As the fourth-year graphic design students embark on their final year at Stevenson, they have begun to dive into their capstone projects. Throughout their time at Stevenson, they have worked hard to hone their skills and tackle a plethora of design issues, and now they will begin to tackle one pertinent to their values, allowing them to conclude their college experience with a nicely wrapped bow.
These capstone projects not only reflect individual artistic visions, but they will also address contemporary issues and trends in design that are of importance to each student. While the projects largely remain in the preliminary stages, Stevenson’s graphic design majors have already initiated their brainstorming and are eager to share the groundwork of what will be showcased in the spring of 2025.
Fourth-year student Ariana Hughart was inspired to base her project around the importance of unbiased political awareness, considering this election year’s gravity.
“My project is a non-biased source [that will] help walk young generations through the American government system from state, local and national, what parties believe in and why voting is important,” Hughart said. “It’s election year, and I feel like I have always struggled to get educated and find information that isn’t biased.”
Hughart has expressed a detailed plan for her capstone titled “ElectEd” and how it will help express the importance of advocating for matters that individuals believe are important.
“I’m going to make my own typeface based off simple gestures to the American constitution and the colors of the USA,” Hughart said. “I’m going to make apparel and a website with infographics that could also be used.”
Another notable capstone idea originates from second-year transfer student Alise Wiseman.
“I am studying vintage physical media set in the 90s and 2000s, nostalgia and the psychological aspects of it as well as the importance of both nostalgia and physical/traditional media,” Wiseman said.
Their project “Retro Revival” aims to do just that.
“While this is still a work-in-progress as we are just starting to prototype and all, I do hope to compare VHS tape videos to digital videos as well as have a binder/booklet of CDs/DVDs for people to engage with and flip through and reminisce,” Wiseman explained. “I also plan to showcase people’s childhood stories of growing up with physical media, statistics showing the decline in physical media and the transition of physical to digital media over time, as well as the historical and psychological aspects of nostalgia and why we feel it.”
Fourth-year Sydney Gatton seeks to explore a different aspect of physical media for her project.
“My working title is A Look Inside the Books,” Gatton said. “It’s very tentative but it is inspired by my current concepts for my project which is taking a deeper look into literature.”
Gatton plans to take a unique approach to her project design that will heavily focus more on illustration.
“I will be using a mix of media including digital and potentially paint,” Gatton said. “My original concept revolved around redesigning book covers and my idea recently has started to shift to being more illustrative and artistic.”
First-year transfer student Hannah Flemming’s capstone project surrounds the topic of environmental preservation and the importance of being mindful of one’s impact on the planet.
“For as long as I can remember, I always prioritized ways to help save the environment,” Flemming said. “I want to preserve the beauty that humans have destroyed. I may not make a huge impact as just one person, but I’m doing everything I can to change what I can. I hope to inspire others to do the same.”
In the spirit of this campaign, Flemming hopes to use a multitude of items for her project. “Objects I use could be canvases, bags, photographs, found litter and illustrations,” she said.
These projects will all reflect Stevenson’s graduating graphic design majors’ commitment to making meaningful contributions to society through design. As they continue to develop their ideas and finalize their projects for the spring, these aspiring designers are poised to leave a lasting impact on their peers and the community, illustrating the powerful role that graphic design can play in addressing and advocating for the issues they care about most.
