Category: Uncategorized

Due Date: December 22 (presentation in class; submit all files + documentation by December 23)

Submission: Research Folder; upload share link to Discord (#project04), and document in OpenLab portfolio.

Overview

This project is the capstone of our efforts this semester. We will synthesize all our work in design foundations – design-thinking, visual composition, sound design, interaction design – through worldbuilding.

You will imagine a diegetic object (a designed artifact that exists within a fictional world) and use it as a lens to construct a small, vivid fragment of that world. Through understanding that object, you’ll paint a picture of the world that makes use of it. What kind of world produces this kind of thing, and how does this kind of thing participate in producing this kind of world?

Your object might be a tool, a currency, a device, a symbol, or other artifact. It reveals how your imagined technoculture lives, communicates, designs, exists.

Working on our own, we will develop worlds and cultures; collectively, we’ll build a pool of open source worlds.

Then, each of us will take individual responsibility for picking a world and developing a distinct corner of that world, centered on a diegetic object, and expressed through one or more media:

• Option A: Lo-Fi Physical Prototype
• Option B: Visual Composition
• Option C: Soundscape
• Option D: Multi-Screen Interactive Prototype
• Option E: Hybrid approach integrating two or more media

Learning Objectives

• Construct a cohesive, imagined world focused through an object with the application of design-thinking.
• Demonstrate understanding of principles of visual composition and sound design.
• Practice collaborative ideation and iterative refinement.
• Present a final, well-documented capstone project that communicates process, intention, and design rationale.

Process

Week 12 (Dec 1-3): The Object / The World

1. The Worldbuilding Process
2. Sketch / Prototype
   • Create a lo-fi representation (drawing, collage, or paper prototype)
3. Collaborate and Expand
   • Brainstorm the environment, culture, and world that would produce (and be produced by) such an object.

Deliverable:

Group brainstorming board (Figma/Figjam or other), and individual object sketches and/or photographic evidence of your lo-fi object (uploaded to Discord).

Week 13 (Dec 8-10): Proposal Development

Begin with a lo-fi object.

• Brainstorm the environment, culture, and world that would produce (and be produced by) such an object.

Each student drafts a project proposal (300-800 words) that includes:

• A description of the world you’re working with.
• The media form(s) you’ll use to
• A brief concept of what your final product will be.
• A timeline & resource plan.

Deliverable:

Written proposal and one visual element (storyboard, prototype, sketch, wireframe, flowchart).

Week 14 (December 15 – 17): Build and Iterate

Use class feedback sessions to refine your design:

• Test it out, see what works, see if people understand what you’re trying to do.
• Prototype interactions or compositions.
• Iterate through feedback from peers and instructor.

Deliverable:

• Midpoint prototype (image, sound file, or Figma link)
• 2-3 paragraph design rationale explaining your iteration choices.

Week 15 (December 22): Final Showcase

Each person presents their world and final product (5-7 minutes).

The presentation should:

• Introduce the world and its logic.
• Demonstrate the diegetic object (through visuals, audio, or interactive prototypes).
• Discuss how design choices communicate cultural or functional meaning.

Deliverables (individual):

• Final media file(s) export (png/wav/link to Figma prototype/photo documentation of prototype, et c.)
• Project process file(s) (Illustrator .ai /Photoshop .psd /Audition .sesx/link to Figma project, et c.)
• 150-250 word reflection on your process of design.
• Screenshots / documentation of process (sketches, wireframes, flowcharts)
• In-person presentation (can be show-and-tell) (optional)
• World description (250-400 words)

Reflection & Portfolio

By December 23, each student will:

• Document your project on OpenLab in your ePortfolio.
  • Include brief reflections as part of the portfolio post, including but not limited to:
    • What did you learn about worldbuilding?
    • How did your object express the world you imagined?
    • Which design principles and tools were most essential?