MD+I Semester Zero

Graphic Design/ Illustration

Semester Zero exists in the space between near and far

Semester Zero is a project completed for the Masters in Design and Innovation program at the University of Wisconsin. The book aims to connect accepted Masters students to the University, the land, and the MD+I. To bridge the distance between near and far. The design of this book included work on activities, the completed layout, and a guiding identity for the book and the program moving forward.

The identity solution I came up with was nicknamed “lunar light”, inspired by the distance that the light of the Moon travels. Bringing the forests and wetlands of Southern Wisconsin to life. Each animal featured in the illustration is native to Wisconsin and part of the States’s “"land memory.” Each symbol used represents a different facet of the MD+I ethos. All of this comes together in the final Semester Zero accepted students' book.

University of Wisconsin MD+I students come from all over the world. My design challenge was to bridge the gap between near and far by introducing them to Wisconsin and the UW while giving them space to bring their unique background, location, and ideas into the new space that the Masters in Design and Innovation provides.

My solution was “Lunar Light.” The magic of the light of the moon is a universal experience on Earth. The graphic solution is inspired by this universal and surreal light casting shadows on the forests and wetlands of Wisconsin.

The illustration for the book would then feature Wisconsin's native animals like the badger, the crane, and the painted turtle. These animals are cast in shadow, allowing the viewer the space to assign characteristics to the silhouettes and creating an invitation into the magic of the woodlands and wetlands of WI through anonymity.

Sandhill Crane Illustration.

American Badger, UW’s mascot.

Painted Turtle Illustration.

The Master's in Design and Innovation program prides itself on its four guidestars, or guiding principles: A Culture of Belonging, Fearless Transdisciplinary Collaboration, Socially Engaged Innovation, and focusing on not just human-centered, but life-centered design.

I illustrated a symbol to represent each one of these principles. A geometric and universal shape that makes up a fragment of a larger star.