Communication Design

Rachel Kuehnel

Graduation

2024

Skills
  • Typography
  • User experience (UX) design
  • Branding/Identity Design
Employment Badge

Heroes & Villains: A Surrealist Game

Heroes & Villains: A Surrealist Game

The objective of the project was to design and produce a set of 12 double-sided cards whose content came from playing a surrealist game based on a contemporary or historical hero/villain. I selected Sherlock Holmes. The project presented me with the challenge of maintaining a steady design system while introducing individuality in each of the cards. Another aspect of the project was how to visualize something as ethereal as someone’s philosophy. These cards opened up my mind to the world of abstraction and analogy in ways I had never considered before.

Laws of Simplicity

Laws of Simplicity

This book is a redesign of John Maeda’s Laws of Simplicity and is over 100 pages long. The book\'s design was created with the laws of simplicity in mind. It taught me how to create a typographic system and stick with it. I learned about visual rhythm and how to create interesting spreads without confusing the reader. I sharpened my skills in typography and tried my hand at pattern-making. The project taught me to design with the bigger picture in mind instead of a single page.

Restorative Death

Restorative Death

The objective of this project was to create an interactive experience using a Makey Makey. The Makey Makey uses conductive surfaces like metal and the human body to produce key commands. For this project, my partner, Amber Brunett, and I selected an article by Wired magazine that detailed the development of mycelium coffins and other technology. From this experience, I learned how to physically engage a viewer in a story.

826 New Mexico

826 New Mexico

The objective of this project was to create a fictional 826 storefront located in Santa Fe, New Mexico. 826 National is a series of tutoring and writing centers with unique storefronts that entice the public into the store while providing funding for the center. I created a full stationary system, a mobile mockup, two motion pieces, five product mockups, and a storefront mockup to develop the brand. From this project, I have learned how to create a brand system with defined colors, typography, iconography, and patterns.