Michael D. Cavallaro

Sophomore Design Project

Acrylic pen on 8.5x11in paper.

These prints were made using a vinyl cutter with a pen attachment.

The patterns were created by layering and tweaking the structure of different platonic solids. As I designed these prints, I was challenged with determining what pieces of the pattern to group together into layers; and planning the order in which each layer would be plotted by the vinyl cutter. A lot of thought went into how to create depth through layer and color, and to how the lines and colors would overlap and interact.

Sophomore Design Project

The Rules project first required us to decide on two locations within the city limits that we were unfamiliar with, and write a set of instructions that create a unique experience, and evoke a certain emotion when followed. After that we designed symbols in Adobe Illustrator that developed into buttons that served as mementos for the experience created by the instructions. There was an aspect of product merchandizing to this project in designing the packaging and tags to contain the mementos. I used the vinyl cutter with a pen attachment to do my tag design and instructions. I did this to give more of a handmade feel to the composition. The blue textured paper I used for the Top Golf label was chosen for its relation to the dimples on the surface of golf balls. The off white color paper used for the Hope Outdoor Gallery tags was chosen for its resemblance to concrete/blank canvas. I had to choose a typeface that had enough space within the letterforms to be plotted by a pen with the vinyl cutter, which is why I chose Bauhaus STD, a sans serif typeface with minimal clutter.

Junior Studio Project

This is a comprehensive reader that I designed for my Junior Studio class. The focus of this project was to investigate a topic that is not design related, and to create a comprehensive reader about said topic. We were also tasked with defining a set of rules to dictate the decisions we made while designing our individual readers. For this project I focused on Entomophagy, the practice of eating insects by people for sustenance.

The varying colored paper used to print the book on is representative of the neon colors left behind after an insect is smashed or smeared across a surface.

Senior Topics Project

We live in a time where speed is key. The idea behind Conscious Food Co. is to provide quick, easy, and healthy drive-thru food options. This concept was focused on making locally-sourced, allergen-friendly, health food options fast and readily available to consumers. Created for an entrepreneurial design project at St. Edwards University.

Senior Studio Project

The Arts and Crafts period is known for its highly ornamented, and detailed illustrations and designs created by hand with a fine attention to detail. In order to stick to the methods employed during the Arts and Crafts movement, I designed the pattern and typeface used in this poster series by hand, before recreating them digitally.

I designed these concept art illustrations to be used for an ocean themed VR game that began development during my internship at Blue Goji.

I made an Instagram profile that focused on the correlation between food and mental health; and created this content to use as social media assets for the page.

This was completed as part of the Social Design course while I was studying Graphic Design at St. Edwards University.

2017

This poster was accepted into the Student Juried Exhibition at St. Edwards.

This design is part of an ongoing study of pattern and illusion that I started to dive into in 2016. I created this pattern by hand, before recreating and expanding it digitally and adding color.

2016

This is an excerpt from the writings of Hunter S. Thompson.

I chose to set this text in playful colors to contrast the dark nature of the content.

2016

This was a re-branding concept of the P. Terry’s burger chain in Austin, TX that I made while in the Graphic Design program at St. Edwards University.

The creative liberties I took in changing up the menu’s content was based on the premise that we were living in a culture where beef was no longer available due to environmental factors and entomophagy was widely embraced.

2017

This is a CBD Isolate label I worked on for a Colorado based business.

I created this design as part of my study of pattern and illusion. I designed this pattern by hand before recreating and expanding it digitally.

2016.