MDes, University of Cincinnati, 2001, Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning : Design

"While the 1990's produced a strong urge for eclecticism and sensuality, people are attaching a greater importance to longer lasting and deeper concerns. There is search for meaning and spiritual content and, as a result, the addiction to fashion change is likely to give way to a more thoughtful use of clothing." (Jarnow 1997: 96) The inspiration for this thesis project began with my community involvement working with military veterans' issues and the establishment of the Heather French Foundation for Veterans. The concept of this project has been to develop a contemporary line of women's clothing to help benefit the foundation with a percentage of its proceeds. My work gives references to the history of the military uniform from 1754 to the present. The attempt was not the directly copy form or pattern but to utilize style for inspiration of unique and innovative use of patterns and silhouettes. My collection reflects my respect and understanding of the military through, not only style, but of rank and tradition. Uniforms were provided to offer uniformity and function. Military uniforms have long inspired civilian clothing; however, I feel I have captured a more practical applied design to today's fashion industry and market. After studying this unique history of military uniforms I am confident that I have portrayed a new and fresh approach to military inspired clothing. Recurring shapes and patterns have translated from their military origins into a functional wardrobe with a purpose to help those who served our country.

Committee: Margaret Voeker-Ferrier (Advisor) Subjects: Design and Decorative Arts

MDes, University of Cincinnati, 2001, Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning : Design

This thesis details the design and implementation of a modular multimedia program, ClickityKids for Preschool. This educational program is designed to be integrated within the preschool classroom, supplementing and enhancing the existing curriculum while developing competency in five specific computer skills: gross mouse movement, directed mouse movement, mouse clicking, mouse pointing and clicking, and printing. In addition to its instructional benefits, ClickityKids for Preschool builds self-efficacy and positive attitudes for computer technology and fosters teamwork and cooperative play. Based on a predetermined class schedule, the modular ClickityKids for Preschool program plays a different activity each week with minimal effort and virtually no supervision once it is launched. The program also provides great flexibility by accommodating multiple class schedules and allowing teachers to select an alternate activity if desired. Each weekly activity, or module, is designed to be quickly mastered and completed, typically requiring less than 10 minutes to finish. Six representative modules are presented in this thesis: Catching Seasonal Objects, Catching Shapes & Colors, Following Directions: Shapes & Colors, Connect-the-Dots: Letters, Alphabet Tennis, and Build-a-Picture: Halloween. Finally, classroom observations are described, difficulties encountered are reflected upon, and modifications and future directions are considered.

Committee: Karen Monzel (Advisor) Subjects: Design and Decorative Arts

MDes, University of Cincinnati, 2001, Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning : Design

This thesis documents the process of converting a conventional educator's portfolio into an interactive electronic educator's portfolio. This thesis will specifically address the needs of the inservice K-12 educator as they embark on an electronic portfolio journey. Currently no literature exists which addresses the process of creating an electronic portfolio specifically for the inservice educator. The majority of the current literature addresses the needs of the preservice educator. This body of work is presented to enhance effective communication by emphasizing the important role design plays in the process of creating an electronic portfolio. Also, offering the K-12 inservice educator guidance in the form of an interactive workbook. The workbook can be used on an individual basis or as a guide for a series of wokshops. (See Appendix H) The workbook portion of this thesis uses an interactive format to demonstrate the essential fundamentals of design. This thesis will give the inservice educator a comprehensive understanding of the entire process, not just a tips and tricks session to assist with design. An electronic portfolio filled with content only that pays no attention to design, usability, functionality, or target audience, would not be as effective. Content only produces a product, design produces an experience for the user. Design helps the user to better understand the message(s) of the portfolio. Design organizes, unifies, and adds interest to the overall body of work. Design mimics the personality of the creator and adds a professional quality. Design empowers! The documentation can be used as a reference for K-12 educators as they are given options to traditional assessment practices. The electronic portfolio is an alternative to the linear format of the traditional portfolio. Because educators can now apply for state certification via the electronic portfolio this thesis is a valuable tool to assist in that process. This thesis is meant to guide the (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Dennis Puhalla (Advisor) Subjects: Design and Decorative Arts

MDes, University of Cincinnati, 2000, Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning : Design

All commercially printed communications are designed to achieve a specific purpose: to evoke a specific response from the recipient. This communication can come in the form of posters, advertisements, brochures, newsletters, or any other medium that the third party will interact with. Historically, this message spoke to the masses. Mass marketing targeted a standardized, undifferentiated mass of consumers to sell standardized mass-produced products. As the computer age emerges, the collection of information on the consumer's spending habits shows that each person has individual wants and needs. From this, a new paradigm is emerging in the marketing arena coined "1:1 marketing" or "customer-driven marketing", where the goal is to sell to one customer at a time. To truly accomplish this ideal on a grand scale, printing technology must provide printing solutions that allow marketers to actually print mass numbers of "individual" messages at an affordable price. This new printing technology is called Variable Data Printing (VDP) and in turn requires the designers who create the marketing communications to understand how to best develop a marketing piece for so many individual recipients. To be successful, an emergence of a new multifunctional team is essential, where marketers, database specialists, information specialists, and designers all work together to create messages and designs suited for one individual. Designers are comfortable creating a single message that is first visualized then designed, evaluated, and finally printed. Now with VDP, elements of a piece are designed separately and those elements, together with database specific information, produce thousands of individualized personalized printed applications. This poses significant risk to designers who aren't able to monitor each iteration of the application. Therefore, new strategies of design must be developed to ensure the communication of the design message while maintaining a cohesive, well designed (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Patrick Schreiber (Advisor) Subjects: Design and Decorative Arts

MDes, University of Cincinnati, 2000, Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning : Design

The intention of this project is to create a virtual, 3-Dimensional environment representative of Peter Eisenman's Aronoff Center for Art and Design, which houses the Colleges of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning at the University of Cincinnati. Architectural drawings and photographs of the building cannot describe the space of the building. Rather, they can only depict the building's form. A 3D model of the building would be useful in that it could convey more depth to the viewer. The final multimedia piece will be used to introduce prospective and new students to the building's layout, provide a detailed overview of the building and the theories behind its creation, and allow people who do not live in Cincinnati to experience some aspects of the building's form. According to Eisenman, architecture has left the "mechanical paradigm" of physical structure for the "electronic paradigm" of the information superhighway and the "virtual reality headset. Virtual reality is a new possibility for reality," he says. "Actual places" will be supplanted by a "place of communication."1 This project hopes to achieve some similarities to virtual reality, or the feeling of emotionally being somewhere while not physically being there.

Committee: Dennis Puhalla (Advisor) Subjects: Design and Decorative Arts

MDes, University of Cincinnati, 2007, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning : Design

This project considers a body of research about play, inclusion, and the characteristics of children with Down syndrome balanced with first-hand feedback from parents. These findings were used to explore a multi-sensory (visual and tactile) solution for modeling the steps of asking to play for children with Down syndrome who have limited verbal skills. The proposed solution is an educational toy that explores three-dimensional form, color, shape, pattern, and texture to enhance communication and reinforce secondary learning concepts like color and shape recognition, object manipulation, and sequencing. A follow-up practice component is essential to the concept, allowing the child to build confidence through rehearsal. The visual support was tested at an annual Buddy Walk, where both typically developing children and children with Down syndrome were observed. Key findings from this event, project limitations, and implications for further research are outlined in the evaluation section of this thesis.

Committee: Dennis Puhalla PhD (Advisor) Subjects: Design and Decorative Arts

MDes, University of Cincinnati, 2007, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning : Design

As the primary source of information for society, the mainstream media shapes public discourse and citizens' perception of reality. Because journalistic decision making by corporate-owned media outlets is based on profit, many critical public interests and perspectives are ignored in news reporting. The result is a media marketplace that disenfranchises the voices of many progressive social justice groups like the Global Justice movement. This thesis examines the mainstream media and proposes how activist-designers can utilize their unique abilities to increase awareness and provoke social change through alternative forms of communication. The Fair Trade Multi-Media Project (FTMP) is a model based on the philosophy that visual communication is a powerfully persuasive tool that can catalyze a paradigm shift in awareness and public discourse. Additionally, advances in technology provide windows of opportunities to create alternative sources of communication that circumvent the corporate media establishment to better educate the public. The functional attributes and societal implications of this theoretical model are discussed herein.

Committee: Dr. Dennis Puhalla (Advisor) Subjects: Design and Decorative Arts

MDes, University of Cincinnati, 2007, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning : Design

This thesis focuses on communicating messages through product design. As background, an explanation of the existence of design language is given and design language elements are defined using semiotics. A design language element communication disk is introduced to show the seven forms the elements can communicate. The second part of the thesis focuses on how people cognitively classify information. Metaphors are introduced as a type of cognitive classification and an effective way to communicate through product design. The final part of the thesis incorporates the design language element communication disk from the first part of the thesis with the cognitive classification information from the second part to provide a design research methodology. The methodology enables the designer to discover a metaphor that resonates with the user, understand how the user cognitively classifies the metaphor, and then organize the attributes and design language elements to communicate effectively through the product design.

Committee: Sooshin Choi (Advisor) Subjects: Design and Decorative Arts

MDes, University of Cincinnati, 2007, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning : Design

Design has the power to change the world. There is great potential for design to positively impact the world and its people. As the world changes, it is important to question methodologies, motivations, influences. There is a need for designers to acknowledge their role in shaping culture and society, to accept responsibility for the outcomes of their work. There is a need for designers to take a more proactive role in shaping the message of the lifestyle. In order to secure the future of humans on the planet, the activity of designing must be viewed as part of a larger fabric of human existence: it must serve to connect us with each other and the world. Design, as the intentional activity by humans for humans whereby the fundamental existence of being human, is experienced, communicated, and understood; and the narrative of this activity is reflected in the designed product, which then shapes and serves human activity. The designed product, as a result of design activity, provides insight into human existence by creating a narrative of how to live: the narrative is created and influenced by both the designer and the user. The Model of Holistic Philosophy of Human Existence describes the concepts and attributes of human existence and the function of design in this existence. This thesis explores the limitations of design when confined to the market economy and the power and potential design has to positively impact the world when practiced holistically offer necessary the reflection and rethinking to bring about a reformation of design activity. The model of the gift economy serves as inspiration for design's potential.

Committee: Dr. Dennis Puhalla (Advisor) Subjects: Design and Decorative Arts

MARCH, University of Cincinnati, 2007, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning : Architecture (Master of)

What are the psychological effects of living in a society creating architecture that is driven from a fear and paranoia of attack? How can architecture, understanding that it can never be one hundred percent secure, attempt to design buildings are inhabitable but are still safe? A new U.S. embassy compound in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, plays as an experiment to investigate four major topics: psychology of fortifications, the duality of opacity and transparency, symbolism of diplomacy, and the concept of non-linear and informal structures. A catalytic process becomes the approach to all four topics, informing the design in a different fashion when each catalyst is applied. Immersing the iterative process in each of the four topics will result in a new perspective of security in built form. Now designing with a manipulation of the perception of space and the construct of security, rather than the fortification of architecture into bunkers

Committee: Ryan Chatterjee (Advisor) Subjects: Design and Decorative Arts

MDes, University of Cincinnati, 2007, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning : Design

The goal of this project is to follow user-based qualitative research to design a dishwashing appliance that is superior in functionality and more desirable to use. The Introduction contains the background, problem statement, hypothesis, goals, objectives, parameters and pre-research opportunities. The Design Strategies chapter investigates the components of inclusive design and emotional design as well as how the stakeholders, users and companies, benefit when inclusion is considered in the design process. The Dishwashing Research chapter will document findings from the preliminary literature- and internet-based research phases, which includes analyses of the history, function, paradigm, technologies, and ergonomics related to dishwashing. The User Research chapter will include conclusions from six in-home interviews with individuals and families of various types, one focus group of retirement-aged women, and internet-based opinions websites. The Design chapter describes the concept generation, development and optimization phases of the design process all of which were informed directly by the previous three chapters. This section is composed of sketches, images of mockups and CAID-based visualizations of final concepts supplemented with explanations of the concepts.

Committee: Dale Murray (Advisor) Subjects: Design and Decorative Arts

MDes, University of Cincinnati, 2006, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning : Design

The impetus for writing this thesis is based on the extraordinary faculty of human beings to understand a sense of self outside of or separate from the physical world and how this belief affects the methods through which we choose to alter the environment in which we live. This thesis examines the nature and experience of human beings through two foundational beliefs regarding the relational meaning of the world and our place in it from a design perspective. The first belief deals with the understanding that we represent an isolated individual ego predictably connected to the effects of the natural world in causal mechanical, physical and chemical ways. This understanding began with the philosophical representation of the natural life-world through use of symbolic rules as originally described by the pure logic and mathematics of the early Greeks. The second belief is based on transcending this idealized representation as described by Edmund Husserl's methods of phenomenological reduction. By questioning these two types of attitudes toward the world a design application for the re-synthesis of direct human awareness with the natural processes of the world will be introduced. This integrated approach to relational consciousness creates new opportunities for the designer to rethink the means by which he or she will address and ultimately create human artifacts. Utilizing transcendental phenomenology, specifically the principle of intersubjectivity, an investigation into the intersubjective essence of mobility and transportation is performed through the conceptualization and development of a gas/electric hybrid vehicle. This thesis offers a diverse design methodology which prescribes a foundational approach for adaptation. It is not a formulaic set of absolute instructions for environmentally sound practices or a method by which one tries to copy or mimic the natural processes of the world while maintaining an abstract feeling from it. This thesis seeks to dissolve the (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Brigid O'Kane (Advisor) Subjects: Design and Decorative Arts

MDes, University of Cincinnati, 2005, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning : Design

This thesis focuses on the design of an identity system for the Maitri Center, a performance and dance venue in Cincinnati, Ohio. I explore how an identity system can provide the organization with a meaningful image. I also examine how the use of the Maitri Center building has evolved over the past 120 years and how these changes affect its ‘place identity.' In this thesis, ‘place' is defined as a site of emotional, cultural, and historical values manifested in local identity. I am particularly interested in the attachments people have to a place, the way a place forms their identity, and how, in turn, people form the identity of a place. The crux of this thesis is that an exploration into place can enrich neighborhoods, and that graphic design can engage with this process on many levels. The identity system design for the Maitri Center considers these issues.

Committee: J. Chewning (Advisor) Subjects: Design and Decorative Arts

MDes, University of Cincinnati, 2005, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning : Design

Currently the automotive industry faces severe problems. To attract buyers in a highly competitive market, price reductions as an incentive have reached unreal levels. To maximize profits, the trend is to use platform strategies whenever possible. Also, the architecture and structure of cars is living a revival of the ladder frame with huge sales of SUV's. One explanation for that is the higher profit of car companies with the sale of ladder frame SUV's compared to space frames. The other reason is that people buy them like they are for free. The public is manipulated with psychological issues like "my car is big so I am safe". The truth is the opposite as recent studies show. Design is used to decorate the interior and exterior. Restyling the appearance, rather than redesign the vehicle, consumes an enormous amount of resources. Furthermore global political conditions and the rise of the cost for crude oil turns increases the awareness and demand for fuel efficiency and alternative energy resources Public transportation systems face numerous problems as well. Lacking support of the government, city planners can't replace old technology. A vicious circle results: the quality of the public transportation declines, public use decreases leading to less revenue. Other issues are infrequent scheduling, lack of goods transportation and insecurity at night. High installation costs are recouped after long periods and the customer needs good reasons to change from the convenience of a car to a mass transit system. Examples like the car sharing in San Francisco or the renting of carts on golf courses show that there are alternatives to owning vehicles. There are certain situations where it is sensible to use a flexible vehicle that one rents for minutes, hours or days. It is necessary to configure and restrict an area for such a system to work. Absolute criteria are to minimize weight and maximize safety. The use for a wide range of people should be considered, common issues (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Soo-Shin Choi (Advisor) Subjects: Design and Decorative Arts

MDes, University of Cincinnati, 2004, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning : Design

This thesis explores the genre of information graphic. The research examined how enhanced visuals help people understand the concept of Professor. Kim-Chos who is a linguist and a professor at State University of New York, research about the Korean Alphabet. In order to complete the objective, abstract concepts of the Korean Alphabet were visualized into icons. Then, layouts were designed according to a visual system that the author proposed. Finally, some interactivity was added to utilize the benefits of the current technology. Anyone who understand the concepts behind the Korean language, he or she can read the Korean Alphabet in 50 minutes. This thesis explores the genre of information graphic. The research examined how enhanced visuals help people understand the concept of Professor. Kim-Chos who is a linguist and a professor at State University of New York, research about the Korean Alphabet. In order to complete the objective, abstract concepts of the Korean Alphabet were visualized into icons. Then, layouts were designed according to a visual system that the author proposed. Finally, some interactivity was added to utilize the benefits of the current technology. Anyone who understand the concepts behind the Korean language, he or she can read the Korean Alphabet in 50 minutes.

Committee: Mike Zender (Advisor) Subjects: Design and Decorative Arts

MDes, University of Cincinnati, 2003, Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning : Design

Industrial designers gather references from a multitude of sources, synthesize it, and convey those influences in the design of products. Looking only at competitors for inspiration can potentially limit the perspective of contemporary designers and subsequently the innovation of products. Just as people feel connected to nature, designers can create products that consumers feel connected to through the reference of nature. This document focuses on how nature can be used as a model in order to address many of the problems confronting designers today. There has been no clear and practical methodology for modern industrial designers to observe and reference nature. The Metabolic Design Methodology is a design strategy that represents the culmination of the four categories, I have recognized, in the design of products. The categories are: Surfaces/Finishes, Form/Structure, Materials, and Processes/Production. The four categories represent common topics industrial designers consider in the design of products. They represent a tool meant to facilitate the systematic referencing of nature in the design of products. They were developed to present designers with opportunities for invention by establishing some parameters as they wade through the design process. The report is comprised of four primary parts. Part I includes; the introductory chapter as well as a chapter entitled, Contemporary and Classical Methodologies for Understanding Nature. Part II; presents and explains the four categories I am proposing. Part III; analyzes two case studies in which I demonstrate varying degrees of application of the Metabolic Design Methodology. Finally, Part IV; is the concluding chapter. The two case studies represent varying degrees of metabolic influence into an otherwise traditional design strategy. Through the case studies I demonstrate how each category can be systematically incorporated into traditional design approaches independently, or how the categories may be used collect (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Dr. J. Chewning (Advisor) Subjects: Design and Decorative Arts

MDes, University of Cincinnati, 2003, Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning : Design

In 1932, the department store Lord and Taylor promoted the American Look, it included comfortable, washable, quality clothing designed by American women designers. This was the beginning of an entirely new category of clothing that would change how the Western world dressed. These characteristics became so assimilated into today's styles they have become an integral part of American design. Before the growth of American design, fashion was based on the lifestyles of a few elite European women and their designers. Little was done to design fashions around the American lifestyle. American garment manufacturers simply copied French designs and mass-produced them in America. Paris was authoritarian in its mandates of fashions dictated by the desires of a few powerful designers, few believed good design could be created in America. A small group of American fashion designers sought to cast off the restrictions of European design and create a style that was uniquely American and placed function before form. Economic, social, and political events had an impact on the development of sportswear as well. World War II isolated Paris from the international fashion press so American manufacturers and department stores turned to American designers. The growth of the department store transformed clothing into fashion and created a demand for inexpensive designs and promoted democracy in fashion. The growth of athleticism among American women spurred the need for comfortable clothing. The lifestyle influences and changes springing from California and Hollywood during the 1930's portrayed the active, outdoor lifestyle as desirable. World War II also pushed women into paid factory and office work, creating a need for practical, protective work clothing. With American trade cut off from France, American textile mills retooled to produce military fabrics and consumer fabrics usually imported from Europe. American sportswear is becoming a global style of fashion. Contemporary designers (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Margie Voelker-Ferrier (Advisor) Subjects: Design and Decorative Arts

MDes, University of Cincinnati, 2003, Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning : Design

Life experiences and images have been captured and recorded in some form or another for as long as humans have occupied the Ohio Valley and dwelled in the vicinity of its banks. This thesis focuses on the creation of three short narratives, each offering unique perspectives of the river's influence on life, and an interactive Collage-building experience that allow users to create their own representation of life along the Ohio River. While historical records have been researched and portions have been integrated into the thesis, the main focus is an impression of the river that is particular to the conditions of today.

Committee: Dennis Puhalla (Advisor) Subjects: Design and Decorative Arts

MDes, University of Cincinnati, 2003, Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning : Design

Receiving shots can cause children severe distress. This paper covers several stages in the development of a painless injection device intended for vaccinations. It will be assumed for the purposes of this paper that physical pain can be eliminated. After searching the literature, observing standard vaccinations and interviewing health care providers, several design criteria for streamlining the vaccination process were identified. A device will be suggested that is: pre-filled, self-adhesive, automated, delivering two vaccines simultaneously and would be safer and faster than syringes. To address the psychological aspects of fear, anxiety and misconceptions concerning the integrity of the body, two diverging aesthetic solutions to the device were tested on children age 1 - 11 years. Their reactions to the models were compared to determine which would better suit the needs of the design criteria. Another test was performed to refine usage issues after problems were identified with the one year olds. It was observed that as children got older they found it easier to refrain from touching the device, a necessary procedural component to success. It was determined that a simple monochrome device is preferable to a more toy like one, because it was less likely to attract attention to the device. Although well tolerated by children older than two, with only moderate parental interventions to prevent attempts to touch or play with the device, it is recommended that for the younger child it be required that the parent hold their child in the lap while sitting at a table where the child's attention and hands can be kept busy with some favored distraction. It is further recommended that a second variation be developed to fit the outer thigh injection site in such a way that the functioning of the device will not be hindered by contact if said child becomes unruly and insists on moving down from the lap or playing with the device.

Committee: Mary Beth Privitera (Advisor) Subjects: Design and Decorative Arts

MDes, University of Cincinnati, 2003, Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning : Design

Home fashion, as it is sometimes called in the home furnishing industry, describes a fashion driven home furnishing collection. Over the past ten years, many fashion designers have been branching into the home product categories, under their fashion apparel brand label, as a way to create an image or brand identity around a lifestyle. Together with apparel fashion, home fashion products extend the mood of a fashion style from what we wear to how we 'dress', or decorate, our home interiors. Evidence in various research shows that our sensibility towards styles in fashion transcends our taste in interior decor; therefore, fashion theory can serve as a conceptual basis for the creation of a complete home fashion style. Contained in this thesis are the theory, design process and illustration of a collection of home fashion designs.

Committee: DR. MARGARET VOELKER-FERRIER (Advisor) Subjects: Design and Decorative Arts