This thesis explores the development of a typeface that seamlessly transitions between modern and archaic Latin letterforms, also designed as an educational tool for those interested in the subject, and to help users engage with the historical evolution of typography. By offering an interactive and dynamic experience, this typeface aims to foster a deeper understanding of the transformation of the Latin script over time, enhancing both visual literacy and typographic knowledge.
An adult storybook that challenges traditional adult literature with a fictional tale focused on grief. It personifies the universe and its reflection after an impactful relationship, exploring the solitude of adulthood. The book features intricate packaging, including a custom box, slip-on hardcover, and CD with a focus on young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 who are going through a transitional period in their lives.
Tea first achieved widespread popularity during the Tang Dynasty (618–907 CE), and today, it’s consumed daily worldwide. However, it can be difficult to find good quality tea, unsure where to start, or question if the flavor will fit your tastes.
Using modern design spreads with traditional binding, this thesis aims to create an elegant, informative, and reliable guide to the six Chinese tea categories–including their taste and aroma profile to ensure pleasant experiences–all packaged into a fully functional tea tray box.
How can graphic design transform language into imagery? This project explores the relationship between design and visual wordplay, using nature as a fun medium to demonstrate the power of creative interpretation. Using nature’s unpredictability, a poster series generates unexpected yet meaningful design solutions. A supporting research book examines historical and contemporary uses of visual puns, emphasizing their role in engaging audiences and shaping perception.
As technology advances and global migration increases, many Vietnamese parents express concerns about their children’s disconnection from their cultural roots—especially those living abroad with limited exposure to their heritage and culture. By exploring childhood traditions through festival celebrations, the project aims to foster nostalgia in adults while deepening children’s understanding and connection to their cultural heritage, ultimately preserving traditions and shaping generational identity.
This thesis explores the use of gamification to encourage eco-friendly public transportation habits among families with children. Through a mobile app, transit becomes an interactive adventure, offering children mini-games, eco-challenges, and rewards while equipping parents with route planning, live tracking, and safety tools.Grounded in human-centered design, the project leverages user research, behavioral design, and gamification to promote both child independence and parental reassurance. By making public transit engaging and secure, the app fosters long-term sustainable habits, creating a more connected urban experience for families while reinforcing the environmental and health benefits of public transportation.
Grow! is a storybook designed to help children navigate their anxieties through the metaphor of gardening. Just like anxious thoughts, plants need care to flourish. While taking care of a garden can be complex and overwhelming at times, with the right tools- anything is possible. Using relatable metaphors, bright collage visuals, and engaging storytelling, Grow! creates a friendly space for exploration of inner emotions. A companion card game encourages conversations about feelings, strengthening communication between children and their caregivers. With its metaphorical and playful approach, Grow! encourages kids to embrace their emotions and develop lifelong coping skills.
Fast fashion is on an upward trend with the rise of dirt-cheap retail websites like Temu or Wish. Often made with unethical means and cheap materials, clothes manufactured as a result of fast fashion are made to satisfy a trend and to be quickly thrown away once a new trend hits. INSPITE is a streetwear clothing brand that focuses on defying conventions and embracing change. Unapologetic and bold, INSPITE is targeted to young adults in San Jose who do not fear defiance, who have a need to be fearlessly creative, and who want to incite change.
Ever wonder why we thrive when helping others but can’t start that “one simple task?” Or why we can sink hours into video games with ease, but struggle with mundane tasks? Goblin Wrangler tackles these questions by giving form to our inner chaos, a mischievous goblin that needs understanding, not rejection. This gamified task manager helps users externalize and understand their inner goblin instead of villainizing it. Rather than seeing it as a force of destruction and distraction, what if we listened to it? By acknowledging and nurturing your goblin, you’re ultimately nurturing yourself, turning the faceless void of chaos within into something you can understand, befriend, and grow alongside.
As psychological growth differs per individual, humans all experience a common matter when it comes to mental health: our struggles shape us into our current selves as emotions are not taught, but are uniquely natural. Being a social species, we always want to fit into our environment, however, this burden leads us to feel hopeless once we lose our sense of self. “Embracing My Hidden Sorrows” is an interactive and illustrated storybook depicting a character navigating a journey from feeling hopeless to eventual self-love. This illustrated style is to have the reader connect to their inner child.
Typography is a cornerstone of design, everything from branding to readability relies on type. This spectrum can often be a challenge for designers to navigate, especially with the amount of free (and often bad) typefaces available on the web. Historically, designers had a limited collection of typefaces to choose from, and could only use what was available to them. What if modern designers limited themselves in the same way?Prototype is a book series that explores the history, and applications of significant typefaces from the pre-digital world. Each book in the series will focus on a category of typefaces, detailing their origins, evolution, and relevance in modern design.
As global warming and pollution threaten our planet, coral reefs, home to nearly 25% of marine species, are silently fading, with over 50% of the world’s coral reefs lost since the 1950s (UNEP, 2021). Coral bleaching occurs when rising ocean temperatures cause corals to expel the algae that give them color, turning them ghostly white and leaving them vulnerable to death. This thesis explores the issue of coral bleaching through an interactive book that blends storytelling and augmented reality, examining how these tools can make complex and urgent issues more accessible and engaging for a wider audience.
This thesis explores adaptable and functional clothing that accommodates diverse body types and styles. By incorporating adjustable elements, modular features, and practical details like pockets, the project enhances comfort and usability in everyday wear.
Using 3D modeling and branding design, the project builds a cohesive brand identity that reflects flexibility and ease. Through thoughtful construction and visual storytelling, the project presents a refined approach to fashion that balances practicality with aesthetics, creating a more intuitive and accommodating wardrobe for all.
Graffiti serves as a powerful form of anti-capitalistic activism, not only through its content but also through the very act of its creation. By reclaiming public spaces from corporate control, rejecting the commercialization of art, and existing outside traditional profit-driven institutions, graffiti challenges the capitalist view that ownership and financial gain determine artistic and cultural value. Its impermanence, accessibility, and defiance of private property laws make it a rebellious act of self-expression that resists commodification and asserts the right to free, unregulated creative voices in urban spaces.
Threads of Vietnamese Heritage explores the aesthetics, functionality, and cultural significance of traditional Vietnamese garments like the áo dài, áo bà ba, and áo tứ thân. This exhibition highlights how traditional clothing preserves cultural identity and fosters cross-cultural dialogue through design. Through curated visuals and interactive elements, visitors engage with Vietnamese heritage, trying on accessories and seeing how these garments inspire modern fashion. By blending history and contemporary design, the exhibition showcases the enduring relevance of Vietnamese fashion in a globalized world.
Geography is more than maps and coordinates, it is a story written in the landscapes, architecture, and infrastructure around us. This project explores observational geolocation, a term I’ve coined to describe the practice of identifying location through visual patterns and geographic context. Rather than relying solely on memorization, it encourages recognizing recurring environmental clues and understanding their historical and cultural significance. Through a series of infographic posters and pocket-sized guidebooks, viewers will embark on a visual journey around the world, turning geography into an intuitive, accessible, and curiosity-sparking adventure.
The relationship between emotion and identity is one that affects every aspect of me in my daily life. With experimental book design, multi-media explorations, and typographic applications, I will explore the emotions that create me and their impact on my time in this program.
Through the documentation, classification, and examination of my emotions, I will visualize my growth and personal journey that factor into my identity as a person and designer today.
Research from 2024 reveal that 33% of design students screened positive for moderate to extremely sever levels of depression, anxiety, and stress. The multitude of mental health triggers that art and design students undergo can feel isolating and difficult to navigate. Through the applications of a well-designed advocacy campaign, students will be able to feel more emotionally connected to and supported by their community through comforting spaces on campus to both share problems and cognitively work though emotions.
Logos are essential components of a sports team’s identity, NBA logos have evolved significantly over the decades, reflecting broader shifts in design trends. Analyzing these shifts, will lead to identifying key visual patterns that define modern NBA branding. By applying these insights, an NBA team’s logo can be re-imagined to align with current design trends while preserving its historical, and cultural identity. The redesigned logo is then showcased through extensive brand applications, demonstrating its adaptability across digital media, merchandise, and in-game visuals to enhance team recognition and fan engagement.
Intersect SF is a platform where design drives interdisciplinary collaboration, connecting communities with essential resources and hands-on learning. Its Fix-It Clinic empowers individuals through expert-led workshops that teach repair skills and problem-solving, fostering sustainability and self-reliance. By merging education, design, and resource-sharing, Intersect SF equips communities with the tools and connections needed to address systemic challenges and create lasting impact.
How do designers effectively convey visual branding concepts to clients? While visual branding concepts at a high-level may not always be inherently complex, they are often far from intuitive or immediately apparent. Our field revolves around communication, which raises the question: how do we articulate the value of our work, the systems we design, and their broader purpose within the larger context?
Spark aims to explore the relationship between creative block and imposter syndrome. Through that Spark will provide strategies and exercises to help young graphic designers understand and navigate those feelings.
The human body as a lifeform introduces us to many complexities in regards to both its structural and functional characteristics, while its physiology is responsible for how it all works together from a mechanical perspective at all levels. “Body By Design” is an exploration of these systems from a visual lens in an effort to create a unified snapshot of the inner workings under our skin.