities and areas, are limited in physical dimension and scale, carrying minimal information. The New York, San Francisco Bay Area, Tokyo, Paris, London and Moscow subway maps highlight similar design and abstraction that fulfill the basic necessary elements for subway patrons. Over the years since the first metro map for each city was created, maps have become more simplified by removing physical land features and reference points to make way for expanding and new subway lines, stations, and …

User Interface Design For Online Social Media, Jackie R. Hayes

Graphic Communication

The purpose of this study was to identify implementation techniques of a successful user interface for an online social media application. Interviews were conducted with three employees from three separate social media applications to compare how designers approach user interface design differently. The working professionals were asked a series of user interface design questions about the social media application for which they work and help design. The interview responses were compared to the results of the Voice of the Customer (VOC) survey where 100 online social media (OSM) users were surveyed at random about their user interface design preferences within …

The Quincy Brand, Jessica Pelton

Graphic Communication

The purpose of this study was to find how to effectively brand the Quincy brand by designing multiple platforms that will communicate the company’s intended message to the consumer. After researching the Western industry, designs were created for the brand based on the company’s target market and intended product. Designs were created for a logo, package, and website. A survey was conducted to determine which designs most effectively represented the company and appealed to the consumer. The results of this study can be used to develop Quincy into a distinctive and established brand in the marketplace.

Vogue As An Example Of Effective Fashion Magazine Covers, Kiefer Hackney

Graphic Communication

Abstract

In this study, my objective was to determine what cover design elements contribute to the success of Vogue, the world’s leading women’s fashion magazine. I found that color, fonts, layout, and photography all work together to make a cover that both catches the reader’s eye and gives the reader information about the magazine’s contents. I was able to narrow this down through extensive research on the background of women’s fashion magazines and, specifically, the history and future of Vogue.

In order to find out what is different about Vogue’s printed magazine covers compared to other fashion …

Flexible Branding: An Explorative Case Study On The Effectiveness Of An Adaptable Visual Identity, Adam Scott Houghton

Graphic Communication

No abstract provided.

Creating Pixel Luxury: Research And Design Of A High Quality Resource Website, Kendall Dea

Graphic Communication

The purpose of this study was ultimately to create a website featuring useful resources for designers and creative individuals. This paper examines past studies dealing with user interface and design fundamentals of web design, and then applies their results when planning the basic layout of the final website. The website was then coded and uploaded online with the name, Pixel Luxury. After finishing and uploading the first version of the website, some of the primary challenges that arose during the creation process were documented, as well as many of the useful tools that aided the overall design and coding process. …