kara collins - Western Michigan University

kara collins
1704 Knollwood Ave., Apt K1, Kalamazoo, MI 49006
248.396.8683 | kara_1collins@yahoo.com | karacollins.co
But what was once Hollywood fantasy is now an imminent
reality.
Automakers and intrepid inventors have been experimenting
with autonomous vehicles — aka driverless cars — for nearly
100 years. So far, they’ve only materialized in celluloid.
F E A S I B L E ?
O R
F A N T A S Y
CARS
DRIVERLESS
IN
RECENT
YEARS,
major carmakers — BMW to Volvo to Toyota 2014 Consumer Electronics Show — is more
— and technology monoliths like Google have streamlined. Sensors and computers that used
ramped up their driverless car research. They’re to occupy the entire trunk are now appreciably
advancing driverless technology at least in more compact.
part via new legislation allowing the testing
Google lobbied hard for legislation to permit
the testing of autonomous cars. In 2012, the
of autonomous cars on public roads.
The new driverless technology — exem- company achieved its goal. Nevada, Florida and
plified in prototypes by Audi and BMW at the California passed laws allowing the testing of
33 | Technology Review
TYPOGRAPHY III, SPRING 2014
The goal of this project was to take text and turn it
into a 3-page magazine spread with visuals; this
required careful attention to elements like type, layout,
and image. Design choices were made to enhance the
reader’s visual and interactive experiences.
cars. Potential advantages include fewer traffic
collisions, increased road capacity, reduced
traffic congestion, less road signage and greater
opportunity for drivers with handicaps.
Cybersecurity, software reliability, liability
responsibilities, loss of drivers’ jobs in various
sectors, increased government regulations and
legal ramifications are among potential pitfalls
identified by the NHTSA.
Obstacles aside, these developments
appeal to a collective imagination shaped by
science fiction and James Bond films. Excite-
"WE'RE ENCOURAGED BY THE NEW AUTOMATED
VEHICLE TECHNOLOGIES BEING DEVELOPED AND
IMPLEMENTED TODAY."
motor vehicle safety is considered in the development of these advances,” said David
Strickland, the top safety official at the National
Highway Transportation Safety Administration
(NHTSA). “As additional states consider similar
legislation, our recommendations provide lawmakers with the tools they need to encourage
the safe development and implementation of
automated vehicle technology.”
In addition to defining categories of autonomous vehicles, the NHTSA has identified the
potential benefits and hazards of driverless
31 | Technology Review
wheels,” said Kirk Steudle, Michigan Department
of Transportation director.
Michigan lawmakers, including Governor Rick
Snyder, say they’re determined to keep Michigan
at the forefront of automobile development.
While the thought of driverless cars can
bring the futuristic idea of “The Jetsons” to
mind, driverless car technology is already here.
You may have seen it in this year`s Super Bowl
ad where automatic brakes override distracted
driving. Lawmakers like Senator Mike Kowall
said Michigan is a world leader in car research.
“I thought where better to keep the research
and development? We’re probably looking at
close to a $1 trillion effect on just the Big Three,”
said Senator Kowall. Late last year, Governor
Snyder signed Senate Bill 169 into law, to approve
testing of driverless cars on Michigan roads. He
and Steudle said safety is a driving force behind
autonomous vehicles.
“One of our goals is to drive fatality rates
down to zero. Last year there were over 900
people killed on Michigan roadways. If we can
get cars that refuse to crash, we can save those
900 people,” added Steudle.
At the 2014 North American International
Auto Show, Governor Snyder announced a partnership with the University of Michigan and the
Mobility Transformation Center (MTC). The MTC
is a public and private research effort to move
people and freight with automated technology.
The goal is for Ann Arbor to become the first
U.S. city with a fleet of “connected,” driverless
cars by 2021.
DRIVERLESS CARS
driverless vehicles. Michigan followed suit last
December. Like its counterparts, Michigan’s
new law requires a human in the driver’s seat
while the vehicle is in operation.
Driverless transportation for the general
public is likely still years away — seven to 10,
according to some advocates. But government
agencies and transportation experts are already
considering the ramifications.
“We’re encouraged by the new automated
vehicle technologies being developed and
implemented today, but want to ensure that
ment is a natural response. But officials urge
consumers to remember the most important
feature of any vehicle: safety.
“Our research covers all levels of automation, including advances like automatic braking
that may save lives in the near term,” said Ray
LaHood, the former NHTSA secretary. “Whether
we’re talking about automated features in cars
today or fully automated vehicles of the future,
our top priority is to ensure these vehicles —
and their occupants — are safe.”
“We are the state to put the world on
Maximum Tech | 32
“By and large we don’t see being able to
make it to automated vehicles, at least not
driverless vehicles, high levels of automation,
without also having this communication element. The communication really serves as the
foundation for the future of automated vehicles,” explained Jim Sayer, research scientist
with the University of Michigan Transportation
Research Institute (UMTRI).
Researchers say the University`s “Safety
Pilot Model Deployment” program is the biggest
group of “connected” vehicles in the world.
For the past 18 months, UMTRI has been
collecting data from more than 2800 “connected” vehicles. Drivers volunteered their
personal vehicles, including a few heavy trucks,
motorcycles and a bicycle, to be installed with
small radios that essentially talk to each other.
Researchers say these radios listen and
transmit signals to other “connected” cars and
city infrastructure, like streetlights and curbs,
that are also equipped with similar radios in
Ann Arbor.
“What we’ve done with the Safety Pilot
Model Deployment is we’ve created a sand-
box; a sandbox that automotive manufacturers
and suppliers and developers can come and
evaluate the products that they envision, both
connected and in the future automated vehicles
as well,” added Sayer.
More than 21 and a half million miles of
driving data has been collected. It all goes
to the U.S. Department of Transportation to
show how “connected” technology between
cars and infrastructure could lower fatal car
accidents and energy consumption.
“We’re going to go through, I think, a 15
to 20-year period of dumb cars to smart cars
and the transition in-between,” said Steudle.
Steudle also said he expects automation to
help with road redesigns, and believes it will
start with Michigan freeways.
“If the car is smart enough to drive itself,
and it’s not texting or eating a sandwich, or
doing all kinds of other distracting things, it’s
going to go right down the middle of that lane
and maybe move a little bit. But you don’t
need that space between them. So a future
highway could have vehicles closer together,”
explained Steudle.
"WE'RE GOING TO GO THROUGH, I THINK, A FIFTEEN
TO TWENTY YEAR PERIOD OF DUMB CARS TO
SMART CARS AND THE TRANSITION IN BETWEEN."
“The computers in the car will be smart
enough to say ‘here’s the progression of all
these traffic signals,’ and ‘driver, if you would
go 36 miles per hour, you will make the progression and you won’t have to stop at any of
these,’” said Steudle.
Officials said driverless cars mean fewer
wrecks which could help lower insurance rates.
“We’ve never seen insurance rates go down,
but this would be a good reason for them to go
Maximum Tech | 34
THE ZOO
THROUGH THE ZOO
SENIOR PROJECTS, SPRING 2015
For my senior thesis, I created a scavenger-like
game with the objective of having players become
more acquainted with and comfortable in downtown
Kalamazoo. My interest in this stemmed from the
fact that I, like many other college students, had
lived in Kalamazoo for 4 years and had not fully
explored my surroundings or utilized their resources.
Game piece, front
A
K h
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th isp am y a
co e K lay azo mo
w ll a s o u
m it h e c la t o V n t
b ar th tio ma da alle of
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to f hi ker es a don as o P as Mu hat
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Game piece, back
T H R O U G H
Thesis Statement
My thesis was an exploration of the question, “How
can graphic design create an experience that will
make people want to become more aware of what is
around them?” Through the Zoo is an interactive
wayfinding experience for downtown Kalamazoo that
makes players comfortable exploring and learning
about their surroundings.
Completed poster,
back of all game pieces
W
NE HA
XT T I
LO S Y
CA OU
TI R
ON
?
L
y oc
on our ate
th ow the
a)
e n r
tra ca ac
An 2
ck r. et
sw
? Ho rac
er
b
w k
Ke ) 4
m wh
an e
y:
y re
a=
la yo
ne u
4,
c)
b= 3
s c
ar an
14
e b
th u
,c
e r ild
=8 d)
e
,d 6
=1
7
HOW IT WORKS
Get to your location.
Find the “Through the
Zoo” logo and search that
area for your game piece.
Look at the map in your
folder to see what location
this number is. Repeat
steps 1-5.
Find the answer and
decode it using the key on
the game piece.
Find and read the game
piece and then search for
the answer to the
question.
F
w ind
eq alk w
ua ing he
l a p re
m ath the
An
ile s A
sw
? ta rc
rts ad
er
—h ia
Ke b)
1
ow Cr
y:
a=
m eek
an
4,
y
b= c)
la
17 5
ps
,c
=8
, d d) 2
=9
.5
W
NE HA
XT T I
LO S Y
CA OU
TI R
ON
?
EXAMPLE
A
c rc
th on ad
n is str ia
d ea , it uc Cr
m ev rly w te ee
w or elo 1 as d in k w
wa as e p pe 00 und 1 as
e s n re d, ye e 9 o
o no n ote va flo ar rg 95 ff
in f r ug ot d le od s. ro ; p icia
c cr un h ne th nt in As un rio lly
th ity ea of to ar at co g th d f r t
th e en sin f fr ha ly Ar nc be e or o
a e ir c gin gly om nd siz ca er ca are
a ca pr he e g t le ab dia n— me a
re sm na oble ape ers row he the le Cr it a
ee
am
A vit all l; t m st de in
k
is rc aliz pa his w op cid g
ou
$ re ad e rt co as tio e cit
nt
s 12 sp ia the of ns to n t d th y. Th
ta um m on Cr
d a tr c o a e
c x m illi sib ee ow pla uc on so t
m ree rev er, on le k F nto n t tion stru lve
uc k en ho in fo es
o w ct
h ha ue w p r g tiv wn
as
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$3 in aro er, fit o ne Pla ea.
40 cre un pro ve ratin ce
,0 ase d t pe r th g
00 d he rt e
y
. by
as
a)
10
WHAT IS YOUR
NEXT LOCATION?
K
EE
CR E
A AC
DI PL
CA IVAL
AR EST
F
Find where the Arcadia Creek
walking path starts—how many laps
equal a mile?
a) 10
b) 1
c) 5
d) 2.5
Answer Key: a=4, b=17, c=8, d=9
WEST MICHIGAN AVE.
START:
YOU ARE
HERE
14
17
15
18
SOUTH
BURDICK ST
3
4
8
16
2
13
5
12
SOUTH
ROSE ST
9
7
1
6
10
11
The correct answer is C. According to the answer
key on the gamepiece, C=8.
MAP KEY
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Bronson Park
Epic Center
Kalamazoo Valley Museum
KVCC
Public Library
City Chamber
Courthouse
Raddison Hotel
County Administration Building
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
Civic Auditorium
Kalamazoo Institute of Arts
State Theatre
Kalamazoo Gazette
Arcadia Creek Festival Place
Farmer’s Alley
Kalamazoo Mall
Metro Transit Center
The Kalamazoo Building
RARE BOOKS ROOM
CLIENT: NEIL CHASE, SPRING 2015
I designed this trifold brochure for the Special
Collections Rare Book Room at Waldo Library. It
includes information about their most popular
collections, complimented by photography; I used
both collage and individual, detail shots that I had
taken to showcase the unique features of the books
that they have available.
COLORS
Pantone Cool Gray 6
Pantone Process Blue
Pantone 331
Pantone 315
TYPE
Headers
Trade Gothic Bold Extended
Body Text
Trade Gothic Light
www.boraere.com
MARK WILLIAMS
C H I E F
P I L O T
FINAL IDENTITY
B OA RD I N G PA S S
735.993.0854 | mw@boraere.com
PASSENGER
SMITH // JORDAN
DEPARTING FROM
LAX (LOS ANGELES)
LAX
DATE
6.2.15
ARRIVING AT
BOB (BORA BORA)
BOARDING TIME
DEPARTURE TIME
FLIGHT
ZONE
9:10 AM
LP 635
C22
BOARDING
CLASS
FROM/TO
SEAT
DATE
ZONE
9:10 AM
BORA BORA
GATE
GATE
SMITH //
JORDAN
BOB
LOS ANGELES
PASSENGER
LAX/BOB
CLASS
BUSINESS
6.2.15
C22
BUSINESS
3H
1
9:40 AM
1
SEAT
3H
BORAERE
VISUAL SYSTEMS, FALL 2013
BORAERE (pronounced bor·air) is an identity developed
for an airline that flies directly from LAX to Bora Bora in
French Polynesia. The airline’s mark illustrates one of
the incredible activities that those vacationing in Bora
Bora can experience: snorkeling with giant manta rays.
TOP TEN STATES with the
highest college enrollment
for the 2008
9
5
1
A DESIGNER KNOWS
TYPOGRAPHY II, SPRING 2013
This poster was an exploration of the integration of type and
image. Making the type respond to and interact with the
angles and depth of the picture was crucial in order for the
poster to evolve from a photo with words on it to just a
single image.
california
2,652,000
7
arizona
704,000
2
texas
1,327,000
illinois
859,000
8
michigan
653,000
fall semester
via http://www.census.gov
3
6
10
new york
1,235,000
pennsylvania
740,000
ohio
654,000
4
COLLEGE ENROLLMENT
north carolina
529,000
florida
973,000
GRAPHIC FORM, SPRING 2013
This is a poster designed from statistical data of the
states in the US with the highest college enrollment.
I created graphic forms that would act as an aid for
the information and also enhance the design of the
poster.
CHARACTER
BOOKS & PACKAGING, FALL 2014
Character is a hardcover book—made entirely by
hand, inside and out—that was an exploration of the
transition of letters to forms. While designing, my
goal was to create a middle ground between
abstract and recognizable.
COLORS
Pantone 5803
Pantone 7657
Pantone 7770
TYPE
Headers
Avenir Next Condensed Bold
Body Text
Avenir Next Condensed Ultra Light
knitted goods
FOUR THIRTY
TYPOGRAPHY III, SPRING 2014
This typeface was created through rigorous
hand-drawn techniques: pencil, pen, marker and
paint were all used during different stages of the
design process. Refinement in paint was necessary
before each letter was touched up digitally.
TRI[K]NITY
DESIGN APPLICATIONS, SPRING 2014
Tri[k]nity is a knitted goods company that produces
handmade prayer shawls and scarves. The purpose
of these prayer shawls is to bring comfort and
prayers to those suffering from loss, going through
a tough time, or just in need of a kind gesture.
FLUX: 2015 BFA SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGN SHOW
GRADUATION PRESENTATION, SPRING 2015
FLUX—a name intended to communicate the idea of
flow and transition—was a collaborative exhibition
designed and executed by myself and seven other
classmates. The show was a display of a portion of
our work from our past 3 years in the design
program.
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
TYPOGRAPHY III, SPRING 2014
This book cover is a redesign of the classic novel
To Kill a Mockingbird. The design was created
through hand manipulation of type, which was then
translated digitally and refined; the manipulation of
only the word kill was done so to make it blatantly
different from the other words in the title and also
isolate it, reflecting one of the themes in the story.
FAME & FIXATION
ADVANCED PROBLEMS, FALL 2014
This is a poster for a movie called Fame and
Fixation that is based on true stories of celebrity
drug addiction. The image was created by
manipulated printed type and paper, photography,
and further manipulation in Photoshop.
thank you.
248.396.8683 | kara_1collins@yahoo.com | karacollins.co