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Examples
Here are examples of past student projects. The first four were made in Prezi, a presentation tool known for its zoomable, motion-based layout. The last one is the extra credit example, built with AI.
Design Goals
This project asks you to research, understand, and present the historical significance of designers and design movements across a period from 1895 to 1989. You will become the class expert on your time period and teach your peers what you have learned.
- Research your assigned time period using academic databases, the library, and AI tools.
- Work through a design process as a team: brainstorm, sketch, then build.
- Present your research using the visual language of your time period. Someone should be able to guess the decade before they read a word.
- Present to the class. Record your presentation and post the link in Discord.
Time Period Assignments
Focus on graphic design: typography, posters, publication design, illustration, and visual communication. Architecture and furniture are fine where they connect to the movements you’re covering. Broader cultural context like film or technology is welcome where it directly influenced design.
Research primarily the United States and Europe, but keep your eyes open, significant movements were happening elsewhere too.
How to Sign Up
- Go to People in the left menu of this Canvas course.
- Select the Design History tab.
- Add yourself to a group. Nothing to submit here; your instructor will check the tab.
| Group | Years | Research Hint |
|---|
| Group 1 | 1895 – 1919 | Look at what was happening in Vienna and Glasgow, not just Paris. |
| Group 2 | 1919 – 1933 | There was a school that changed everything. Also look at Russia at the same time. |
| Group 3 | 1933 – 1945 | Follow where the designers went when political regimes forced them to leave Europe. |
| Group 4 | 1945 – 1960 | Look at American corporate culture and what was happening in Switzerland. |
| Group 5 | 1960 – 1976 | Don’t just focus on the US. Look at protest movements on both sides of the Atlantic. Japan is worth a look too. |
| Group 6 | 1976 – 1989 | Music culture drove a lot of design here. Also look at what the personal computer started to change. |
Part 1: Research
- Your first draft of research notes should be at least 2 pages.
- Use the Google Doc your instructor created for your team. Find it under Collaborations in Canvas. Do not create a new doc.
- Keep links to every source as you go. You will need them for citations.
- Identify 4–6 major categories to organize your presentation around: movements, designers, themes, or time spans within your era.
- For each category, collect 3–5 strong examples: posters, images, publications, or objects that represent it well.
- Write a paragraph summary for each category. This can become narration or on-screen text in your presentation.
GCC Library
Your faculty librarians are one of the most underused resources on campus. The Library Research Guide linked in this Canvas course has curated sources for design history. A few places to look for images and sources:
- Wikimedia Commons: large collection of public domain images including posters, book covers, and design artifacts. Good for finding images to use directly in your presentation.
- RISD Picture Collection: Rhode Island School of Design’s digital image library, strong on design history and poster collections. Free and publicly accessible.
- The Met Open Access Collection: hundreds of thousands of public domain art and design images, searchable and free to use.
- Library of Congress: exceptional collection of posters, photographs, and printed ephemera. Especially strong for American design history.
You can also reach a real human librarian 24/7 through the Ask a Librarian service below, not a bot.
Using AI for Research
AI is a useful first step for getting oriented before you dive into deeper sources. The four tools available to you are Claude, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, and ChatGPT. Faculty in Digital Media Arts recommend Claude, the one we use and trust. Copilot is available through Maricopa at no cost.
A strong prompt has three parts: Role (tell the AI what expert to be), Task (be specific about what you want), and Format (tell it how to respond: list, summary, bullets, etc.). Here is a starter prompt:
You are a design historian. Give me an overview of the major visual and graphic design movements that emerged between [your years] in the United States and Europe. Note whether significant movements were also happening elsewhere. Name specific designers, schools, and publications I should research further. Use bullet points.
Once you have a basic response, push deeper. In Claude, try Deep Research. In Copilot, look for Think Deeper. In ChatGPT, use the Research option. Or just follow up with “Tell me more about [specific thing].”
AI can hallucinate. Designer names, dates, and publication titles are especially prone to errors. Always verify through the library, Artstor, or other credible sources before putting it in your presentation.
Do not enter personal information into any AI tool. This includes your name, student ID, email address, phone number, or any other identifying details. Your prompts should be about design history topics only. If an AI tool asks for personal information to get started, do not provide it.
Part 2: Design
Once your research is organized, design the presentation. The design should feel like the period: typography, color, layout, and imagery should all reflect the era. Someone should be able to guess the decade before they read a word.
Presentation Options
Use whatever tool you are most comfortable with:
- Miro: you already know this one. You can build your entire presentation here, designing each frame to reflect your period. No default templates.
- Google Slides or Keynote: design from scratch to match your era. No default templates.
- NotebookLM: Google’s AI research tool that synthesizes your sources into summaries, timelines, and audio overviews. You can also upload images and design examples from your time period and ask it to analyze the visual style. It works best as a research companion, but it is excellent for organizing what you have found and understanding your period before you start designing.
- Prezi: a presentation tool with a zoomable, non-linear layout. The past student examples above were all made in Prezi. It has a learning curve, so give yourself extra time if you go this route.
- Or build a tool with AI*, see the Extra Credit section below.
Use real artwork and images from your time period: posters, photographs, book covers, advertisements. Do not let AI generate the historical images. AI-generated images are fine for layout and decorative elements, but the historical content needs to be real and sourced.
Part 3: Presentation and Recording
- Divide up who covers which sections, or present together, either works.
- Practice out loud before you record. It should flow naturally, not be read off the screen.
- Record using OBS. Capture your screen and voice as you present. Your instructor can help with setup.
- Upload your recording to your student YouTube account as an unlisted video (same workflow as class).
- Post your YouTube link in Discord. If you built an interactive tool for extra credit, post that link too and make sure it actually works before you share it.
- Comment on every one of your classmates’ presentations in Discord, not just a few. You are each other’s audience.
Citations
Include a citations section in your presentation: a final slide, a scrollable section, or a linked document.
- Every image, artwork, or media clip needs: artist or designer name, title, date, and source.
- Cite your written sources: articles, books, databases, websites.
- Note which AI tools you used and what you used them for.
If you are not sure how to format citations, Ask a Librarian.
A Note on AI Use
AI is encouraged here, for both research and design. What matters is how you use it. AI should support your thinking, not replace it. Be prepared to talk about your process and explain your choices.
What to Submit
Check the module for specific deadlines. Sign up for your group as soon as you can. The sooner you sign up, the more chance you will get the time period you want.
A note before you dive in: If you have taken CIS 236 HTML or have used FTP tools before, getting your files onto a server is not going to be that hard and I encourage you to try this. If this is new territory, getting files live on the web for the first time can be genuinely challenging. Budget a lot of extra time for trial and error, and don’t wait until the night before.
You already know how to use AI to write and research. This is the same skill, pointed at a different output. Instead of asking AI to write a paragraph, you ask it to build something: a slideshow, a quiz, a matching game, a timeline, a flashcard set, whatever fits your time period. No coding. Just clear prompts and iteration.
→ View the class example: 1910–1920 Design History Slideshow + Sorting Game
Step 1: Write Your Requirements First
Before you open your AI tool, write down what you want to build. This is called a PRD (Product Requirements Document). It sounds technical but it is just a list of decisions you have already made. The more specific you are upfront, the less back-and-forth you need.
Answer these questions in a Google Doc:
- What does this tool do? (One sentence.)
- Who is it for?
- What are the main sections or features?
- What should it look like? What colors and type feel right for your period?
- Walk through it step by step: what happens when someone opens it?
Step 2: Write Your Starting Prompt
Paste this into your AI tool and fill in the bracketed sections with your own content:
I am building an interactive tool to teach graphic design history to my classmates in a college design course. I need HTML files that work together as a small website.
My time period is [your years, example: 1919–1933].
My four movements are [example: Bauhaus, Art Deco, De Stijl, Dada].
[Describe what you want, example:]
I want a slideshow and a drag-and-drop sorting game.
The slideshow should:
- Have a design that feels like the period: typography, color, layout
- Cover each movement with a title slide and detail slides showing real
artwork, with the artist, date, and explanation
- Have navigation with keyboard arrow support
- Load images from a folder called img/ using paths like img/filename.jpg
The game should:
- [describe your game, example: a drag-and-drop sorting game where
students match artwork to the correct movement, a quiz with multiple
choice questions, a flashcard set, a timeline students can interact
with, or anything else that fits your time period]
- Include score tracking or feedback so students know how they are doing
The landing page should link to both tools with a consistent design
and a navigation bar at the bottom of every page.
Design: [describe the look: dark or light, colors, type style,
any ornamental elements that reference the period]
Important: Do not use external image URLs. I will find public domain
images and add them to an img/ folder myself. Use placeholder paths
like src=”img/filename.jpg”. After you build this, give me the exact
list of filenames I need.
Step 3: Find Your Images
Your AI tool will give you a list of filenames after it builds the files. Go to Wikimedia Commons and search for each artwork by artist name and title. Save each one with the exact filename it listed, and put them all in a folder called img.
Stick to actual graphic design: posters, book covers, typographic pieces, editorial design, advertisements. All artwork published before 1927 is in the public domain in the US. Work from 1927 onward may still be under copyright. Check before using it.
Step 4: Iterate
If something looks wrong, go back to your AI tool and describe what to change. You do not have to start over. Examples of things you might say:
- “The title type is too large, make it smaller and more refined”
- “The card descriptions are giving away the answers, remove them”
- “The Constructivism slide should feel more bold and geometric”
Prompt, look at the result, describe what to adjust, repeat. That is the whole process. You can switch tools between sessions if one times out.
Step 5: Publish It
Heads up: getting files onto a server has a learning curve. This step requires some comfort with file management and web hosting. If you have taken a web or HTML course, you will likely be fine. If this is new territory, budget extra time, watch the tutorials linked below, or ask your instructor for help.
You have two options. Both are free.
Option 1: Netlify Drop (easiest)
Netlify Drop is the simplest way to get a live link. No account required.
- Put all your HTML files and your img folder together in one folder on your computer.
- Go to app.netlify.com/drop.
- Drag that entire folder onto the page. Netlify will upload everything and give you a live URL within seconds.
- Copy the link and post it in Discord.
Note: without a free account, the site is temporary. Sign up for a free Netlify account to keep it live permanently.
Option 2: GitHub Pages (if you already use GitHub)
If you have a GitHub account, create a new public repository, upload your files and img folder, go to Settings, then Pages, and set the source to your main branch. GitHub will give you a live URL at yourusername.github.io/your-repo-name.
The official GitHub documentation has a clear quickstart guide: GitHub Pages Quickstart (official docs) →
What Makes a Strong Submission
- It teaches something. Someone should learn something real about your time period, not just see images.
- It looks like the period. Same standard as the main presentation.
- It works. Test it before you submit. Check it on your phone.
Post the link in Discord along with your presentation recording. Before you post, click through your tool and make sure it actually works, if you built a game or interactive piece, it should be ready for your classmates to use right then. In your Discord post, describe your process: what you prompted the AI to build, what you had to iterate on, what turned out well, and what you would do differently or still want to fix.
Your first version does not have to be as complete as the class example. A working single-page tool that does one thing well is better than an ambitious project that breaks halfway through. Start simple, then add if you have time.