Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 50 (01) 1996

published or submitted for publicatio

Bernard: An Illustrated Children’s Book

My Capstone Project is an illustrated children’s book titled, Bernard, that I authored and illustrated. It is a 32-page full color illustrated book following the adventures of a bear named Bernard, as he explores what it is like to spend a day in a human town. The idea behind the story was imagined during a serendipitous moment and expanded into a full narrative. During the creation of the Bernard, I learned the importance of elements such as the rhythm and structure of the children’s book. Wielding a pencil and paper, I explored how little or how much was necessary to convey a concept. I learned the importance of finding purpose to drive a narrative, and explored the relationship between text and image. My intention behind this project was to gain a more thorough understanding of the anatomy of the children’s book. By going through the process of creating a children’s book - from start to finish - I encountered new obstacles and made essential discoveries that I ultimately found valuable to my growth as a children’s book illustrator

Cultivating Collaboration: Optimizing Communication Between Designers and Non-Designers

Clients and designers, having different tacit knowledge, fail to effectively communicate with each other during the design process. These inadequacies risk relationships, reputations, and project success. This issue has long been recognized in the field of design, often as a concern with client involvement. This research aims to identify these complications in the design process and inform how they might be amended. Specifically, it investigates how the relationship between designers and clients can be improved in order to garner better communication and greater project success. In this context, clients are defined as non-designers that commission design professionals. A literature review as well as several case studies and visual analyses conclude that collaboration, empathy, and project structure improve communication and project outcomes. These findings will inform a proposed visual solution that aims to provide knowledge and structure to client-designer partnerships in order to facilitate these benefits

Rewired: Utilizing an Integrated Design Campaign to Persuade Generation Z to Rethink Their Hyper-Connected World

Twenty first century youth have never known a world without the Internet. From childhood they are increasingly reliant on the Internet for their sense of connectivity, play, communication, and socialization. These habits that are formed at a young age are rewiring children’s brains in a negative light. Psychological effects such as narcissism, escapism, instant gratification, and social comparison have become common issues that the current generation faces every day. This thesis will examine how increased dependency on social media and the Internet affects Generation Z and beyond. To better understand how media is affecting childhood and beyond, research was conducted through a series of research questions: 1. How has the digital age impacted childhood? 2. What is internet addiction? 3. What are the psychological effects of internet addiction? 4. What is narcissism? 5. What is escapism? 6. What is instant gratification? 7. How is social comparison becoming a problem? 8. How has Gen Z been affected? After completing this research, a literature review was conducted in addition to a visual analyses and content analyses. Based off of the research conducted, a visual solution was created in order to educate Generation Z about the dangers of media usage from a young age. The thesis visual deliverable created was a multifaceted brand campaign including posters, environmental graphics, narrative literature, website, and social media graphics. Through these outlets, Generation Z will have a greater understanding of the dangers of relying on media while also equipping them with new ways to create change and better habits with the screen

Critical Design

[ES] Los objetos diseñados son mensajes sociales. Critical Design es un movimiento de diseño que cuestiona nuestros pensamientos y preconcepciones para introducir una perspectiva crítica. El propósito de este proyecto será realizar investigaciones sobre los antecedentes y las ideas de Critical Design y luego aplicar los enfoques del movimiento a un desafío de diseño.[EN] Design objects are social messages. Critical Design is a design movement that questions design assumptions and preconceptions to introduce a critical perspective. The purpose of this project will be to carry out research into the background and ideas of Critical Design and then to apply the approaches from the movement to one design challenge.Santamaría Molina, M. (2017). Critical Design. Universitat Politècnica de València. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/142134TFG

The Big Disease with the Little Name: Retelling the Story of HIV & AIDS in an Evolving New Media Landscape

Stories shape our social reality. This research explores new ways of storytelling around the topic of HIV and AIDS by using augmented reality (AR) and electronic literature to experiment with the meaning, structure, and form that a story can take. Employing a mixed methodological approach that combines Research through Design, Transmedia Storytelling and Critical Design methodologies, this thesis unpacks the potential of digital technologies in retelling and revisioning the story of HIV and AIDS as a way to give voice to stories that are often left unheard. AR Disclosures is an interactive documentary installation that tells stories about HIV in the form of augmented reality latrinalia. Once Upon A Virus is an interactive dystopian fantasy that subverts fairy-tale motifs in order to explore themes of inequality in relation to the AIDS epidemic. These two exploratory prototypes aim to propose new ways in which storytellers might leverage evolving new media technologies and experimental storytelling techniques to tell the story of HIV and AIDS to a new audience, while contributing to a developing definition of what the practice of storytelling is and looks like today