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Research-based design as means of communicating social and environmental issues

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Title:
Research-based design as means of communicating social and environmental issues
Creator:
Bernatek, Julia Maria
Publisher:
University of Florida
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Language:
English

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Undergraduate Honors Thesis/Project

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Abstract:
Throughout my undergraduate degree my design practice, sense of aesthetic, and design philosophy developed and changed many times over. This portfolio aims to showcase the diversity in my practice and how it led me to my current stage in development as a designer who values creating for people and social improvement. In this thesis I include 5 of my works that I believe are complex enough to show my creative diversity. Every work opens with a banner and a brief overview of the design which are followed by detailed image documentation demonstrating various aspect of each works. To have each project be as comprehensible as possible, most images are accompanied by captions to aid the reader effortlessly follow the content. The aim of such presentation is to focus on depth of my work and the attention to detail. ( en )
General Note:
Awarded Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design, summa cum laude, on May 6, 2026. Major: Graphic Design
General Note:
College or School: The Arts
General Note:
Advisor: Victoria R. Gerson. Advisor Department or School: Graphic Design.

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University of Florida
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University of Florida
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Copyright Julia Maria Bernatek. Permission granted to the University of Florida to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.

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Research-based design as means of communicating social and environmental issuesJulia Bernatek

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Abstract Design Philosophy Biographical InformationMy design process is very fluid and interchangeable, as different needs require different approaches. I balance this process with an organised schedule allowing for a reliable pace. In my practice I value humancentered design and environmental sustainability. These two are at a core of every work I develop, and moving forward I hope to explore both with even more attention and depth. My process is heavily based in research and a specifically defined context, which I deem as necessary for a design to be successful. With every work I create, I make sure not only to thoroughly research the exact topic my design is going to tackle, but also consider any relationships with themes adjacent to it. In my eyes designs can never achieve a full potential without having a firm context to be situated in. My name is Julia (pronounced Yulia) Bernatek. I am a multi-continental designer originally from Poland who lived in Armenia and USA additionally to my home country. I love working with UI/UX and building visual systems. I enjoy everything digital, and am always on the lookout for how emerging technologies can inform my designs. I believe that design is a tool to create positive impact, and I strive to encapsulate this belief within my work. My designs are dynamic and use dimension as a point for engaging interaction in order to leave a memorable impression on the audience. Outside of design I enjoy travelling, learning languages, taking care of my plants, crocheting and embroidering. Slow living, and enjoying life as it passes is something I always try to practice, as just like in design, process is an important part of the journey. I have worked professionally with event branding for the past 4 years. My clients spanned from social change conferences to project management companies, but I am always open to working with new people, design areas, and challenges. Throughout my undergraduate degree my design practice, sense of aesthetic, and design philosophy developed and changed many times over. This portfolio aims to showcase the diversity in my practice and how it led me to my current stage in development as a designer who values creating for people and social improvement. In this thesis I include 5 of my works that I believe are complex enough to show my creative diversity. Every work opens with a banner and a brief overview of the design which are followed by detailed image documentation demonstrating various aspect of each works. To have each project be as comprehensible as possible, most images are accompanied by captions to aid the reader effortlessly follow the content. The aim of such presentation is to focus on depth of my work and the attention to detail.Research-based design as means of communicating social and environmental issuesJulia Bernatek Candidate’s name: Victoria Gerson Sponsor’s name: i ii

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Table of Contentsiii ivAbstract Design Philosophy Biographical Information Portfolio Resume i i ii 1 8 10 14 19 22 Wrong Crowd case study IBhelpin’ The Luminism Fstival Marine Mirage XHILO

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Portfolio BANNERWrong Crowd case studyTom Odell’s second studio album redesign inspired by topics of changing emotions, hope, and going through life’s ups and downs present on the tracks. Keywords • visual system • packaging This album is very dear to me personally. By redesigning it I want the visual branding to stand up to the music’s level and the themes talked in the tracks’ lyrics. The original design falls short in my opinion both next to the music, as well as other artistic materials related to the album such as promotional photography, and the music videos’ videography. Why redesign Wrong Crowd?original album artwork 1

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ResearchArtist’s visionIn the interviews Odell gave as part of the album’s promotion, he mentioned that all the songs on the album were a part of the same person’s story. Something that stood out to me was his mention of memories and an idea of creating a non-linear narrative —that each song was a bit of the persona’s story, but much like recalling one’s own life, the bits of our past are intertwined with each other. mind map created to find common themes and similarities among tracks exerpts from interviews Odell gave while promoting the album with information related to his vision of the albumVideographyMusic videos accompanying the songs convey the “big and dramatic” aspects of Wrong Crowd’s tracks as well as the non-linear nature of the narrative successfully. The contrast in colours and scenes that tell different stories intertwined together showcase Odell’s vision for this album and create an almost dream-like nature that often accompanies memories.screenshots from music videos for some of the tracks from Wrong Crows I found inspiring — the ephemeral qualities of manipulated light, and some of the colour tints are what I found the most interesting and consistent across all the videos 2 3 Something important in this redesign was to gather as much of the musician’s voice as possible to create the visuals that would stay true to the meaning of the music and the artist’s presence.

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DesignCertain reocurring motifs from the videos were crucial inspiration for creating my visual language board. Some of the aspects of my system that were inspired by these videos are colour palette and textures.Visual language The new cover design ties to the ideas of a non-linear narrative and different memories interwining by using three separate motifs : plain black, concrete texture, and a fluid mix of colours and creating an illusion of layers and openwork throughout all the planes of the album. Final album design 4 5

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Promotional materialsTo expand the visual system beyond the album itself, I created a number of collateral graphics mainly tackling promotion for the release. These included a tour poster, a streaming service banner, and a now playing stop motion animation. view the full animation hereAfter researching Odell as an artist and as a person, I found that he often gets involved with social good campaigns and advocates for a number of different social justice topics. Seeing him play on a train station in Romania, where Ukrainain refugees fled to after the Russian invasion started, as a way to show solidarity, I thought that if an album was being released at this time, Odell could have been vocal about the war in relation to it.Social change included in the social media campaign was a poster with dates reimagined as the amount of days since the start of the war, as well as a series of posts expressing support to the Ukrainain people with the album’s main fluid pattern changed to the colours of the Ukrainian flag6 7

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IBhelpin’A collaboratively made, inclusive app for International Baccalaureate students helping them manage and organise their extra curricular community service activities. Both me and my project partner graduated from the IB programme, and we had first hand experience of how stressful managing the service activites was together with academic activities as well as two other types of extra curriculars. The app’s calming experience relieves the students from some of the programme’s pressure. Keywords • UI/UX • illustration • teamwork IB is a program available to students around the world, so inclusivity was at the core of IBhelpin’s values. Inclusive features include modes accomodating vision impairments, profile customising options, and encouraging community service activity requirements for IB students are strict, and require longterm planning—features such as a colour-coded activities in a calendar, built in reflection feature, and a page for setting and tracking goals were implemented to help the students navigate this challenging part of IB Stefan accompanies the user in every step of the experience making it more welcoming and friendly 8 9

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The Luminism FstivalThe Luminism Fstival is an international festival proposal that connects the ephemeral nature of light art with beautiful sceneries of various public parks and gardens. Its name originates in the greek word fs which means light. This website is a hub for all of the most important information regarding the festival and serves the visitors as a helpful tool in organising their event. Keywords • visual system • UI/UXone of the challenges was successfully translating the desktop site to a mobile format the home page explains the name of the festival in a visual way, as well as links to all the most relevant pages within the website10 11

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the full page navigation menu shows the immersive nature of the festival and the art form it involves using the visual branding in a more subtle way to create a legible experience was crucial for this design’s success in order to familiarise the attendees with the artists behind the works, each of them gave a short interview allowing the visitors to understand them and their art better thinking of the wider identity throughout the future and past editions, every year has its own distinct flower as an accompanying visuals 12 13

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Marine MirageMarine Mirage is a proposal for an exhibition about coral reefs in the modern climate. The visual identity and an outline for an augmented reality experience are inspired by the complex, diverse shapes found in coral reefs and strive to bring people closer to the issue that affects us all. Keywords • event identity • visual system • experience designa proposed collaboration with lampost posters promoting the event in the physical space in the exhibition’s vicinity branding identity translated to a smaller format for the exhibition assistants’ badges14 15

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the three main patterns included in the branding serve as indicators for different ticket tiers so that they’re easily identifiable to expand the identity beyond the exhibition itself, including branded elements across the museum additionally invites the attendees into the experience the exhibition description becomes a full wall art which in the final form would be accompanied by lights complimenting the design16 17

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XHILOA proposal for a contemporary music festival that focuses around experiencing music in an immersive environment and building a supportive community. XHILO’s brand promotes opportunities to easily meet new people, and allows the attendees to feel that they all are a part of a bigger XHILO community. Keywords • UI/UX • event identity • motion • teamwork social media teaser fo the festival — full video accessible here the modelled scene which would be translated into an AR experience showcasing the propseprity of coral reefs in the past a video simulating a walkthrough through space can be found here a scene showing the deterioration of coral reefs and their condition in present times a video simulating a walkthrough through space can be found here visualisation of what could happen to the coral reefs in the future if the environmental issues remain ignored a video simulating a walkthrough through space can be found here18 19

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final flat designs from my teammate, which I reimagined in motion all of the moving posters can be found linked below in a clockwise order starting from the 07 NOV: • 07 NOV • complex composition • XHILO • 08 NOV the XHILO event app was created to aid the attendees in all stages of the festival: preparation before, participation during, and reminiscing after it helps fascilitate connection to the festival itself prototype walkthroughs available under these links: • Before attending • During the event • Staying connected20 21

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