WALL MERMAID
As a designer, I am passionate about using design to form experiences and connections in unexpected ways to improve lives and stir up joy. During finals, life is hard, and stress and depression are at all-time highs. Instead of ignoring the hardship of this time, I wanted to find a way to give students a boost of unexpected encouragement and support.
The route I took to accomplish this was in the form of an over-the-top mural with the ISU Graphic Design Chair, Paul Bruski, as the star. In this design, Paul is a mermaid, swimming around, encouraging all the ISU design students that they are doing a great job, that break is just around the corner, and to rest up during the holiday season.
The route I took to accomplish this was in the form of an over-the-top mural with the ISU Graphic Design Chair, Paul Bruski, as the star. In this design, Paul is a mermaid, swimming around, encouraging all the ISU design students that they are doing a great job, that break is just around the corner, and to rest up during the holiday season.
Form Development/Testing
Final Body Structure
In an effort to add color to the form, I pivoted toward using colored shapes after finding incompatibility in Photoshop with hand-drawn color image overlays at such a large scale.
Final Digital Rendering
I created a small-scale prototype of the design to test color and layering before starting the final piece. Once everything was set, I began printing and hand-tiling 11x17 sections of the design to keep the cost of production down while achieving the larger forms. These forms were then glued to the poster board and secured to the wall by push pins.
Final Piece
The wall was received positively by students and faculty and was acknowledged by Paul himself, saying its positivity is "MUCH needed during Finals" in the College of Design.
This project can be tailored toward any faculty or department member by simply changing the face and name of the model. This design can be used extensively for future finals weeks to bring joy and encouragement to students all across campus.
This project can be tailored toward any faculty or department member by simply changing the face and name of the model. This design can be used extensively for future finals weeks to bring joy and encouragement to students all across campus.
