Maine College of Art & Design
BFA Graphic Design
Degree Projects 2025
&
Graphic
Design
Cultivation
Sarah Goodsell
With isolation being a defining factor of our past decade due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, I find a lot of people in modern day, especially people in Gen Z, struggling to make connections and join communities due to the pandemic's impact on their developing years and social skills. It is my hope that through my work I can make the process of connecting easier. Community is becoming an increasingly important concept that has been neglected in recent years. It is quickly becoming a necessity for people who are unable to advocate for themselves and have their concerns heard by people in power. For these demographics, community acts as a unifier for underrepresented voices as well as a support system for people in need. Through my projects, I aim to address a general and easily digestible idea of an overarching idea of community for viewers, assisting in recognizing safe spaces to join and the importance of both the individual and the whole of a community. My work will visually provide a comfortable style through illustration and design, while drawing inspiration from naturally created communities found in nature. Additionally, I would like to address and hopefully help resolve challenges that come along with social connections, specifically mental barriers and doubts, initiating conversations, and planning small social events. I hope that my work will encourage and guide others to connect with new people and form lasting, mutually beneficial relationships.