The Visual Communication Design students are unveiling their creative clock designs on Wednesday, November 1st, and these clocks are not your usual time-tellers. Instead, they have a more profound mission – they’re here to shed light on critical societal issues, such as health, the environment, and more.
The Design School at our university is hosting an exhibit from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. that day, featuring a remarkable collection of 12-inch clocks. These timepieces do tick away the hours, but their main job is to visually convey complex social messages.
These unique clocks are the result of the capstone project of undergraduates majoring in graphic design through the Visual Communication Design program. Students, like Abigail Bowser, describe this as an opportunity to infuse “a bigger meaning” into their designs, going beyond mere aesthetics.
At the start of the academic term, students chose a pressing social issue to focus their creative efforts on, and these clocks represent a year-long commitment to that cause. In addition to three-dimensional renditions, they’ve also crafted two-dimensional clock designs and packaging, all inspired by their chosen social issue. For example, Bowser’s clock speaks to the psychological impact of conspiracy theories.
“Designing a clock that speaks to a social cause is a unique and rewarding challenge for a designer,” Bowser reflects.
Isabela Glass, another senior in the program, echoes this sense of creative freedom. She’s using her clock to raise awareness about school shootings and child-related gun violence. Her clock vividly portrays the events of the Columbine High School shooting on April 20, 1999.
“My clock tells the story of the duration of the shooting, including the start time, when the school was declared safe, the number of injuries, and lives lost,” explains Glass.
Delaney Gerasta, a fellow senior, has used her clock to highlight the underutilization of palliative care, a specialized form of medical care that focuses on easing the suffering caused by severe illnesses. Her clock features withering and wilting flowers, symbolizing the dying process.
“The depth of the clock changes at different rates,” Gerasta notes. “The part that doesn’t get deeper as quickly represents that even though palliative care patients are still dying, their quality of life might be a bit better.”
Anna Belding’s clock serves to convey the underreporting of police-caused civilian deaths in the United States with a single word: “systemic.”
To bring their designs to life, students procured materials themselves, utilizing the university’s resources, including the Novus Innovation Corridor studio, the Makerspace laser cutter, and various tools offered by ASU. Their materials range from bullet casings and wood to acrylic and paper.
Isabelle Clem, another senior, focused on disparities in access to public transportation, specifically in Atlanta. Her clock features a frosted glass cover, symbolizing the low-income and communities of color that lack proper public transportation access.
These incredible clock creations will be on display on November 1st and then auctioned off at the Visual Communication Design Poster Show on November 9th to support the senior design exhibition in the spring. So, be sure to check them out before they find new homes!
