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A Division of UnderConsideration

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As designers we often strive to give back. This might be by providing pro-bono work for a company or group in need of kick-ass design, or by looking within our own industry and helping the emerging generation climb a rung or two of their success ladder. The folks behind Design by Thesis chose the latter, by lending a financial hand to students developing their thesis.

We developed the grant based on the experience of each Thesis studio member in creating our own thesis work in graduate school, as well as those of our interns that are usually finishing up their own undergraduate thesis. It can be an expensive proposition; usually entirely self-funded, and it’s a small way for us to help out. We like to think of the grant program making finances less of a barrier to brilliance.

We’re also very interested in what young design students are thinking about, and what they are motivated to work on and produce. As evidenced by our studio name, the process of concepting and developing a thesis, or a solution to a given problem, is at the heart of what we do. It’s natural for us to support that process as it’s introduced to young designers.

With a very open competition in the horizon, the poster needed to be unrestrictive and without providing a set guide as to what to submit—completely open to the imagination.

The inspiration behind the poster is that the competition is wide open; we place no restrictions on content or final form in any way. Hence the blank books. The stickies contain the information on the poster-and represent the research that is inherent in developing a thesis idea. We contacted a few dozen schools to gauge program or class interest and then sent the posters to key faculty to be displayed in hallways or classrooms. The letterpressed certificate is a more elegant translation of the poster, and was sent to the winners to commemorate their award.

We tried to keep our production costs down and did a digital print run on the posters, then delivered them via snail mail with an accompanying cover letter. I printed the certificates in my basement. Naturally, that helps with cost and control.

A little vendor, a little DIY, a lot of thought and a lot of vision of the future for that next generation working hard to make it in the grown-up world.

Kristen and Dale Wedding Invitation

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Northcoast Zeitgeist 2011 Calendar and Motto

Thesis Grant Poster and Certificate

Production Method

Design

Thesis
Poster: Brian Edlefson
Certificate: Greg Anderson

Printing

Poster: Kal-Blue
Certificate: Greg Anderson