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ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

Creating Empathy for Nature through Illustrative Storytelling

Ford, Loretta
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1620323088875422

Abstract Details

2021, MFA, Kent State University, College of Communication and Information / School of Visual Communication Design.
What little is left of the natural world is disappearing quickly. It is evident that human activity over the past few decades has majorly contributed to the growing effects of climate change. In order to maintain livable conditions here on earth, we need to completely redirect our priorities and structure our lives around sustainable values. This thesis will investigate the role visual communication can play in facilitating an environmentally conscious mindset in future generations by using sequential art to encourage empathy for nature. A children’s book will be designed and illustrated in order to examine how emotion can be elicited in an audience through the use of intermodal design tools including semiotics, reflexivity, character perspective, artistic style, and self-expression. Inspiring earth-positive opinions in young people will be the focus of this project, since their values and routines are undecided and because they will be responsible for making significant decisions in the future. Reader feedback will be collected and analyzed to determine the success of the prototype. Additional research will investigate the following questions: How can personal experience be used to influence creative decisions that evoke emotional reactions in audiences? What visual stimuli attract viewers and allow them to connect or empathize with the characters in a story? Can this engagement impact a viewer enough to lead to self-reflection or behavioral change? What does this mean for the future?
Douglas Goldsmith (Advisor)
Communication; Design; Fine Arts
illustration; sequential art; empathy; childrens book design; environmental justice; reflexivity; storytelling

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Ford, L. (2021). Creating Empathy for Nature through Illustrative Storytelling [Master's thesis, Kent State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1620323088875422

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Ford, Loretta. Creating Empathy for Nature through Illustrative Storytelling. 2021. Kent State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1620323088875422.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Ford, Loretta. "Creating Empathy for Nature through Illustrative Storytelling." Master's thesis, Kent State University, 2021. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1620323088875422

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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© 2021, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Kent State University and OhioLINK.