Image by Ed Brennen Senior graphic design major Jamie Cella, recipient of the Senior Studio Award, discusses his "Chapter Chaser" capstone project with Chancellor Julie Chen during the recent Bachelor of Fine Arts Graphic Design Exhibition at Mahoney Hall.
Senior graphic design major Bella Faulkner was already on cloud nine after accepting a full-time job offer. Then later that day, she earned a top honor at “In the Clouds,” the Bachelor of Fine Arts Graphic Design Exhibition at Mahoney Hall.
“It’s great to see all my classmates’ work here. They are super-talented, and they inspire me to be my best,” said Faulkner, a Salem, New Hampshire, native who earned the Excellence in Graphic Design Award for having the program’s highest grade point average.
Faulkner was among 19 senior graphic design majors who spent the year developing capstone projects for imagined clients, creating design systems that included branding, digital applications, print materials and motion graphics.
“In the Clouds celebrates the boundless creativity of our seniors,” said Associate Teaching Professor Melissa Schrenker, graphic design coordinator and senior studio instructor. “Their ideas may start as something abstract, but they’ve learned how to shape those ideas into purposeful, tangible design solutions.”
Image by Ed Brennen Guests check out the work at the Bachelor of Fine Arts Graphic Design Exhibition at Mahoney Hall.
“It’s a full professional simulation,” said Associate Professor Ingrid Hess, who co-teaches senior studio. “Students are constantly iterating — researching, testing, refining and critiquing each other’s work — while also managing a large-scale public showcase.”
The exhibition showcased a wide range of projects that reflected both personal interests and real-world applications.
For senior Jamie Cella, the process led to “Chapter Chaser,” an interactive app designed to encourage reading. Inspired by his own struggle to reconnect with books, Cella created a system that integrates with e-readers and rewards users with collectible characters and social features.
“I wanted to take the same strategies that keep people scrolling on social media or playing mobile games and use them to get people reading again,” said Cella, a Framingham native who also produced motion graphics, 3D elements and printed materials to support the concept. “It was a lot to juggle, but I’m really proud of how everything came together.”
Image by Ed Brennen Audience members applaud during a screening of the project animations at the Comley-Lane Theatre.
“It’s a little surreal. You spend the whole year working toward this, and then suddenly it’s all here and people are experiencing it,” he said of the exhibition at the University Gallery.
Jessica Sarakas created “Wine N’ Weenies,” a vineyard concept aimed at young adults and new wine drinkers, complete with menus, merchandise and marketing materials.
“You start with a digital idea and then bring it into physical space,” the Dracut native said. “Seeing it all come together like this is really exciting.”
Faulkner’s project, Vägen Hem (the way home), explored Swedish holidays and culture, helping young Swedish Americans reconnect with their heritage through a fully illustrated book and accompanying design system.
“This was my first time illustrating an entire book, so it was a big challenge,” said Faulkner, whose mother is from Sweden. “But it was also the most rewarding part of the project.”
Image by Ed Brennen An exhibition guest browses the books that the senior graphic design students created for their capstone projects.
The capstone requires students to move between digital and physical formats, preparing them for the demands of the design industry.
“Design today isn’t confined to one medium,” Hess said. “Our students are building systems that exist across platforms, and that’s exactly what employers are looking for.”
Students worked closely with faculty, alumni mentors and technical staff while supporting one another through critiques and production challenges.
“They’ve pushed each other and grown together,” Schrenker said. “This show is as much about that community as it is about the final work.”
Image by Ed Brennen Senior graphic design major Rhondyna Reth, center, watches as a youngster tries out the interactive portion of her project Chronos, a "luxury time tourism company."