October 11, 2018 Graphic Design Students Reimagine Passports

In October, Graphic Design Professor Sarah Lowe’s intermediate studio redesigned passports from around the world as a part of the junior students’ growing design education.

This is Lowe’s second year assigning the passport design project, which helps students practice research related to design, engage with design in a different culture and improve presentation skills. Students presented their final designs at a review on Oct. 2.

In the project, each student chose a country to research and spent weeks designing versions of its passport.  Students also wrote multiple drafts of proposals for the passport redesign project meant to persuade an identified audience of the value and need for the redesigned passport.

“I enjoy seeing the students’ creativity,” Lowe says.  “This project allows students to delve into another country’s design culture and to explore design through a unique facet that many have not experienced before.”

To more fully immerse into the cultures they represented, students also researched and made food from their countries. This year foods included juice pressed from 32 fresh pineapples, as well as pastries, jams, warm casseroles, breads and more.

Although this review is behind them, the project is not completed.  Students now will demonstrate the ability to identify design problems and devise innovative solutions by designing matching postage stamps that commemorate the new passport designs. This brings challenges and rewards as the students repackage their original passport designs into smaller formats.

This innovative program will soon be part of the College of Architecture and Design. Beginning in the 2019-2020 academic year, Graphic Design will move from the School of Art to the College of Architecture and Design.

Like architecture and design students, graphic designers are innovators, collaborators, entrepreneurs and makers looking to transform the world through design.

The College of Architecture and Design continues to pursue collaboration in the design community, so welcoming the Graphic Design program to the interdisciplinary college is a natural combination of related fields.