concept: In exploring participatory design, I wanted to focus on bringing together a marginalized community with those who marginalize them through soliciting content of their shared attributes.
Vegans tend to be marginalized by non-vegans and are told that their food is gross, when in actuality, non-vegan people eat vegan food all the time. The problem is they don’t associate it with veganism, and definitely not in a positive way.
execution: Project Pig is an interactive sculpture that asks users to submit a vegan meal they ate today in order to save the pig. It asks for the participation of both vegans and non-vegans and allows the non-vegan community to associate eating vegan foods with saving the animal. Gamifying the experience adds an element of fun to it that helps to erase stigma between the two groups. One simply scans the vinyl decal on the outside of the grocery store, which is where this sculpture lives, and brings them to the interactive webspace where they answer a series of questions and learn more about the project.
User tests highlighted the need for more clearly marking the progress on the pig, rather than just on the phone screen, as well as considering the context of the grocery store as opposed to a park or busy sidewalk.
concept: Speculative design is the use of design to trigger critical reflection on alternative, socially oriented narratives. In 2028, how will our engagement with news media change? What if we’re engaging with screens more and more in our daily lives? People engage with the news because they want to be informed. However, people decide not to engage out of disinterest, viewing it as a distraction, or simply not understanding it. In 2028, a desirable future for the news media user experience is being able to engage with it during a time where their brain is not preoccupied with other tasks. It is also being able to have the news tailored to their level of comprehension so that the news actually makes sense to them, which prompts them to become more engaged socially.
execution: Using only audio, I wanted to create an experience that didn’t include an interface. Instead, the news takes form of an ear piece that the user puts in before they sleep to give them the news and track their brain as it reacts. This functions as a way to figure out what they don’t comprehend as well and then tailor the next night of news to function better for their comprehension level. It also acts as a way to help the user become more interested and socially engaged in the news by reading emotional reactions to stories and giving the user ways they can be involved based on what they are passionate about.
concept: In creating the collaborative report booklet for the research findings we gained from Building the Block With Rhythm, there needed to be spreads throughout that went into more depth regarding human–centered design and the mindsets that accompany it to better frame the research we did with the community. They needed to differ in style and provide a visual language that broke up the rest of the content throughout the book.
execution: Though I wanted the spreads to differ in visual language, there needed to be similarities to still make it feel like it was all a part of the same book. I utilized the set color palette of the book to create gradient mapped images that were taken throughout the process of the block party. I also incorporated the typeface that we used throughout the rest of the book but in bolder weights and larger point sizes to make all the spreads louder. They range in content from explaining what human–centered design is to what each mindset entails and how we used each of them in the work we were doing specifically with Building the Block.
concept: Communication takes on many forms and can change depending on the type of problem at hand. By incorporating principles from both human–centered design and equity–centered community design, traditional models of communication will change.
execution: When ideating approaches, there is a possibility that they are going to fail at some point or another. This failure can be the result of noise causing the receiver and/or sender to be unable to correctly process the message. It could also be the result of a failure to send or a failure to process. There can be a lot of trial and error for any and all iterations, but through that process, these failures result in a successful transmission. I wanted to convey these ideas in the form of traveling through a maze because of the paths that are taken when trying to complete one. More often than not, you hit a wall and have to go back and figure out a new approach. The same can be done when ideating solutions for big design problems.
concept: Robynne Raye is a designer who focuses on illustration and does not shy away from color and whimsy. In creating the lecture collateral, it was my responsibility to exhibit her style without copying it, making sure I showed who she was as a designer with integrity.
execution: With this piece, there are multiple pieces of collateral that accompany it, creating a full system for this event. In total, a poster, a flyer, an Instagram graphic, a Facebook graphic, and four buttons to take away from the event were created. In creating this system, I focused on the intersection of analog and digital artifacts and how one influences the other over cross media platforms.
concept: The goal of u·reuse is to encourage and enlighten users on the benefits of choosing to use reusable products over disposable ones. Many people choose the disposable option out of habit, availability, or cost. Some aren’t educated on ways that you can make a sustainable impact, even if they are small.
execution: This site works as both a store and social platform, a place where everything is consolidated, thus taking out the extra steps that could deter the user from making the switch. The user can buy new reusable goods or link up with another user in the community to buy and sell goods. Community plays a big part in this site’s functionality as the user can participate in discussion boards to talk about sustainable events in the area or share ideas on how to cut down on waste consumption. Speculatively, the user can temporarily lock certain items or places in their home to help them break the habits of reaching for their easily accessible disposable products.
concept: I wanted to take an article detailing the ethics of veganism and design an eleven page editorial in a way that was more nuanced and approachable to a non-vegan audience while still getting to the knitty gritty. I wanted to stay away from bombarding the reader with messages that are too hard to digest.
execution: The color palette is minimal and illustrations throughout show facts and figures to better explain the content that is living on each spread. More often than not, pro-vegan messages are harsh and commanding, showing graphic images and containing an overarching message of forcing the reader to lead a vegan lifestyle. Instead of that, I create a data driven approach to cater to the audiences desire to create decisions rationally and with facts to back them up.
concept: Tackling a new identity system, the University of Arkansas's Collective Design club transformed into the University of Arkansas AIGA Student Group as I stepped into my Presidency. With this new title came a new identity and it was my responsibility, as well as that of my fellow officers, to create our voice.
execution: I put together a deck to present to students to highlight the benefits of joining AIGA, The Professional Association for Design, and our group on campus. Along with this, I designed preliminary collateral for business cards and posters for meeting and event information.
concept: In collaboration with the University of Arkansas AIGA Student Group and the College Book Arts Association, I was the Design Director under Co-Chair David Chioffi in the creation of the 2018 conference program. It was my duty to create spreads for the panels taking place at the conference focusing on classic typography and hierarchy all while designing for the name of the conference—Collective Relevance: The Reciprocity of Art and Artifact.
