My design senior thesis is split into three parts, which collectively examine the ways in which print novels and products endear themselves to readers and book lovers. I first conducted research, surveys and interviews to narrow my thesis topic and collect data. While my original goal was to "save print," these early stages clearly indicated that print didn't need my help. Because of its ability to elicit an emotional attachment, people who love print have not fully switched to more digital methods, as reflected in official data.

 

For the three sections of my thesis, I looked at personal nostalgia and emotion, social interaction and feel — three elements my research suggested were the strongest reasons for print's continued survival. 

For my first "deliverable," I photographed people's bookshelves and interviewed them about their books and their opinions on print. The final product was a bound collection of these photos with a quoteI selected from the interview. A few of these spreads are pictured below, as well as the cover (above).

 

My second deliverable was a fictional mobile library project which encouraged participants to interact with the books they were given, which would later be packed onto a bus and shown around the country, in the same vein as projects like "The Sketchbook Project." The idea was that visitors to this mobile library would be able to read, not only the novel, but the secondary stories of its previous readers and thus feel another level of connection. For the purposes of my thesis, I carried the project up through the stage of giving out and receiving marked books. Visitors to the thesis show also had the opportunity to take a book which they could return to me later.

 

Below are some of the books that were passed out and returned, as well as the packaging, branding and a mockup of the fictional library bus.

My final piece was an attempt to merge digital and print in a way that untilized the best of both. To do so, I created e-book covers using real books, to maintain the feel of print, and created fictional marketing for the line. In this fictional line, you can buy "antique," where employees find an old book, or read one so it shows the appropriate amount of wear; "scholar," which uses textbooks to give you an educated appearance; and "custom," where they will make an e-book cover out of any book you bring them.

 

I created the actual e-book covers. In addition to cutting out a section for the e-book and adding elastic to hold it in place, I also rebound some portions of the books to still be readable, and added extra blank pages on which you could take notes or doodle.

 

Of all the deliverables, this was the most difficult to complete. I had serious personal problems cutting into real books!

At the end of the semester, we hosted a senior thesis show to show off our work. The below photos depict my setup for my exhibition space. I wanted to create a comfortable reading nook where viewers could read the works in my thesis, and other books I had on display!