2024 Interactive Media Showcase
Nicknamed “FUSE” by the Bradley University’s Department of Interactive Media, this annual end-of-the-year showcase features select student projects. FUSE 2024 had 29 exhibits making it the largest since it started 11 years ago.
To make sure all 29 exhibits could come together into one cohesive event, a student-ran production team is assembled. I served as art director for this year’s production team.
Overview
What is FUSE?
FUSE 2024 was not my first rodeo. I assisted on two teams during my first year at Bradley University: I was the lead UX Designer for a 3v1 rhythm game. Additionally, I was approached to be an artist for the 2023 production team.
While balancing the work for two teams was tricky, viewing FUSE from two different perspective gave me valuable insight which definitely helped bringing the 2024 show to life.
Prior Experience
My Responsibilities
Art Director
Due to my experience as an artist during my first year, I was recommended to be the 2024 art director. As art director, I worked with the student producer to make sure any and all graphical items were designed to a high standard by the deadline. I also collaborated with the web design team and social media manager to ensure they all the assets they would need.
To split up the work and have the designs done on time, I delegated tasks to the rest of the art team. I would also routinely check in with the 4 of them throughout the week to check on their progress.
Design and Branding
In addition to managing my team, I created digital and physical assets for the event. Following our moodboard as a style guide, I would sketch out concepts, then design them in Adobe Illustrator.
As the art director, it was my responsibility to ensure these assets were exported to be printed and displayed correctly.
The Process
The Theme
The first step for any FUSE art team is to determine the theme for the year. Past themes have included Under the Sea (2021), Electricity (2022), and Americana Roadtrip (2023).
Themes need to be broad enough to have enough visual variety of assets, but specific enough to keep options open for future FUSE events. With this in mind, the art team landed on a carnival theme inspired by school and county fairs!
After choosing a theme, we created a moodboard with colors and typography styles to follow when creating all the other assets.
Digital Assets
I worked on a number of digital assets including vectorizing the event logos, social media banners, and the websites header and footer graphics.
Physical Assets
I also created many physical assets including logos for UX Design and Interactive Media majors, lanyards for everyone to wear, and posters to be displayed at the event.
The Results
FUSE 2024 was a big success. On the day of the showcase, I helped check in more than 2500 visitors into the Peoria Riverfront Museum for the free event. From these tables, I could see all of the hard work my art team had done. From the event signage to the t-shirts, even the FUSE 2024 website all showcased the delight only a carnival can inspire.
The assistant student producer told me that the branding got many compliments. Multiple faculty members and peers that this was one of the best years for a visual design standpoint. Hearing praise about the art I had a hand in designing really warmed my heart.
However, the biggest joy of FUSE 2024 was—as always—seeing everyone’s hard work come together to pull off one spectacular showcase.
