Graphic designers work with materials, tools, and systems in all kinds of ways. Being hands-on with both analog and digital tools helps students expand how they think about design and what’s possible in their practice.
This project was co-taught across two senior-level studios in a cross-classroom collaboration. My colleague, Megan Irwin, led the exploration of type design, focusing on custom letterforms and hands-on, analog processes. I led the students with designing 3D, digital forms and building immersive environments for augmented reality.
Together, students created mixed-reality experiences that invited viewers to engage with form, space, and material across both physical and digital spaces. The work combined AR technology with on-site, tactile materials to create interactive outcomes. We refer to this approach as physdigital—experiences that blend physical and digital elements into a single environment, allowing people to move fluidly between the two. By combining the strengths of both realms, physdigital projects open up new, playful, and engaging ways for audiences to interact with design.
About the Project: Type in Space
Type in Space was a project designed to challenge students to design an immersive and interactive, site-specific typographic installation. In this project, meaning and message intersected with form, place, and technology. Students experimented with conceptual typography for a site-specific installation using both physical and digital materials and processes.
Students selected a location for the type installation, which was instrumental in communicating the intended message.
The installations had multiple points of interaction with the audience, through physical and digital forms and spaces. The installation and type was expressive, experimental, and created with messaging at the forefront of its design.
“This is It” by LC Love:
“This is It” was created by LC Love and was constructed with natural materials from the physical landscape including mulch, dirt, and red magnolia seeds. There were multiple physical installations for this project, but the main installation was set outside of the academic building, Jenkins Fine Arts Center because of the building’s affiliation with the university as an institution for learning and reaching one’s potential.
The AR experience is centered around the main installation. The general concept for the AR was to create a digital labyrinth that immersed the physical space. The installation spread across pathway and pavement to create high contrast between the digital environment and the physical environment. Love experimented with the form and sequencing of the AR to create a black glass labyrinth, all paths leading to the central message.
Love experimented with AI to develop a range of “O” letterforms for use in AR experience. She created a unique pattern made of the letter “o” which she used to represent the Taoist symbol known as enso, which expresses the transformative power of enlightenment and the search thereof. The enso shadows are cast from the extruded, transparent pattern. This process and outcome connected with the message of the installation.
The result was an interactive and immersive experience working with mixed materials to communicate a strong concept, message, and experience for audiences.
“Misfits” by Sydney Cook
“Misfits” was created by Sydney Cook and was designed using printed type on fabric and weaving methods. The concept highlights the paradox that sometimes beauty comes from the unexpected. She states, “Through weaving two different typefaces together, we see that beauty and depth can come even when the lines do not perfectly fit into place.”
She chose an exit/entrance location because she wants her piece to be a reminder that this place [the art building] is for all the misfits… because… we fit together.
Her process including collaborating with printmaking and Prof. Heather Muise to work with the materials and make the block. She created a full-scale block and inked the surface of the fabric. She then cut the fabric and re-weaved the pieces together. She hung the final piece on a wooden dowel that hung in the exit/entry way.
The final AR experience mimicked the idea that “beauty and depth can happen even when the lines do not perfectly fit into place.” The digitally rendered, 3D letterforms were cut and cropped in the digital space. Sydney used animation to show them moving side-to-side, up and down, connecting, reconnecting, breaking, and re-breaking again.
Rest by Mackenzie Staten
“Rest” was created by Mackenzie Staten and was created with fabric. The idea emerged from the thought that rest is something that she believes is “elusive in our society that insists on glorifying hustle culture.” She believes that we have forgotten how important it is to rest, and as a college student, we definitely do not rest enough. This project speaks to this idea and quietly suggests that students should take a break a rest.
The final installation was located a bench outside of Jenkins Hall. She chose the bench location because there are many on campus, but this one gets a lot of foot traffic and feels very tucked away and peaceful. She created an invitation for people to come sit on the bench, get comfortable on the pillows, and take a moment to press pause on life.
Mackenzie made custom pillows for each letter, r, e, s, t, and ?. She loves to sew and enjoyed incorporating this technique and process into her graphic design work.
The final AR scene includes additional story elements to the narrative include “just breathe”, “you must be so tired”, and “It’s ok to take a break.” She rendered digital 3D clouds and stars to mimic a night sky. She aimed to make a dreamlike environment that encouraged rest and relaxation no matter what time of day it was.
