GRDS 490_98: Focus Students' Projects / Proposal


Emma Regotti


  1. Scientific Illustration

    2. Skills: attention to detail, layout, type, color - 3 different ways to lay out (vintage, modern, etc)

    DUE SEP 16


  2. Animated landscape

    3. Skills: timing, fundamentals, puppet tool, atmospheric perspective, consistency (all vector, color harmony), camera - Photoshop/fresco, vector

    DUE OCT 21


  3. Packaging design

    4. Skills: continuity design, catering to audience, branding - Energy drink or seltzer can, different flavors

    DUE NOV 6


  4. Magazine Spread

    InDesign Skills: continuity design, type as image, infographics, interesting layout

    DUE NOV 13


  5. Comic illustration

    6. Skills: continuity, color, storytelling, character design

    DUE DEC 04


We will meet at the 4th, 8th, and 12th weeks of classes to critique your progress and discuss challenges. At that point you will fill out a self-assessment for your prgress and your grade will be administrated over Brightspace on the 4th, 8th, 12th, and final week of the course.

We will check-in at every class before you start working and after your studio session ends.


All of the additional information about the course is on the class website syllabus for the class you attend.


Maddie Pagotto


3 projects (printed and animated in each = 6 total) All logos that will be animated. Each project will start with a professional logo brand sheet.


  1. Law firm: professional, minimalistic, limited animation, clean and boring. Type with a small, plain graphic logo. Instagram ad dimensions.

    2. Static version due: Sept. 17th

    Animation due: Oct. 1st


  2. Smoothie Company: vector art, colorful (2-3 color palette), looser animation, more movement. Mainly graphics with the name of company. YouTube or Tiktok ad dimensions.

    3. Static version due: Oct. 15th

    Animation due: Nov. 5th


  3. Travel/Tourism Campaign: colorful, illustrations, lots of movement, type and illustrations/graphics moving together. YouTube ad dimensions.

    4. Static version due: Nov. 19th

    Animation due: Dec. 10th (?)


We will meet at the 4th, 8th, and 12th weeks of classes to critique your progress and discuss challenges. At that point you will fill out a self-assessment for your prgress and your grade will be administrated over Brightspace on the 4th, 8th, 12th, and final week of the course.

We will check-in at every class before you start working and after your studio session ends.


All of the additional information about the course is on the class website syllabus for the class you attend.


Naomi Gehmann


    Focus Area: Web & UI/UX Design, Branding, Visual Communication, and Applied Graphic Design


    This semester, I will complete six projects across 13 weeks (starting Sept. 1st) that demonstrate a balance of conceptual thinking, technical skill, and applied design for real-world contexts. These projects are tailored to my goal of building a versatile portfolio for local businesses, including branding, marketing materials, digital interfaces, merchandise, editorial design, and cohesive visual systems. The work will emphasize visual communication, user-centered design, and continuity across mediums and within designs.


  1. Logo + Brand Style Guide for a Hypothetical Business (2 weeks, due Sept. 12th)

    2. Product(s): Business brief (written document), logo suite (primary and secondary logos, vector/PDF), typography system (PDF), color palette (digital swatches), pattern (vector/PDF), and app icon (SVG/PNG). Focus: Identity design, brand cohesion, and versatility across digital and print media. Software: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign

    DUE SEP 12


  2. Marketing Materials for the Same Business (2 week, due Sept. 26th)

    3. Product(s): 1 trifold brochure (8.5"x11", print-ready PDF), 1 flyer (8.5"x11", print-ready PDF), and 1 social media post (1080x1080 px, JPG/PNG). Focus: Consistent application of brand identity and visual communication strategies. Software: Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator

    DUE SEP 26


  3. Magazine Spread + Physical Merch for an Event (2 weeks, due Oct. 10th)

    Product(s): 2-page editorial spread (8.5"x11", PDF), 1 t-shirt design (mockup, JPG/PNG), 1 hat design (mockup, JPG/PNG), and 1 sticker sheet (8"x8", print-ready PDF). Focus: Visual storytelling, layout, typography, and translation of design to physical products. Software: Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Dimension

    DUE OCT 10


  4. UX Redesign Case Study for an Existing Website (2.5 weeks, accommodates Fall Break, due October 31st)

    5. Product(s): Redesigned homepage (desktop: 1440x1024, mobile: 375x812, JPG/PNG), site map (PDF), and wireframes (PDF). Focus: UX research, content hierarchy, accessibility, and user-centered design solutions. Software: Figma

    DUE OCT 31


  5. Custom UI Icon Set (2 weeks, due Nov. 14th)

    6. Product(s): Cohesive set of 10-20 vector icons (SVG/PNG, scalable for desktop, mobile, and print). Focus: Visual continuity, scalability, and integration with UI/UX systems. Software: Adobe Illustrator

    DUE NOV 14


  6. Interactive Portfolio/Personal Branding Website (3 weeks, accommodates Thanksgiving break, due Dec. 5th, Friday before finals)

    7. Product(s): Fully responsive portfolio website (desktop: 1440x1024, mobile: 375x812, live site + mockups) showcasing completed projects, including light/dark mode and interactive components. Focus: UI/UX design, interaction patterns, personal branding, and project showcase. Software: HTML, TypeScript, SCSS, Adobe Illustrator, NameCheap (for domain purchasing and site hosting)

    DUE OCT 31


We will meet at the 4th, 8th, and 12th weeks of classes to critique your progress and discuss challenges. At that point you will fill out a self-assessment for your prgress and your grade will be administrated over Brightspace on the 4th, 8th, 12th, and final week of the course.

We will check-in at every class before you start working and after your studio session ends.


All of the additional information about the course is on the class website syllabus for the class you attend.


Seth Bigger


My goal is to use these 6 projects to show my advanced skill in 3D rendering, Illustration, product design, and continuity within a brand. There will be 2 products created, 3 variants each. I will then create a 3D render and social media campaign for each. My last 2 products will be. Style Guide and a presentation to show my in depth understanding of brand identity. The main graphic design principles I will be focusing on during this class are: Brand Identity, Brand Continuity, Brand Identity, illustrations, logo design


  1. 3D Render (IPA)

    2. Create 1 (or 3) Renders of a IPA brand I will create. There will be three variants (flavors) This project will tackle a number of graphic design principles, like brand continuity, logo design, along with brand identity.

    DUE SEPT 15


  2. Social Media Campaign (IPA)

    3. I will then create a 3 Image social media campaign for the IPA brand. (One for each flavor) The social media campaign will focus on brand continuity, as well as typesetting, and possibly illustrations.

    DUE OCT 01


  3. Presentation / Style Guide

    4. Project 3 and Project 6 are interchangeable, as I am unsure which would be better for each product to best demonstrate my abilities. The presentation and style guide would also be brand identity, along with continuity. But along with that the ability to convey that information to other people to recreate.

    DUE OCT 17


  4. 3D Render (Med/Rec Marijuana Packaging)

    Create 1 (or 3) Renders of a Med/Rec Marijuana brand that I will create. There will be three variants (Indica, Sativa, Hybrid) This project will tackle a number of graphic design principles, like brand continuity, logo design, along with brand identity.

    DUE NOV 02


  5. Social Media Campaign (MJ)

    6. I will then create a 3 Image social media campaign for the MJ brand. (One for each strain) The social media campaign will focus on brand continuity, as well as typesetting, and possibly illustrations.

    DUE NOV 18


  6. Presentation / Style Guide

    7. Project 6 and Project 3 are interchangeable, as I am unsure which would be better for each product to best demonstrate my abilities. The presentation and style guide would also be brand identity, along with continuity. But along with that the ability to convey that information to other people to recreate.

    DUE AT FINAL

We will meet at the 4th, 8th, and 12th weeks of classes to critique your progress and discuss challenges. At that point you will fill out a self-assessment for your prgress and your grade will be administrated over Brightspace on the 4th, 8th, 12th, and final week of the course.

We will check-in at every class before you start working and after your studio session ends.


All of the additional information about the course is on the class website syllabus for the class you attend.


Shayla Mullen


For this semester I would like to focus on my line quality like the contrast between thick and thin lines, work on having balanced color palettes, abstract, background development, and character design. I enjoy creating Illustrations and I see myself being a future Digital Illustrator for any company someday.

  1. Line quality Illustrations

    2. Sketchbook Pro and Photoshop Skills: Focus on line quality/weight (Thick & Thin lines), Brush stokes, Depth, Realism, a series of random people, people you may know in a collage.

    Due Sep 23


  2. Adult Coloring Book Illustrations

    3. Sketchbook Pro, Illustration, & InDesign Skills: Focus on line quality and color pallet.

    Due Oct 7


  3. Comic Book

    4. Sketchbook Pro, Photoshop, Illustration, & InDesign Skills: Focus on Line quality, color pallet, depth/ layout, perspective, and text.

    Due Oct 28


  4. Abstract Illustrations

    Sketchbook Pro & Photoshop Skills: Focus on line quality, color pallet, depth, and texture.

    Due Nov 4


  5. Childrens Book Cover

    6. Sketchbook Pro, Photoshop, & InDesign Skills: Focus on line quality, color pallet, repetition, and cover layout with Type.

    Due Nov 11


  6. Childrens Book Illustrations

    7. Sketchbook Pro, Illustrator, & InDesign Skills: Focus on line quality, color pallet, texture, organic shapes, and maybe Type for a children’s picture book with limited words, easy to read and fun to look at.

    Due Dec 2

We will meet at the 4th, 8th, and 12th weeks of classes to critique your progress and discuss challenges. At that point you will fill out a self-assessment for your prgress and your grade will be administrated over Brightspace on the 4th, 8th, 12th, and final week of the course.

We will check-in at every class before you start working and after your studio session ends.


All of the additional information about the course is on the class website syllabus for the class you attend.