Visualization Students’ Designs Featured On Tote Bags At Texas A&M Takeover Event At South By Southwest
Three Visualization students created graphic designs that were featured at South By Southwest in Austin, as part of Texas A&M University’s presence at the Fast Company Grill March 8-10.
Seniors Claire Thessen, Gracie Janse and Luke Kostohryz created tote-bag designs to highlight the university’s research, as well as Texas A&M’s impact as one of the nation’s premier land-, sea- and space-grant institutions. The tote bags were distributed during the university’s three-day event to demonstrate the university’s impact as “A Force for Good.”
Jill Honeycutt, instructional associate professor and senior associate program director in the Visualization program, said she was approached to select three students to create the land, sea and space designs for the event.
“I immediately knew I had three senior Visualization students who would knock the illustrations out of the park,” Honeycutt said. “Luke, Gracie and Claire worked well together to create cohesive illustrations that perfectly represent the three research areas. I could not be prouder.”
For land, Thessen created a design inspired by Texas A&M’s ongoing research to strengthen the coffee industry worldwide, from farm to cup.
“The words ‘farm-to-table’ kept coming to me while I was brainstorming, so I created a design that exhibits the process of coffee-making and highlights the farmers of South America,” Thessen said. “The fish and moon in the design are also references to my peers’ designs, as we all hid Easter eggs about each other’s themes and tried to make them relate stylistically.”
Janse’s sea design was the result of researching fish migration. Janse said she was excited to “make something beautiful for such cutting-edge science and technology research.”
“I wanted to create a dynamic design that emphasized the movement of fish and their different habitats,” she said. “I chose a spiral composition to portray that.”
For space, Kostohryz said he created astronauts in an image about hope and exploration. It also represented the university’s research in growing chickpeas by using simulated moondust, he said.
“This discovery carries a sense of adventure, and I wanted to capture that in my design,” Kostohryz said. “I illustrated a dynamic scene of astronauts interacting with this new reality, bringing a playful and imaginative energy to the concept.”
Honeycutt said the project showcased the students’ dedication and hard work, and she hopes people appreciated these original designs.
“I know they will all do big things after they graduate,” Honeycutt said. “This opportunity and their illustrations are a perfect representation of that. We are proud to have them as soon-to-be graduates of the Visualization program.”
Top image: Designs by Visualization students Claire Thessen (land), Gracie Janse (sea) and Luke Kostohryz (space) were featured on tote bags distributed at Texas A&M University’s event at South By Southwest in Austin.
