senior thesis project
January 2021
This project was born out of a passion for my two areas of study: Visual Communication Design and the Program of Liberal Studies. Completed for my undergraduate thesis in both majors, the project is a heavily-researched design intervention inspired by Great Books education. The final product is a leadership program that establishes a community of future leaders centered around the study of Great Books.
We are facing a nationwide leadership gap—a crisis that is contributing to our country’s debilitating political polarization, need for civil rights and social justice reform, ongoing climate crisis, and ever-increasing reliance on technology.
The visual language needed to be approachable, but not too casual; sophisticated, but not stuck-up. Accordingly, Canela Deck transforms traditional serif structure into a soft, yet modern display typeface, while Monterserrat serves as a trust-worthy complement in every use. The color palette combines soft neutrals with muted primaries, along with an education staple: chalkboard green.
The hub of the platform is hosted within a mobile app, making access intuitive for a tech-savvy target audience. Within the app, you can dip your toes into the Great Books through visualized insights from some of the world's greatest thinkers. For a deep-dive that fits in your schedule, you can listen to audio books of titles that interest you most. The app enables discussion through community forum posts, as well as private messaging with fellow thinkers.
The digital experience is merely the gateway to this comprehensive Great Books journey. After exploring areas of interest within the app, you have the opportunity to explore subject matter in-depth through curated book collections. The collections feature a few of the most transformative works in each subject area, providing you with an insightful look into philosophy, politics, science, and theology, to name a few.
No leader is born alone; which is why perhaps the most important element to this experience is the opportunity for human connection. While Thinker begins on the individual level, it certainly doesn't end there. The following products are designed for members to gather for community-level engagement, both large and small. Whether it be a weekly small-group session or a weekend-long convention, Thinker is made to bring people together.
To spread awareness of the platform, both digital and print advertisements were designed. They are meant to inform people of the problem, introduce people to the platform, and highlight the communal aspect of the initiative. Featuring mind-bending illustrations, they ideally accomplish one of the main goals of Thinker itself: to get people to think.
Notre Dame A|AH|D
Notre Dame Program of Liberal Studies
Sana Khan
Clinton Carlson
Notre Dame A|AH|D Faculty
Tom Stapleford
Eric Bugyis
Emma Planinc
Caitlin Fenneley
Maddy Schierl
Julia Goldschmidt
Natalie Casal
Rachel Hughes
Alex Moran
Alex Murray
Elizabeth Reyda
Mary Zakowski
Zachary Pearson
Lacy, Tim. The Dream of a Democratic Culture: Mortimer J. Adler and the Great Books Idea. New York, New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013.
Beam, Alex. A Great Idea at the Time: The Rise, Fall, And Curious Afterlife of the Great Books. New York, New York: PublicAffairs, 2008.
Bloom, Allan. The Closing of the American Mind. New York, New York: Simon and Schuster, 1987.
Ferry, Luc. A Brief History of Thought. New York, New York: HarperCollins, 2011.
O’Grady, Ken Visocky, and Jenn Visocky O’Grady. A Designer’s Research Manual. Beverly, Massachusetts: Rockport Publishers, 2017.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/chrispearse/2018/11/07/5-reasons-why-leadership-is-in-crisis/#14510ddc3aca
https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/27/perspectives/general-stanley-mcchrystal-america-leadership-crisis/index.html
https://www.thedailybeast.com/a-general-asks-what-happened-to-american-leadership
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/08/the-science-behind-why-so-many-successful-millionaires-are-psychopaths-and-why-it-doesnt-have-to-be-a-bad-thing.html
https://reports.weforum.org/outlook-global-agenda-2015/top-10-trends-of-2015/3-lack-of-leadership/
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2020/07/27/Gallup-Global-approval-of-US-leadership-still-at-historic-low/1641595851478/
https://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/failure-american-leadership
https://www.aacu.org/sites/default/files/files/LEAP/nchems.pdf
https://www.johnkay.com/2018/07/25/is-there-more-to-adam-smith-than-free-markets/
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/aug/23/glasgow-university-slave-trade-reparations
https://unsplash.com/
http://www.worldofdante.org/gallery_dore.html
http://www.dreamtreksphotography.com/discover-our-photo-treks/great-wall-of-china-photography-trek/
http://olddesignshop.com/2012/11/free-vintage-graphic-full-page-of-english-text/
<a href='https://www.freepik.com/psd/banner'>Banner psd created by rawpixel.com - www.freepik.com</a>
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/16/books/review/be-like-the-fox-machiavelli-biography-erica-benner.html
<a href='https://www.freepik.com/psd/business-card'>Business card psd created by aleksandr_samochernyi - www.freepik.com</a>
Icons made by <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/authors/vectors-market" title="Vectors Market">Vectors Market</a> from <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/" title="Flaticon"> www.flaticon.com</a>
https://www.flaticon.com/packs/essential-set-2?k=1607026016117
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:JaneAustenSilhouette.svg
<a href='https://www.freepik.com/vectors/school'>School vector created by upklyak - www.freepik.com</a>
Icons made by <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/authors/smashicons" title="Smashicons">Smashicons</a> from <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/" title="Flaticon"> www.flaticon.com</a>
Icons made by <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/authors/freepik" title="Freepik">Freepik</a> from <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/" title="Flaticon"> www.flaticon.com</a>
Icons made by <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/authors/surang" title="surang">surang</a> from <a href="https://www.flaticon.com/" title="Flaticon"> www.flaticon.com</a>
https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/sperm-whale
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Voltaire
https://www.kambadastudio.com/blog/linkedin-profile-mockup-free-psd
https://www.nd.edu/
https://www.behance.net/gallery/67774015/Free-Square-Outdoor-Advertising-Mockup
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(nominal)_per_capita
https://www.amazon.com/Relativity-Special-General-Original-Version/dp/1542472377
https://www.amazon.com/Moby-Dick-Herman-Melville/dp/1503280780/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1608311582&sr=1-6
https://www.amazon.com/Hamlet-Folger-Library-Shakespeare-William/dp/074347712X
