A senior capstone project is the culmination of years of hard work and is the final project many students complete before they walk the stage on graduation. These projects are often semester-long endeavors and can sometimes be started as early as a student’s sophomore year and are oftentimes the culmination of years of accumulated skills. However, not very often do students get to show these projects to a larger audience outside of their major.
Doane’s Graphic Design students, however, are given the unique opportunity to display their work in a showcase from March 20 through April 3, in the Rall Gallery. The three graphic design seniors — Samantha Knapp, Lizzi Sand and Elly Kennc — each have their work displayed in the gallery, each one creating their own brand and products for said brand.
Knapp’s capstone features a brand called Lily Thread Co., a flower shop and boutique that combines Western aesthetics and featured parts from her farm back home as well as her own graphics work. Sand’s capstone was a promotion for a music festival called Noise Pollution and reflects her passion for music and includes promotion and merch for the festival she designed. Finally, Kennc’s project was for a brand called Imagine Ink, a conglomerate of her love for storytelling and illustration and features books, puzzles, board games and cards
“We each got our own choice to brand really anything we wanted to. The assignment was pretty broad and really allowed each of our personalities to shine through in each of our projects. The only requirement we had was to have 20 items designed for the brand,” Knapp said. “We were able to use any materials and objects needed to portray our brand and the vibe of the brand that we were creating. So, for my side of the project, I wanted to portray a Western and girly feel. So, I used colors and materials such as old barn wood and girlier colors to portray what I wanted.”
The showcase also doubled as an opportunity for the students to showcase their work to more than just Doane at large, but their friends and family. The first day of the showcase had students, staff, friends and family flooding the gallery and taking pictures, enjoying the art and being able to finally see the work these seniors have spent so long perfecting.
“When I had my artwork in the gallery, I wasn’t expecting as many people to come up to me and express how much they liked my artwork. Having friends and family finally be able to see the project I have been working on since the fall semester was something I enjoyed, and I haven’t experienced something like this before,” Knapp said. “They have heard me talk and talk about it, but I was the only one with the full vision in my head, so being able to see it fully put together was an amazing experience. When I reflect on how far I have come as an artist, I am impressed with my time management skills and being able to have a vision and fully complete it exactly how I imagined it.”
The 2025 Senior Graphic Design Exhibition is available for anyone in the Rall Gallery, the Gallery opens and closes in accordance with the library’s schedule.
