The United States federal debt is an issue that is staring us in the face. Yet college students often manage to avoid eye contact with it. Many college students are not educated regarding federal spending, and specifically the problem of the federal debt. Seattle Pacific University (SPU) students are no exception. The challenge: communicate the relevant information regarding federal spending and debt in a clear, concise, and intriguing way that will engage SPU students through two magazine spreads and a short film.

 

The emphasis remained on the problem of the federal debt. The dark and greyed colors, and diagonal type embody the tension and severity of the debt. Yet the colors remain slightly warm and the icons are slightly rounded and friendly so that students are not scared away. The sense of touch is incorporated through the use of photographs in order to engage the student. 

 

Since students today are more visual than ever before and less inclined to read text, the spreads contain minimal text. As I began designing, I pushed this as far as I could, attempting to explain as much as possible with as few words as possible. Once reviewed by others, I realized that I had pushed it beyond its limits. So, I added text back in. With the newly added text, my spreads were generally well received by students. Yet there remained a few definitions that required explanation. The final spreads and storyboard reflect a journey of research, brainstorm sessions, sketches, revisions, and refinement. 

 

 

As a team, my classmates Cara McGree, Haley Williams, Jessica Hartono, and I researched federal spending. We looked into it broadly and narrowed down the focus to specific issues that seemed relevant. We brainstormed related topics within federal spending and researched them. As we researched, we kept coming back to the problem of the federal debt. This seemed to be the most significant issue and the foundation for many other related issues.

 

 

Once we collected this data, we dispersed and worked individually on building a narrative to communicate the data to SPU students. First, I drafted two different narratives, continuing to research as needed. I chose one to pursue with sketches; however, as I sketched, I decided to switch narratives. From the hand sketches, I moved to computer drafts. Both as I sketched, and as I drafted the spreads and storyboards for my short film, I continued to re-evaluate and refine my narrative and design.