BFA Capstone Exhibition

Sire was my senior thesis and BFA capstone exhibition as a graduating Graphic Design student at the University of Tampa. A deeply personal project, it served as a reflection of my identity as an artist and designer, exploring graffiti, self-expression, and the human impulse to leave a mark. Rather than presenting the magazine as a standalone publication, I designed the exhibition as an immersive extension of the Sire brand, transforming the space into a physical representation of my creative perspective. Every element was developed to carry the identity across multiple contexts of design, from graphic and editorial work to large-scale installations, physical objects, and three-dimensional forms. The goal was to create an environment where the same central ideas could be explored, reinterpreted, and experienced through different mediums.

Challenge

My project examines how editorial and illustrative design can amplify the voices of underrepresented urban communities and overlooked creators within the context of graffiti and human identity. By designing a magazine line that merges visual experimentation and storytelling, the project aims to foster visibility and understanding of graffiti as both a design language and an expression of the universal human desire to assert presence and claim space.

Research + Process

The research phase involved examining more than 100 case studies across magazine design, the history of street art, graffiti legislation and criminalization, human expression, video production, and 3D fabrication. I explored how human expression has developed across different cultures and geographic regions, while studying established art publications, street art magazines, and artists who built recognizable brands around their own creative practices. This research helped establish the visual, conceptual, and technical foundations needed to bring the exhibition together. The project was divided across two semesters: the first dedicated entirely to research, exploration, and development, followed by a second focused on production, fabrication, and the execution of the final exhibition.

Takeway

This experience pushed my design abilities across a wide range of disciplines, from CNC production, 3D printing, editorial layout, and typography to banner design, installation, fabrication, and branding. Over the course of six months, I developed these skills through an extensive process of research, production, and exhibition, making it one of the most significant experiences in my development as a designer. More importantly, Sire became a lasting creative platform that continues to evolve beyond the exhibition, with new volumes, ideas, and physical forms still in development today.