ADOPT AND ADAPT
Senior Capstone Project | In-process Summer 2024 - Spring 2025
Publication Design | Branding | Illustration
I recently adopted Blue, a shelter dog that has changed my life for the better. I have seen first hand the stress of shelter life for dogs, and want to encourage more people to adopt and find their best friend like I did. Adopt and Adapt is my senior capstone project that aims to educate first time dog owners to level their expectations about dog ownership. This project is still in-process, and will be completed by April, 2025 and on display at University of Cincinnati’s DAAPWorks showcase.
THE PROBLEM
First time dog adopters have unrealistic expectations about adopting a dog, due to lack of education prior to adoption.
There is currently a dog adoption crisis all around the United States, and there are studies actively being done to figure out why.
THE DESIGN CRITERIA
Needs to engage the user though simple/ambiguous dog and people illustrations, so they can imagine themselves taking care of a dog.
Needs to have multiple breather pages to create moments of self reflection and pause.
Needs to have simple pop-up interactions, and only have these types of interactions in section openers and breather pages to not distract the user from the content.
Meet Blue, the dog who inspired it all.
CONTEXT VISUALIZATION
Making an empathy map was my first step to better understand the process of walking into the shelter to adopt a dog. Here I noticed the gap of lack of research and self-reflection in the decision process. First time owners don’t know what to ask and reflect on before stepping into the shelter to see available dogs.
An AEIOU analysis was helpful to determine the context the book would be used in as apart of the decision process. This helped me realize the page size of the book as it should be able to adapt to the style of the person using it. It could be used as a conversation starter between a couple or small family, or for a single person.
THE CONTENT
My content comes from the book, The Complete Singles Guide To Being A Dog Owner, By Betsy Rosenfield. Dog interactive letters comes from an article on Dog Rescue Minnesota’s Website, “A Letter From Your New Dog.”
THE PROJECT SCOPE
Once I had my content synthesized, I began to gather the content of the book together and organize it into sections. I also created an illustration list to get a better idea of the scope of work needed.
FORM MAKING
To set my book apart, I wanted to include some pop-up style interaction to allow readers to engage with their future shelter dog and allow the user to empathize with them. I tested some interactions with a paper prototype.
PLAYFUL ILLUSTRATIONS
When mood boarding my visual language for the book, I wanted to study different ways type and image could interact to create compelling typographic
INITIAL SPREAD IDEATION
INSERT GIF OF SPREADS
WHAT’S NEXT?