Hello, I'm a designer and professor in Wayne, Nebraska and I believe in simplicity by design.
My Work: Web/Interactive
Interactive Map for New Book Site
I designed this interactive map for the website that will accompany the new book 50 Jobs in 50 States. My goal was to create interactivity (without using Flash) that matches the theme of the book and is accessible for everyone, including those viewing it on the iPad (which hasn't supported Flash). To achieve this, I used Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop to edit the map. I added interactivity using the jQuery library, with qTip and maphilight.
Instructional Material: Progressive Enhancement & Web Standards
I created this single page as instructional material for a web development course, teaching students about web standards and how jQuery can be used to support progressive enhancement. It was also an exercise in creating a web page (code, main images, and background) in a very short time using Adobe Photoshop and a text editor.
Instructional Material: Web Design Layout & Organization
I created this web design as instructional material for an introductory web design course, teaching students how to create effective layout and organization. By taking advantage of guides and layers, students learned how to efficiently prepare their designs for later coding and development. Created using Adobe Photoshop.
Things I Make: Website Design & Development
I first began work as a web designer 14 years ago, and at Ohio State I continued to study web design from a design perspective, a usability/human factors perspective, and a web development perspective. Along with creating this site's artwork, my main focus was on improving my knowledge of site architecture and planning, creating clean code, and implementing modern developments in CSS & Javascript.
Sophistikate Portraiture & Design: Website Design & Development
"It's beautiful! I'm really excited to have a website that I want to tell all my friends about. Thank you so much, I really love it! It looks GREAT!"
KATIE ASHCRAFT, PHOTOGRAPHER, SOPHISTIKATE PORTRAITURE & DESIGN
iThalas Author Website: Usability Analysis
At the request of iThalas, I performed a usability analysis for an author’s website that iThalas originally designed and developed. The original site was seen to lack organization, so I performed a heuristic evaluation and identified changes that were low-cost and quick to implement. The mockup of changes shown here was created using Adobe Photoshop.
MFA Coursework: Interactive Flash Animation
I created this interactive Flash animation as a graduate-level project in Programming Concepts for Artists and Designers at Ohio State University in 2009.
MFA Thesis Development: Critiques of Student Work (Flash)
I created this prototype of an interactive tool as an alternative to the tool below, bringing the focus to the artwork and away from a rigid structure, creating a more fluid interface for critiques. Development has included extensive interviews with online course instructors & experts, comparative analysis, user data collection/analysis, and information architecture development.
MFA Thesis Development: Critiques of Student Work (Flash)
My MFA Thesis work centers on creating digital tools to improve the experiences of design instructors and students. Here I focused on creating a tool to be used for critiquing student work, a very common activity in design courses. My goal is to create a tool to be used outside (and inside) of class to create a level of organization, archiving, and participation not found in current in-class critiques.
Online Demos Master's Thesis: Website Design & Development
I designed and developed this website to communicate my MFA thesis research in Design Development. "Can a tool be developed to make live in-class design demos and tutorials available for students to interact with outside class?" This was a focus of my graduate research at Ohio State University.
Instructional Material: Website Concept Design
I created this website concept design to help students learn to recognize and follow proper design principles in web design while exploring the possibilities afforded by modern graphics programs. The concept design was created using Adobe Photoshop for a course in Electronic Media for Designers.
Cherrington Dental: Website Design & Development
The dental team at Cherrington Dental needed a website that emphasized their traditional quality of patient care while also highlighting new dental and patient-comfort technology.
Site still in development.
My Work: Graphic/Animation
Instructional Material: Retro Poster Design
I created this poster as instructional material for a course in graphic design, teaching students how to use styles and themes to unify and bring harmony to their work. Here the style is retro, post-modern design, achieved through the conscious mixture of varied shapes and textures with a vintage typeface. Created using Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator.
Instructional Material:
Contemporary Poster Design
I created this poster as instructional material for a course in graphic design, teaching students how to use styles and themes to unify and bring harmony to their work. Here the style is contemporary design, achieved through the conscious layout of lighting and color combined with a thoroughly contemporary typeface. Created using Adobe Photoshop.
Instructional Material: Using Photos to Add Life to Animations
I created this video as instructional material for a course in animation, teaching students how and why to use ordinary still photos as a simple way to add power and life to their animations. Created using Adobe After Effects.
Instructional Material: Using Photos to Add Life to Animations
Instructional Material: Adding Animation to Everyday Footage
I created this video as instructional material for a course in animation, teaching students how to build animations from everyday video footage as well as how to take full avantage of new tools for rotoscoping and motion tracking. Created using Adobe Photoshop and Adobe After Effects.
Instructional Material: Adding Animation to Everyday Footage
Franklin County Board of Elections: Illustrations and Layout
This is a sample page from the redesign of the Franklin County Pollworkers Manual, which I carried out with a team of Ohio State designers and law students at the request of the Franklin County Board of Elections (Columbus, Ohio). For the page shown here, I designed the layout and illustrations.
Cherrington Dental: Logo Design
For the Cherrington Dental team’s arrival in new offices, I developed a new logo to convey the company’s current chief goal: to appeal to younger clients and bring new knowledge and technology to dentistry. The logo was developed using Adobe Illustrator.
Franklin County Board of Elections: Pollworkers Manual Flow Charts
This is earlier work in another section of the redesign of the Franklin County Pollworkers Manual. I was responsible for simplifying a particularly convoluted, bulleted-list section of the manual; two pages from the redesign of this section (created using Adobe InDesign) are shown here.
Headland Design Interiors and Landscapes: Brochure Design
"I wanted a brochure that would take on the green-consciousness of our projects, and also portray the beauty of the work we do. Piersanti Designs did that in a very unique and striking way. I am thrilled to have them as my brochure designer!"
Sophistikate Portraiture & Design: Logo Design
"I love the logo and name Piersanti Designs created for my business. It's a fresh idea that get's me noticed. Piersanti Designs were convenient and comfortable to work with. They were quick to get back with me and they helped me customize my branding needs and whims during the design process."
KATIE ASHCRAFT, PHOTOGRAPHER, SOPHISTIKATE PORTRAITURE & DESIGN
MFA Coursework: Emotionally-Adaptive Environment
This concept for a device that allows an environment to adapt to a user’s emotions was created as a graduate-level project in participatory design research at Ohio State University in 2009. Participant feedback was collected via surveys and direct user testing. I used Adobe Photoshop and Google SketchUp to create the testing materials and composite rooms shown here.
Video Simulation: Interactive Display Device
An interactive device that transforms a living room into a dynamic area (dubbed “Roomie”) was developed as a graduate-level project in interaction design at Ohio State University. I helped develop the needs assessment, personas & scenarios for the project, & I created a video simulation showing the functions of the device. I used Adobe Photoshop & After Effects to create the video simulation.
Students' work: Web
Ferry: Website Concept Design
This web design was created by one of my students. The purpose of this Adobe Photoshop-based assignment was to create a website, following basic design principles and applying the Photoshop styling treatments learned for that section of the course.
Bakare: Website Concept Design
This web design was created by one of my students. The purpose of this Adobe Photoshop-based assignment was to create a website, following basic design principles and applying the Photoshop styling treatments learned for that section of the course.
Fishback: Web Design & Development
This website was created by one of my students. The purpose of this assignment was to design and build a website communicating what the student may be doing in his/her future work. My instruction was in basic design principles, layout, organization, and implementation of the web design.
Cravens: Web Design & Development
This website was created by one of my students. The purpose of this assignment was to design and build a website communicating what the student may be doing in his/her future work. My instruction was in basic design principles, layout, organization, and implementation of the web design.
Bird: Web Design & Development
This website was created by one of my students. The purpose of this assignment was to build a modern multi-page website that utilizes standards-based XHTML & CSS along with interactivity added through jQuery. My instruction was in web development and achieving an efficient workflow.
Cravens: Web Design & Development
This website was created by one of my students. The purpose of this assignment was to build a modern multi-page website that utilizes standards-based XHTML & CSS along with interactivity added through jQuery. My instruction was in web development and achieving an efficient workflow.
Yoon: Research Portfolio Web Development
The purpose of this assignment was for the student to create an online portfolio of his or her research and research process. My instruction was in basic design principles, web design and usability, site architecture, and implementation of the web design.
Bolzenius: Research Portfolio Web Development
The purpose of this assignment was for the student to create an online portfolio of his or her research and research process. My instruction was in basic design principles, web design and usability, site architecture, and implementation of the web design.
Buenger: Research Portfolio Web Development
The purpose of this assignment was for the student to create an online portfolio of his or her research and research process. My instruction was in basic design principles, web design and usability, site architecture, and implementation of the web design.
Driskill: Research Portfolio Web Development
The purpose of this assignment was for the student to create an online portfolio of his or her research and research process. My instruction was in basic design principles, web design and usability, site architecture, and implementation of the web design.
Mason: Research Portfolio Web Development
The purpose of this assignment was for the student to create an online portfolio of his or her research and research process. My instruction was in basic design principles, web design and usability, site architecture, and implementation of the web design.
Students' work: Graphic
Barnes: Poster Design
This poster design was created by one of my students. The purpose was to design a full-color event poster for an upcoming campus event. The challenge was to focus on creating a distinct style for the poster that was separate from the poster's subject. The poster's subject (the event) was meant to influence the design of the poster but not completely define it.
Dale: Poster Design
This poster design was created by one of my students. The purpose was to design a full-color event poster for an upcoming campus event. The challenge was to focus on creating a distinct style for the poster that was separate from the poster's subject. The poster's subject (the event) was meant to influence the design of the poster but not completely define it.
Stephens: Poster Design
This poster design was created by one of my students. The purpose was to design a full-color event poster for an upcoming campus event. The challenge was to focus on creating a distinct style for the poster that was separate from the poster's subject. The poster's subject (the event) was meant to influence the design of the poster but not completely define it.
Oberholtzer: Poster Design
This poster design was created by one of my students. The purpose was to design a full-color event poster for an upcoming campus event. The challenge was to focus on creating a distinct style for the poster that was separate from the poster's subject. The poster's subject (the event) was meant to influence the design of the poster but not completely define it.
Uptegraft: Poster Design
This poster design was created by one of my students. The purpose was to design a full-color event poster for an upcoming campus event. The challenge was to focus on creating a distinct style for the poster that was separate from the poster's subject. The poster's subject (the event) was meant to influence the design of the poster but not completely define it.
Stephens: Print Design Campaign
This print campaign was created by one of my students. The purpose was to design for the student's hometown, promoting the city to potential visitors. Working as a whole, the materials should capture visitors' attention and show them why they should visit, with each separate ad being tailored to specific audiences.
Calabrese: Logo Vector Illustration
This vector artwork was created by one of my students. The purpose of this Adobe Illustrator-based assignment was to create a series of symbols related to important aspects of the student's life.
Cobbs: Interior Vector Illustration
This vector artwork was created by one of my students. The purpose of this Adobe Illustrator-based assignment was to model an actual interior or exterior landscape in vector format, applying the Illustrator tools learned for that section of the course.
Reid: Interior Vector Illustration
This vector artwork was created by one of my students. The purpose of this Adobe Illustrator-based assignment was to model an actual interior or exterior landscape in vector format, applying the Illustrator tools learned for that section of the course.
Gombita: Interior Vector Illustration
This vector artwork was created by one of my students. The purpose of this Adobe Illustrator-based assignment was to model an actual interior or exterior landscape in vector format, applying the Illustrator tools learned for that section of the course.
Ferry: Interior Vector Illustration
This vector artwork was created by one of my students. The purpose of this Adobe Illustrator-based assignment was to model an actual interior or exterior landscape in vector format, applying the Illustrator tools learned for that section of the course.
Reid: Logo Vector Illustration
This vector artwork was created by one of my students. The purpose of this Adobe Illustrator-based assignment was to visually communicate a word in a clear and distinct way, applying the Illustrator tools learned for that section of the course.
Van Fossen: Logo Vector Illustration
This vector artwork was created by one of my students. The purpose of this Adobe Illustrator-based assignment was to visually communicate a word in a clear and distinct way, applying the Illustrator tools learned for that section of the course.
Hoffman: Logo Vector Illustration
This vector artwork was created by one of my students. The purpose of this Adobe Illustrator-based assignment was to visually communicate a word in a clear and distinct way, applying the Illustrator tools learned for that section of the course.
Bakare: Logo Vector Illustration
This vector artwork was created by one of my students. The purpose of this Adobe Illustrator-based assignment was to visually communicate a word in a clear and distinct way, applying the Illustrator tools learned for that section of the course.
Bakare: Book Cover Design
This artwork was created by one of my students. The purpose of this Adobe InDesign-based assignment was to create a full book-jacket, applying basic design principles and knowledge of Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign gained during the course.