Students, alumni honored in motion design competition

A host of RIT students and recent alumni were recognized in an international competition for their motion design work ranging from AR and VR to apps to interactive experiences. 

Six projects submitted by RIT designers and developers captured awards in the 2021 MODE Fest, a biennial celebration of juried work by students and emerging motion designers creating imaginative work. MODE stands for Motion Design Education Summit. 

Two of the projects were category winners while the other four were finalists. Hye-Jin Nae, assistant professor of New Media Design, was among the competition judges.

Previously, six works by RIT designers were also recognized at the 2019 MODE Fest. The 2021 honored RIT entries were:

Augmented Reality Emergency System by Chun-Hsiang Yang ’20 MFA (Visual Communication Design)

First place, Interactive/Experiential

Instructors: Senior Lecturer Mike Strobert (thesis first advisor) and Associate Professor Adam Smith (thesis second advisor)

Class: MFA Thesis

An AR system that alerts users to dangers and guides them to safety.

How to Put Ellie’s Monster to Bed by EP Constant ’21 (Graphic Design)

First place, COVID-19/Global Health

Instructor: Assistant Professor Keli DiRisio

Class: Interactive Design III

As part of a class project, students worked with local first-graders to animate short stories they wrote.

Banana Bop by Isabelle Anderson ’22 (New Media Design)

Finalist, Interactive/Experiential

Instructor: Professors Susan Lakin and Joe Geigel

Class: Interactive Music Experience

“Banana Bop” is an immersive VR musical experience featuring members of Rochester band Soul Human as Anthropomorphic monkeys.

Wishful by New Media Design students: Bailey Cunniningham ’21, Alex Kauffman ’21 and Will McCloskey, and New Media Interactive Development students: Jason Streeter ’21 and Gabriel Veit ’21 

Finalist, Interactive/Experiential

Instructors: Associate Professor Adam Smith and Lecturer Sten McKinzie

Class: New Media Capstone II

Sparked by the distress and isolation COVID-19 has brought, “Wishful” invites users to a virtual world where they can cultivate a community through the sharing of future dreams. The project was showcased during Imagine RIT: Creativity + Innovation Festival.

ClueTree by Keni Wu ’20 MFA (Visual Communication Design)

Finalist, Interactive/Experiential

Instructors: Associate Professor Adam Smith (thesis first advisor) and Assistant Professor Hye-Jin Nae (thesis second advisor)

Class: MFA Thesis

A transparent news platform that empowers readers to make informed and confident judgments on fact-checking by tracking evidence and obtaining detailed information.

The Hive by Erin Bush ’22 (Graphic Design) 

Finalist, LGBTQ

Instructor: Assistant Professor Keli DiRisio

Class: Interactive Design II

“The Hive” is an app that safely connects LGBTQ+ youth and adults who have been displaced from their homes due to sexuality and gender identities or reside in unsupportive environments.