kara collins1704 Knollwood Ave., Apt K1, Kalamazoo, MI 49006248.396.8683 | kara_1collins@yahoo.com | karacollins.co

Aut

omak

ers

and

intr

epid

inve

ntor

s ha

ve b

een

expe

rimen

ting

with

aut

onom

ous

vehi

cles

— a

ka d

river

less

car

s —

for

nea

rly

100

year

s. S

o fa

r, th

ey’v

e on

ly m

ater

ializ

ed in

cel

lulo

id.

But

wha

t w

as o

nce

Hol

lyw

ood

fant

asy

is n

ow a

n im

min

ent

real

ity.

DR

IVER

LES

S

CA

RS

FA

NT

AS

Y

OR

F

EA

SI

BL

E?

The objective for this project was to take text and turn it into a 3-page magazine spread with visuals; this required careful attention to elements like type, layout, and image. Design choices were made to enhance the reader’s visual and interactive experiences.

DRIVERLESS CARSTYPOGRAPHY III, SPRING 2014

31 | Technology Review Maximum Tech | 32

driverless vehicles. Michigan followed suit last December. Like its counterparts, Michigan’s new law requires a human in the driver’s seat while the vehicle is in operation.

Driverless transportation for the general public is likely still years away — seven to 10, according to some advocates. But government agencies and transportation experts are already considering the ramifications.

“We’re encouraged by the new automated vehicle technologies being developed and implemented today, but want to ensure that

cars. Potential advantages include fewer traffic collisions, increased road capacity, reduced traffic congestion, less road signage and greater opportunity for drivers with handicaps.

Cybersecurity, software reliability, liability responsibilities, loss of drivers’ jobs in various sectors, increased government regulations and legal ramifications are among potential pitfalls identified by the NHTSA.

Obstacles aside, these developments appeal to a collective imagination shaped by science fiction and James Bond films. Excite-

"WE'RE ENCOURAGED BY THE NEW AUTOMATED VEHICLE TECHNOLOGIES BEING DEVELOPED AND IMPLEMENTED TODAY."

2014 Consumer Electronics Show — is more streamlined. Sensors and computers that used to occupy the entire trunk are now appreciably more compact.

Google lobbied hard for legislation to permit the testing of autonomous cars. In 2012, the company achieved its goal. Nevada, Florida and California passed laws allowing the testing of

major carmakers — BMW to Volvo to Toyota — and technology monoliths like Google have ramped up their driverless car research. They’re advancing driverless technology at least in part via new legislation allowing the testing of autonomous cars on public roads.

The new driverless technology — exem-plified in prototypes by Audi and BMW at the

IN RECENT YEARS,

motor vehicle safety is considered in the de-velopment of these advances,” said David Strickland, the top safety official at the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA). “As additional states consider similar legislation, our recommendations provide law-makers with the tools they need to encourage the safe development and implementation of automated vehicle technology.”

In addition to defining categories of auton-omous vehicles, the NHTSA has identified the potential benefits and hazards of driverless

ment is a natural response. But officials urge consumers to remember the most important feature of any vehicle: safety.

“Our research covers all levels of automa-tion, including advances like automatic braking that may save lives in the near term,” said Ray LaHood, the former NHTSA secretary. “Whether we’re talking about automated features in cars today or fully automated vehicles of the future, our top priority is to ensure these vehicles — and their occupants — are safe.”

“We are the state to put the world on

wheels,” said Kirk Steudle, Michigan Department of Transportation director.

Michigan lawmakers, including Governor Rick Snyder, say they’re determined to keep Michigan at the forefront of automobile development.

While the thought of driverless cars can bring the futuristic idea of “The Jetsons” to mind, driverless car technology is already here. You may have seen it in this year`s Super Bowl ad where automatic brakes override distracted driving. Lawmakers like Senator Mike Kowall said Michigan is a world leader in car research.

“I thought where better to keep the research and development? We’re probably looking at close to a $1 trillion effect on just the Big Three,” said Senator Kowall. Late last year, Governor Snyder signed Senate Bill 169 into law, to approve testing of driverless cars on Michigan roads. He and Steudle said safety is a driving force behind autonomous vehicles.

“One of our goals is to drive fatality rates down to zero. Last year there were over 900 people killed on Michigan roadways. If we can get cars that refuse to crash, we can save those 900 people,” added Steudle.

At the 2014 North American International Auto Show, Governor Snyder announced a part-nership with the University of Michigan and the Mobility Transformation Center (MTC). The MTC is a public and private research effort to move people and freight with automated technology. The goal is for Ann Arbor to become the first U.S. city with a fleet of “connected,” driverless cars by 2021.

33 | Technology Review

box; a sandbox that automotive manufacturers and suppliers and developers can come and evaluate the products that they envision, both connected and in the future automated vehicles as well,” added Sayer.

More than 21 and a half million miles of driving data has been collected. It all goes to the U.S. Department of Transportation to show how “connected” technology between cars and infrastructure could lower fatal car accidents and energy consumption.

“We’re going to go through, I think, a 15 to 20-year period of dumb cars to smart cars and the transition in-between,” said Steudle. Steudle also said he expects automation to help with road redesigns, and believes it will start with Michigan freeways.

“If the car is smart enough to drive itself, and it’s not texting or eating a sandwich, or doing all kinds of other distracting things, it’s going to go right down the middle of that lane and maybe move a little bit. But you don’t need that space between them. So a future highway could have vehicles closer together,” explained Steudle.

Maximum Tech | 34

“By and large we don’t see being able to make it to automated vehicles, at least not driverless vehicles, high levels of automation, without also having this communication ele-ment. The communication really serves as the foundation for the future of automated vehi-cles,” explained Jim Sayer, research scientist with the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI).

Researchers say the University`s “Safety Pilot Model Deployment” program is the biggest group of “connected” vehicles in the world.

For the past 18 months, UMTRI has been collecting data from more than 2800 “con-nected” vehicles. Drivers volunteered their personal vehicles, including a few heavy trucks, motorcycles and a bicycle, to be installed with small radios that essentially talk to each other.

Researchers say these radios listen and transmit signals to other “connected” cars and city infrastructure, like streetlights and curbs, that are also equipped with similar radios in Ann Arbor.

“What we’ve done with the Safety Pilot Model Deployment is we’ve created a sand-

“The computers in the car will be smart enough to say ‘here’s the progression of all these traffic signals,’ and ‘driver, if you would go 36 miles per hour, you will make the pro-gression and you won’t have to stop at any of these,’” said Steudle.

Officials said driverless cars mean fewer wrecks which could help lower insurance rates.

“We’ve never seen insurance rates go down, but this would be a good reason for them to go

"WE'RE GOING TO GO THROUGH, I THINK, A FIFTEEN TO TWENTY YEAR PERIOD OF DUMB CARS TO SMART CARS AND THE TRANSITION IN BETWEEN."

THESIS STATEMENTMy thesis was an exploration of the question, “How can graphic design create an experience that will make people want to become more aware of what is around them?” Through the Zoo is an interactive wayfinding experience for downtown Kalamazoo that makes players comfortable exploring and learning about their surroundings.T H R O U G H

THE ZOO

Gam

e pi

ece,

fro

nt

Completed poster,back of all game pieces

Gam

e pi

ece,

bac

k

A hefty

amou

nt of

wha

t the

Kalamaz

oo Va

lley M

useu

m

displa

ys to

day h

as co

me fro

m

the K

alamaz

oo P

ublic

Libr

ary. A

colle

ction

was

start

ed in

1881

with th

e don

ation

of sh

ells,

marbles

and f

ossil

s fro

m a loc

al

bank

er. Th

e libr

ary’s

colle

ction

of hi

storic

al art

ifacts

conti

nued

to gr

ow as

the y

ears

went o

n

and h

as no

w reac

hed a

n

amaz

ing 5

5,000 items.

Many o

f

these

items a

re ph

otogr

aphs

and d

ocum

ents

that d

etail t

he

storie

s of p

eople

, bus

iness

es,

orga

nizati

ons a

nd ev

ents.

This

colle

ction

remain

ed a

part

of

the pu

blic l

ibrary

until

1996,

and w

hat n

ow m

akes

up th

e

conte

nt of

the K

alamaz

oo

Valle

y Mus

eum.

KALAMAZOO

VALLEY MUSEUM

Loca

te the

race

track

whe

re yo

u can

build

your

own c

ar. H

ow m

any l

anes

are t

here

on th

e trac

k?

Answer

Key

: a=4, b

=14, c=8, d

=17

a) 2

b) 4

c)

3

d) 6

WHAT IS YOUR

NEXT LOCATION?

For my senior thesis, I created a scavenger-like game with the objective of having players become more acquainted with and comfortable in downtown Kalamazoo. My interest in this stemmed from the fact that I, like many other college students, had lived in Kalamazoo for 4 years and had not fully explored my surroundings or utilized their resources.

THROUGH THE ZOOSENIOR PROJECTS, SPRING 2015

ARCADIA CREEK

FESTIVAL PLACE

Arcadia

Cre

ek w

as of

ficial

ly

cons

tructe

d in 1

995; prio

r to

this,

it was

unde

rgro

und f

or

nearl

y 100 ye

ars. A

s the

area

deve

loped

, floo

ding b

ecam

e a

more p

reva

lent c

once

rn—it

was no

ted th

at Arca

dia C

reek

was no

t nea

rly si

zable

enou

gh to

hand

le the

amou

nt

of ru

noff

from th

e

incre

asing

ly gr

owing

city.

The

city e

ngine

ers d

ecide

d tha

t

their c

heap

est o

ption

to so

lve

the pr

oblem

was

to co

nstru

ct

a can

al; th

is co

nstru

ction

was

a small

part

of a

plan t

o

revit

alize

the d

ownto

wn are

a.

Arcadia

Cre

ek Fe

stiva

l Plac

e

is re

spon

sible

for g

ener

ating

$12 milli

on in

prof

it ove

r the

summer,

howev

er, pr

oper

ty

tax re

venu

es ar

ound

the

creek

have

incre

ased

by as

much a

s $340,000.

Find w

here

the A

rcadia

Cre

ek

walking

path

starts

—how m

any l

aps

equa

l a m

ile?

Answer

Key

: a=4, b

=17, c=

8, d=9

a) 10

b) 1

c)

5

d) 2

.5

WHAT IS YOUR

NEXT LOCATION?

Find where the Arcadia Creek walking path starts—how many laps equal a mile?

Answer Key: a=4, b=17, c=8, d=9

a) 10 b) 1 c) 5 d) 2.5

WHAT IS YOURNEXT LOCATION?

3 4 8

1

21415

18

1617

9

5 12

13

6

7

10

11

WEST MICHIGAN AVE.

SOUTHROSE ST

SOUTHBURDICK ST

START:YOU ARE

HERE

123456789

Bronson ParkEpic CenterKalamazoo Valley MuseumKVCCPublic LibraryCity ChamberCourthouseRaddison HotelCounty Administration Building

101112131415161718

Civic AuditoriumKalamazoo Institute of ArtsState TheatreKalamazoo GazetteArcadia Creek Festival PlaceFarmer’s AlleyKalamazoo MallMetro Transit CenterThe Kalamazoo Building

MAP KEY

The correct answer is C. According to the answer key on the gamepiece, C=8.

HOW IT WORKS

EXAMPLE

Find and read the game piece and then search for the answer to the question.

Find the “Through the Zoo” logo and search that area for your game piece.

Get to your location. Find the answer and decode it using the key on the game piece.

Look at the map in your folder to see what location this number is. Repeat steps 1-5.

I designed this trifold brochure for the Special Collections Rare Book Room at Waldo Library. It includes information about their most popular collections, complimented by photography; I used both collage and individual, detail shots that I had taken to showcase the unique features of the books that they have available.

RARE BOOKS ROOMCLIENT: NEIL CHASE, SPRING 2015

FINAL IDENTITY

COLORS

Pantone Cool Gray 6Pantone Process BluePantone 331Pantone 315

TYPE

HeadersTrade Gothic Bold Extended

Body TextTrade Gothic Light

BORAERE (pronounced bor·air) is an identity developed for an airline that flies directly from LAX to Bora Bora in French Polynesia. The airline’s mark illustrates one of the incredible activities that those vacationing in Bora Bora can experience: snorkeling with giant manta rays.

BORAEREVISUAL SYSTEMS, FALL 2013

BOBBORA BORA

LAXLOS ANGELES

BO

AR

DIN

G P

AS

S

PASSENGER

SMITH // JORDAN

DEPARTING FROM

LAX (LOS ANGELES)

BOARDING TIME

9:10 AM

FLIGHT

LP 635

PASSENGERSMITH // JORDAN

BOARDING9:10 AM

FROM/TOLAX/BOB

GATEC22

CLASSBUSINESS

SEAT3H

DATE6.2.15

ZONE1

DEPARTURE TIME

9:40 AM

ARRIVING AT

BOB (BORA BORA)CLASS

BUSINESSGATE

C22

ZONE

1SEAT

3H

6.2.15DATE

www.boraere.com

MARK WILLIAMSC H I E F P I L O T

735.993.0854 | mw@boraere.com

BUSINESS CARD

BEVERAGE APPLICATION

BOARDING PASS

AIRPLANE APPLICATION

Character is a hardcover book, made entirely by hand— inside and out—that was an exploration of the transition of letters to forms. While designing, my goal was to create a middle ground between abstract and recognizable

CHARACTERBOOKS & PACKAGING, FALL 2014

This typeface was created through rigorous hand-drawn techniques: pencil, pen, marker and paint were all used during different stages of the design process. Refinement in paint was necessary before each letter was touched up digitally.

FOUR THIRTYTYPOGRAPHY III, SPRING 2014

knitted goods

COLORS

Pantone 5803Pantone 7657Pantone 7770

TYPE

HeadersAvenir Next Condensed Bold

Body TextAvenir Next Condensed Ultra Light

Tri[k]nity is a knitted goods company that produces handmade prayer shawls and scarves. The purpose of these prayer shawls is to bring comfort and prayers to those suffering from loss, going through a tough time, or just in need of a kind gesture.

TRI[K]NITYDESIGN APPLICATIONS, SPRING 2014

FLUX—a name intended to communicate the idea of flow and transition—was a collaborative exhibition designed and executed by myself and seven other classmates. The show was a display of a portion of our work from our past 3 years in the design program.

FLUX: 2015 BFA SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGN SHOWGRADUATION PRESENTATION, SPRING 2015

This book cover is a redesign of the classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird. The design was created through hand manipulation of type, which was then translated digitally and refined; the manipulation of only the word kill was done so to make it blatantly different from the other words in the title and also isolate it, reflecting one of the themes in the story.

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRDTYPOGRAPHY III, SPRING 2014

new york1,235,000

3

highest college enrollmentTOP TEN STATES with the

california2,652,000

1

2florida973,000

4

illinois859,000

5 pennsylvania740,000

6

arizona704,000

7ohio654,000

8

michigan653,000

9

north carolina529,000

10

via http://www.census.gov

for the 2008 fall semester

texas1,327,000

This poster was designed from statistical data of the states in the US with the highest college enrollment. I created graphic forms that would act as an aid for the information and also enhance the design of the poster.

COLLEGE ENROLLMENTGRAPHIC FORM, SPRING 2013

This is a poster for a movie called Fame and Fixation that is based on true stories of celebrity drug addiction. The image was created through hand manipulation of printed type and paper, photography, and further distortion in Photoshop.

FAME AND FIXATIONADVANCED PROBLEMS, FALL 2014

thank you.248.396.8683 | kara_1collins@yahoo.com | karacollins.co