Madeline Beattie

Strawberry Festival is a set of posters dedicated to honoring and advertising Chassell, Michigan’s annual Copper Country Strawberry Festival. The Copper Country Strawberry Festival is a yearly festival dedicated to celebrating strawberry crops and growers in Chassell, Michigan. Chassell, a town situated near Michigan’s formerly booming copper mining industry, has hosted the festival for 76 years of its 161 year history. As such, the town has a rich history from its various industrious influences. The festival is so much more than just a celebration of strawberries. Fish caught in neighboring Pike Bay is fried and served up to hungry patrons. Bay boat tours depart the fairgrounds every 45 minutes. Crafts from local artisans are on display for interested townsfolk and tourists to buy. An idea of “beyond the berry” was crucial in designing a set of posters that encapsulate all events that comprise the festival. The three posters represent three core intrigues of the festival: what to do, what to see, and what to eat. Research was conducted to further understand the history behind the festival and compiled together using a digital pin board. Photos inspired by the event were collaged to construct 25 quick mini-posters and sketches to inspire our digital posters. I narrowed it down to 3 directions, each honoring something different: the history, the berry itself, and the variety within the event. I decided that focusing solely on one of these themes would be a disservice, so I drew inspiration from each to create a final concept. The final posters reflect all that the event is: hand-made, historic, and all-encompassing. Hand-drawn pen illustrations become symbolic of events that occur, and their images change between posters. Strawberry imagery serves as through-line between each cluster of objects. The monospaced font nods to the past while also looking towards the future of the festival. The color choices are emblematic strawberries while providing a fresh and youthful feeling. The result is a set that isn’t only cohesive, but that accurately expresses the festival’s purpose.

826 Vermont (Take Charge) is a comprehensive brand identity created to represent a theoretical 826 Non-Profit location in Montpelier, Vermont that focuses on human-powered electricity. 826 National is a chain of non-profit literacy centers for children and teens. All locations have a quirky retail store in the front, which entices shoppers to come learn about their services and support them financially. These themed stores reflect the history and aesthetics of their surrounding cities. As such, the hypothetical store in Montpelier, Vermont had to be both fun and enticing, but also representative of its location. I worked alongside my research partner, Kate, to compile a comprehensive view of Montpelier. As we worked on our mind map and final presentation, some interesting information began to surface which then helped to inform my store’s focus. The city was the first in the state to have water-powered electricity, which powered its political pursuits as the capital of the state. The in-city population triples during the day, as many individuals migrate from out of town to work in the government offices. Despite its prestige as a political center, the city struggles against the elements. The local Winooski River is prone to flooding, which has been known to destroy businesses and uproot families. As such, I thought it was important to have a store that can provide useful information and resources in case the power goes out and spirits are down, while still maintaining a fun and engaging atmosphere for kids. To address both its history and its needs, I decided on a store that focuses on human-powered energy with an engaging, vibrant, and playful style. The display type was chosen due to its human characteristics, which I believed echoed the purpose of the brand. Colors are bright and electrifying to reflect many people’s associations with the words “energy” and “power.” I emphasized the importance of human interaction by including lightweight illustrations of hands that contrast the bolder illustrated products.

Angled Access is a smart dishwasher interface designed with providing new parents ease of mind. International appliance company Midea asked us to imagine what the future of smart dishwashers could look like. Prompted with designing for the new parent market, I teamed up with fellow communication designer Chelsea Rogers and product designer Carla Langfeldt to create an interface that prioritizes accessibility, ease of use, and safety while managing a baby. To begin our process, the three of us compiled statistics surrounding the average American household, researched existing “baby-focused” products, and conducted interviews with new parents. All this research enabled us to create a persona that we felt represented our targeted consumers. We began to design around the character of Shannon, a new mom focused on getting her chores done efficiently while juggling her personal life, her relationship with her husband, and the caretaking of their son, Sam. After finishing our secondary research, creating flow charts, and sketching thumbnails, we came up with two ideas: Hidden Ease and Angled Access. Hidden ease prioritized a hyper-minimalist interface, while Angled Access prioritized accessibility. We tested physical interactions with our concepts by creating lo-fi prototypes with cardboard and paper, and refined them as needed. After an initial pitch to Midea, we settled on our final concept, Angled Access. The most notable features of this concept include a unique handle, a smart dial, and a simple interface. We thought it was important to be able to utilize the dishwasher with one hand, as many parents carry their babies around on one hip. The angle of the handle makes the door easy to grab and interact with without leaning down. The handle corners are rounded to ensure that the user’s child won’t injure themself on sharp corners when they grow taller. Inclusion of a smart dial simplifies the setting process and allows the dishwasher to lock for safety. Lastly, the machine is quiet, as it utilizes light to signal its status. This way, no babies will be woken up from much needed naps.

Cipe’s Skirt presents a comprehensive biography of the first female art director, Cipe Pineles, pressed on to a format as unique as herself: a pleated skirt. Cipe Pineles (1908-1991), known at the time by her peers as “the little Polish girl who won our hearts,” proved that the covers of fashion magazines could be art in themselves. She utilized beautiful yet un-sexualized photography, hand-drawn illustrations, and playful typography to create a product that not only enticed women, but empowered them as well. Since Pineles chose to go beyond the previously established norms for what magazine design could be, I thought it fitting to present her story beyond the typical book or poster set. I decided on a fashion piece, as her lifeblood was fashion magazine design. Pineles chose her battles, as it was hard enough to be a women in the field of design. I chose a pleated skirt, which has to ability to obscure a secret history, one that built her character and influenced her work. One may only discover the full story by looking beyond face value, the front panels of the skirt. Much of the design process focused on creating a strong visual hierarchy that accurately expresses Cipe’s story. A stunning red serif stands tall and asserts itself as an artistic powerhouse without sacrificing class and femininity. Black and white photography contrasted with vector solids create a sense of nostalgia, like an old scrapbook plastered together. Hand embroidered flowers and linework imply a creation of one’s own story. Over 50 hours were spent physically constructing the skirt. Fabric was heat-pressed, pinned, machine and hand sewn, and embroidered. The final product consists of 70 inches of cream poly-satin panels decorated with sublimated content, red handstitched read paths, and cream zigzag stitching to prevent fraying. All elements come together to create a story of passion, power, and secrecy: something entirely Cipe.

Lipstick Library consists of a website + mobile site duo that represents a personal collection of choice, my immense lipstick collection. The organization of said collection played a large part in the design processes. Since my lip collection is so large, I was responsible for choosing what to display and when. I decided on only displaying solid lipsticks: classic tube lipsticks, slim tube lipsticks, and lip crayons, for a total of 24 lippies. I included all colors and all finishes I had of aforementioned types, contributing to a simple organizational system: type, color family, and finish. As a result, it is quick and easy to utilize these categories, featured in drop down menus, to find my perfect lipstick for a night on the town. I aimed to create a strong visual system that feels unified, regardless of the mobile or web view. The sites themselves are rounded in nature, with minimal right angles. Chosen sans-serif Poppins provides the collection a touch of playfulness without overshadowing the star of the site: the interplay between color and illustration. Since lipstick is typically displayed on one’s lips, I deemed it important to include a representation of wear. I created simple black and white illustrations of my head to show off each color. Jewelry or sunglasses on my avatar represent the presence of luster or translucency in the lipstick’s appearance respectively. As a result, the sites have a sense of human presence without leaning into stock photography.