Abstract

Preserving design history is usually done by hiding it away. While institutions like the Vignelli Center for Design Studies house over 750,000 artifacts, the vast majority remain in restricted storage, with minimal space dedicated to displaying process materials alongside canonical final works. Digital archives document portions of these collections, but typically present them as static image galleries, leaving the evolutionary logic of a design, and the human labor behind it, invisible to the public. Under the Surface is a scalable, interactive framework designed to bridge archival preservation and public discovery. By transforming preserved artifacts into real-time digital experiences, the project offers institutions a non-invasive, sustainable model for reconstructing and communicating design history, deployable as a web experience within an existing digital archive, a gallery kiosk, or a full interactive installation. Using Massimo Vignelli's 1972 New York City Subway Map as a case study, the system employs real-time code and pixel-based transitions to reconstruct the hidden process behind the map's creation. Because much of the original process work was lost or dispersed across multiple collections, the project draws together found materials from contributing designers and archives. Inspired by multispectral imaging, a "spectral slider" functions as a navigational interface, allowing users to move through archival layers as process materials dissolve and reconstitute across historical states. A secondary overlay surfaces contextual information about the individuals and decisions that shaped the work. Under the Surface demonstrates how real-time interaction can create a deeper connection to design and the human process behind it, while offering institutions a sustainable methodology for managing large collections.

Publication Date

4-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Student Type

Graduate

Degree Name

Visual Communication Design (MFA)

Department, Program, or Center

Design, School of

College

College of Art and Design

Advisor

Daniel DeLuna

Advisor/Committee Member

Adam Smith

Advisor/Committee Member

Mike Strobert

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

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