Laura Upham

Blog: Auspicious

Self-directed project. Original design and content.

I designed this booklet in Spring 2011 for my Senior Degree Project under the advising of Julie Curtis. This intensive research-driven studio course explored the realm of designing authorship. We were to choose a single project theme that extended in phases through an entire term to mirror the development sequence of complex professional design projects. Essential to the process was that the medium was not predetermined. We had the opportunity to investigate a topic of our choice, author and edit content, and determine the most effective mediums for our messages, and design to resonate with a specific audience.

Network Visualization: The Birth of American Modern Dance

I designed this visualization for my Information Design class in fall 2010 with Isabel Meirelles. The final product is a 58 x 24 inch poster.

Campaign: Food Fight For a Healthy Farm Bill

I designed this campaign for my Graphic Design II class in spring 2010 with Margarita Barrios Ponce. The parameters of this semester-long assignment were to research a social cause in depth and write/design a campaign based on that research. We were required to incude a 2-dimensional element, a 3-dimensional element, and a third element in the media of our choice. The following images are excerpts from the main deliverable, the campaign proposal booklet.

Web Design: South By Southwest Archives

I designed this website for my Interactive Design class in spring 2011 with Ann McDonald. The assignment was to redesign the South by Southwest Interactive Schedule page as an archive of past talks including video clips.

Infographics: National Parks Series

I designed these infographic posters for Information Design in fall 2010 with Isabel Meirelles.

Web Design: Plan to Work

I designed the interface and the information architecture of this website for my Interactive Design class in spring 2011 with Ann McDonald. The assignment was to research an area within the topic, “immigration and education” and design an information-rich site for a specific audience. After interviewing several grad and undergrad international students at Northeastern, I saw a need for a straightforward and friendly information/help source for international students trying to navigate the complicated American visa system. This timeline-based site focuses specifically on helping students obtain employment visas.

Motion Graphics: My Career Goals

I created this motion graphics clip in AfterEffects for my Time-Based Design class in spring 2011 with Gaye Korbet. The assignment was to create an autobiographical animation about twenty seconds long. I chose to reflect on my childhood career goals. Although I’m currently looking for employment in graphic design, should you wish to hire me as a monkey trainer, I’m still game.

Book Layout: German Landscape Architecture

I redesigned excerpts from the book, “New Landscape Architecture: Parks and Green Spaces,” by Nicolette Baumeister, for my Typography II class in spring 2010 with Mark Laughlin. The assignment was to redesign at least 30 pages from an art/design book of our choice, paying special attention to typographic hierarchy. Landscape architecture has been a particular interest of mine since studying architecture in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2009. Study tours around Denmark and to Germany and the Netherlands piqued my interest in spaces that encompass the boundary between the designed and the natural.

Poster: Typography as Transportation

I designed this poster for my Typography II class in Spring 2010 with Mark Laughlin. The assignment was to design an educational poster for graphic design students about typography terms. I used the metaphor of Boston’s subway system, “the T” as a vehicle for communication, and used imagery from “the T” itself, as well as the “Link Pass” monthly transportation card.

Typography Study: Type-Based Logos

I created (designed and bound) this book for my Typography I class in fall 2009 with Mark Laughlin. The assignment was to design “logos” in 50 different typefaces based on the combination of two letters. The following excerpts show the progression from individual letters to abstract “logos.” The final “logo” in the progression is not necessarily the final product, but rather a possible transformation.