My thesis work began with my move to Los Angeles and the start of my graduate education at ArtCenter. I fell in love with the visual landscape of the city—the endless supply of signage in a wide variety of colors, languages, and styles. To me, it represented a way of making that felt honest and authentic, particularly in a time when our tools and technologies are quickly changing. I was curious about how I might learn from my physical environment.

Instead of trying to replicate or emulate the look and feel of these designs, I turned inward towards my practice. How could I—as a trained graphic designer—create in a way that offered more flexibility and freedom? How could I shift my focus from polished final product to expansive process? Starting with “gridlock” set in simple Helvetica, I manipulated the word across platforms, mashing together analog with digital, real world with AI. The result was over 300 generated images. 

What I learned was that exploration without expectation revitalized my design process. I felt free to try new things, to get off my screens, and to make simply for the sake of it. However, I was still focused on the signage that surrounded me, and I wanted to find a way to celebrate it. For my final thesis deliverables I developed two physical installations: one largely digital and the other entirely analog.

The digital installation showcases the importance of vernacular signage to the overarching landscape of the city. Thirteen sites from Figueroa Street and York Boulevard are compiled into a singular strip. The type and the color is removed from the storefronts, transforming them into a monotonous landscape which is then projected across a 30-foot surface. As the viewer walks through the space, the original façades show through, returning color to the environment and showcasing what is lost when we impose our aesthetic ideals onto a place.

The interactive zine is the physical culmination of my visual and written research. The sign is meant to emulate that which would be found in the physical environment, made in ArtCenter’s wood shop with the materials most readily available to me. The content is randomly assembled on the structure and shifts as participants interact with it. Much like the physical world, it is constantly in flux. Viewers can curate their own 16–page booklet based on what speaks to them most.

My thesis research, process, and final results were compiled into a physical book. I also built a microsite using bootstrap and p5.js to provide an overview of the project.