MFA Thesis · UIUC 2020
Dear Startup Brand
Disciplines
The Brief
My Master of Fine Arts thesis at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign explored how emerging brands can build meaningful audience engagement through visual storytelling on Instagram. The research involved 20 participants and combined cultural probes, semi-structured interviews, and image sorting to examine brand communication and audience perceptions.
The Solution
I translated the research findings into Dear Startup Brand, a practical storytelling toolkit designed for entrepreneurs. Two complementary card decks provide structured guidance on narrative development and audience engagement, helping emerging brands organize their messaging, establish a consistent voice, and approach social media content more strategically.
Strategic designer creating functional brands.