Case Studies
Switch Magazine
Switch Magazine is a skateboarding publication that centres the queer and D.I.Y. sides of the skateboarding world. Switch, to the very core of it’s brand, is a subversion of the idea that skateboarding finds it's only expression in competition and judged performance. It’s content focuses on self-expression, community building and the politics of acceptance: Essentially, skateboarding as a communal activity.
The magazine finds it's inspiration in the dissonant realities of popular skateboarding media and the communities of people actually skating. On one hand, there are the mainstream professional publications full of masculine aesthetics, presenting skateboarding solely in terms of a professional competition for sponsorships. On the other, there are organically forming online communities of skateboarders, many of them a part of the LGBTQ+ community, who pursue skateboarding as a vehicle for self expression and connection with their peers. Switch aims to represent and amplify the voices of this latter group.
tracks
Tracks is a capstone project born from a passion for music and gratitude for those who create it. For many, music is playing a significant role in navigating the tumultuous emotional and psychological challenges of the pandemic. Unfortunately artist compensation does not reflect this reality. Tracks brings users closer to the financial situation of their favourite artists and provides them with alternative methods of supporting them. The final product is a music player app that sits on your desktop and keeps track of your music listening activity through Spotify to keep you up to date with the economic impact of your listening.
The artists section of the app displays contextual statistics, such as the user’s most streamed artists and those they have listened to most recently. In this section, the user is able to explore how much streaming revenue they have generated for each artist over a variety of time periods, ranging from a single day to an entire year. This section also promotes other methods of supporting these artists, whether that be linking their merchandise store or upcoming concert tickets.
CRESS Brand + Website
The re-branding of CRESS was a collaborative effort between Josh Gaspar and Luisa Jahn, as well as the entire Design Lab team of the winter 2021 semester. When approaching this project, there were multiple potential directions. In collaboration with the client, we decided to take a path that was educational and formal enough to represent such an organization, but still held the qualities of being fresh and approachable. Something that represents the work of the organization and the people behind it.
The circle quickly became a central aspect of the brand as it is a sort of motif found in the field of earth and space science, from orbits to the shape of planets. The logo concept that was decided on was a minimalistic nod to the solar system diagram, one of the most iconic symbols of space science and education. This logo represents concepts of inclusion, constant motion and cohesion: all qualities that can be found in an aspirational organization such as CRESS.
