GDES BFA Thesis Exhibition

It has been an immensely rewarding semester co-teaching the 2019 edition of “Senior Studio” with Denielle Emans, a course that culminates with the production of a Graphic Design BFA thesis and participation in the VCUarts Qatar BFA + MFA Exhibition. Our students worked on a wide range of topics for their thesis projects, ranging from space exploration and mental health, to Arabic typography and comparative religions. The culminating BFA + MFA Exhibition was an opportunity to showcase all of this outstanding work to a range of visitors from across Qatar.

Judges Choice

As part of the exhibition component of the course, we invited 20 experts to participate in judging the Senior Show this year. These awards acknowledge student accomplishments in the areas of design impact, originality, daringness, and overall outstanding work. The award process was rigorous and transparent, resulting in a tie in two categories. I am pleased to share the results of the awards below, along with the links to the thesis websites.

Outstanding: Hind Al Saad & Sarah Elawad
Overall excellent work, both in concept, execution, craft, aesthetics, and communication.

Original: Yeon Geong Hwang
Work with a unique concept that is innovative, or outside the box. The project invents or presents ideas in a new and unexpected fashion.

Impactful: Reham Mohamed & Carlotta Bernardi
Work that directly impacts a community, culture, society or tackles a local/global issue. It not only raises awareness but creates a lasting impact on the viewer.

Daring: Sara Alafifi
Work that pushes boundaries, questions norms or beliefs, takes risks, or goes against the mainstream to express a concept. The work challenges the understanding or interpretation of the world around us.

Watch the process video and get an inside view on the final moments leading up to the BFA Thesis show: