I attended Rhode Island School of Design’s MFA Graphic Design program from 2003-2006. My thesis was an inquiry into experience design (specifically the perception and relationships of sight and sound) as a search for a new personal methodology of graphic design. All of the work and teaching I have done since graduation is a continuation of this inquiry.

My thesis book is available as a pdf, click here.

Abstract:
Relationships between sight and sound have been studied through interpretive and technological means for decades. As technology is developed, more methods become available to synthesize visual and aural elements as designed experiences. These tools offer graphic designers the ability to explore more perceptual communication methods than are available in conventional media.

This thesis documents and discusses experiments in audio-visual communication from my two years in graduate school at RISD. The goal of this endeavor is to explore the relationship between graphic design and music with the aid of various technologies and intuitive processes, and to establish a methodology that I will continue to develop throughout my life.

In this text, I describe my process of understanding intuition as a working method and source my abilities as a musician as my point of entry. This is followed by exploring related aspects of music and design both from reductionist (parts of a whole) and holistic perspectives in the form of books,photography, video, interactive installation,and digitally-augmented live musical performance. My inquiry has led to discoveries that offer many possibilities for future work.

Title Page showing Table of Contents designed as the musical score of the book

This book was designed as my interpretation of a musical experience. The sequence of the content followed this score: Prelude, First Refrain, Crescendo, Second Refrain, Crescendo, Coda, Decrescendo. The pages were cut to 3 different lengths so you felt the musical structure as you read through the book (full pages = whole notes, half page = half notes, quarter pages = quarter notes).

Detail of the Table of Contents