MICHELLE DEVLIN
BEST FRIEND STUDIO | Founder, Researcher, Designer
About: I started as a Graphic Designer concerned with pixel-perfect typography and web design. However, as I started to consult with clients I kept feeling like better solutions existed beyond the pixels. So, I studied the social science behind design (and got to study in the UK!). Surprisingly, the effectiveness of my design solutions depended on how I communicated. If the flow, logic, and intent of the design isn’t clear, it doesn’t matter how perfect the design is.
Nowadays, I have branched off from design to focus on computer-mediated communication. I’m currently investigating if and how user interface and user experience (UI/UX) of internet-based communication technologies, e.g. social media platforms, impacts trust between: long-distance friends; job applicants and recruiters; clients and businesses. For fun, I draw, watch anime and study Korean.
Education: MRes Communication Design, Royal College of Art; BFA Graphic Design + History, Philosophy, Social Sciences, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD)
Interests: Computer-mediated communication; trust; UI/UX; communication design; digital technologies; internet of things; friendship; technology and society
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COMING SOON
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION ASSOCIATION 
Hagantown Park main signage. Photo courtesy of Michelle Devlin.
HAGANTOWN PARK DO’s & DON’Ts: VISUAL ANALYSIS OF SUBURBAN NEIGHBORHOOD’S RECREATIONAL SPACE SIGNAGE
TOWN OF POUGHKEEPSIE RECREATION | Poughkeepsie, New YorkResults pending...
THE OTOMI’S AMATE: PRE-COLONIAL PAPEL PICADO
FIREBRAND CREATIVE HOUSE | Los Angeles, California Hypothesis: Only mainstream examples appeared with keyword papel picado. Specific terms, e.g. artists, will result in uncommon imagery.
Methods: Secondary research through search engines, e.g. Pinterest, using keywords relevant to a sub-genre: Catalina Delgado-Trunk, pre-columbian papel picado, amate
Insights: Papel picado carries a complex history of visual styles. The mainstream style of papel picado possibly emerged in response to the violence incited by Spanish Colonialists in c.k.a. Mexico by re-focusing their energy on joy and celebration in its use moving forward. Pre-Columbian and PC-inspired contemporary examples, use(d) paper bark known as amate or amatl rather than the tissue paper material of today. The versions made with amate were drawn by shamans as visual prayers for family, farming, etc.
PEOPLE POWERED: Activation/Installation Proposal ideated, designed, and presented by Firebrand Creative House to LA DESIGN FESTIVAL. Photo courtesy of Schessa Garbutt.
PEOPLE POWERED: SCREEN PRINTING WORKSHOP SUPPLIES BUDGET
LA DESIGN FESTIVAL | Los Angeles, CaliforniaHypothesis: All new materials for a workshop lasting 3 days; 1 hour per day; ~30 people per day; ~6 stations; 1 print per person; ‘free’ venue; volunteers will cost ~$3k-5k.
Method: Experience ideation in order to write list of potential materials for activities including bookkeeping, screen printing, collage, painting and clean-up. Market research using Amazon for pricing.
Insights: 57 different item types totaled ~$4,023.00. Shipping was the most costly line item right before a washout sink.
Impact: Led to choice to buy locally towards minimizing shipping and request donations for school supplies such as paper, glue, etc.
Bar chart comparing price ($ USD) per unit for a batch of about approximately 1000 pieces between five bulk merchandise vendors, specifically for aluminum water bottles with an image printed onto the surface of the bottle using multiple ink colors. Chart created by Michelle Devlin using data from vendor websites.
WATER BOTTLE BULK BATCH PRICING
ART + PRACTICE | Los Angeles, California Hypothesis: Wrap-around, full-color printing onto metal water bottles will be relatively cheap due prevalence of bulk merch vendors.
Method: Market research through price comparison of metal water bottles across 10-15 bulk mechandise vendor websites, then narrowed down to five vendors, e.g. HealthPromotionsNow, Steelys Drinkware, AnyPromo, Crestline, and Corporate Gift.
Insights: Seeming correlation between price and printed area, possibly due ink costs and set-up charges for a curved printing surface. Partial coverage was significanlty cheaper.
Impact: Picked $3.90 per bottle (1000 piece batch) option due to cost and sufficient printing options.
2023
APR
APR
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Bar graph titled ‘Number of Search Results to Keyword ‘African American’ of Different Stock Photo Websites’ with Adobe Stock highlighted with red in order to emphasize its highest quantity of results. Creative Direction by Firebrand Creative House.
THE SEARCH FOR POSITIVE AND AUTHENTIC IMAGERY OF BLACK PEOPLE THROUGH STOCK PHOTO WEBSITES
BLACK WEALTH DATA CENTER | Tulsa, OklahomaHypothesis: If I input a variety of keywords and search filters to find relevant imagery, e.g. african american, the output will contain a subtantial amount of appropriate imagery for an financial education-oriented social media presence.
Method: Secondary research through blog posts listing best stock photo websites and sites to specifically find positive imagery of the Black community. Primary research by inputing a set of keywords, e.g. african american, plus various filters including: photos; images; include/with people; Black; excludes nudity; excludes editorial; safe search in order to output aligned images and see output number value.
Insights: Bigger sites offer more photos and ‘royalty free’ options, but many look similar. Smaller sites provide more original options, but less content or require a subscription to use. Number of results does not necessarily equate to appropriate imagery. Further research must be conducted regarding the quality and/or usability of the search results.
Impact: Provided alternative stock photo sources which allows BWDC to maintain an authentic feel through their social media presence. Follow-up data collection must be conducted in order to reflect the quantity of images available for stock photo websites that are specifically marketed as ‘diverse’ or catered for the Black community of the United States.
2023
APR
APR
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A colorful chart showing the ratio of white designers to ‘non-white’ designers listed on Adobe Fonts’ ‘All Designers’ webpage.
Chart by Michelle Devlin and uses font ︎︎︎GT America Trial.
RACIAL REPRESENTATION GAPS IN ADOBE FONTS ‘ALL DESIGNERS’ WEBPAGE
ADOBE FONTS | San Jose, California Hypothesis: People of color will comprise half of the designers listed on Adobe Fonts due to the global nature of font design.
Method: Content analysis of 671 profiles of active, individual designers listed on Adobe Fonts’ ‘All Designers’ webpage. ~10 profiles were excluded due to being representive of a collective or a lack of attributed designs.
Insights: White designers, or those of White-European descent, comprise 65% of designers listed on Adobe Fonts. Meanwhile, Black, Pacific Islander, and Indigenous designers comprise less than 0.5%.
Impact: Stands as another example of a stark representation gap in the design field.
Mock-up of a web browser showing the top portion of eNewsletter re-design featuring content about Communications. Designed by Michelle Devlin. Creative Direction by ︎︎︎Artech House USA.
INCREASED WEBSITE TRAFFIC THROUGH eNEWSLETTER
ARTECH HOUSE | Boston, Massachusetts Hypothesis: Transitioning to eNewsletter catalogs will increase website visitation because readers will no longer have to open a .PDF to find hyperlinked content. Rather, the hyperlinks will be placed in the e-mail body.
Method: Document design and implementation includes creating a text layout that creates visual interest for readers and easily coded by the publisher’s webmaster.
Results pending...
2023
MAR
MAR
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DYNAMIC CAPTIONING
MIT MEDIA LAB | Cambridge, Massachusetts Hypothesis: If subtitles were dynamic in matching the dialogue’s tone of voice to an appropriate font style, viewers would be more engaged.
Method: Mapping a variable font and its various style to each piece of subtitling in a similar way each piece of subtitling has been mapped to a particular scene of a TV show or movie.
Results pending...
2022
DEC
DEC
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Vox-ATypI language script classification table annotated with purple to highlight the use of ‘non-Latin’ in its history as an international organization (circa 1999). Photo courtesy of Nanki Nath and Ravi Poovaiah through ︎︎︎ResearchGate.
NOTO, SOURCE, PLEX: THE LANGUAGE OF ‘AMERICA’S’ KOREAN FONTS
ROYAL COLLEGE OF ART | London, England Hypothesis: The simplistic vocabulary used in digital font marketing conceptually mirrors the oversimplified design of letterforms across global cultures thus, prioritizes white, Euro-centric and technocapitalist beliefs.
Methods: Primary research into Google, Adobe, and IBM’s font marketing of Noto, Source Han, and Plex for the Korean character set by annotating webpages. Personal creative method named Writing as Practice including visual experiments which illustrate the impact of font choice on wording, particularly how font choice affects tone of voice in reading and writing words in real-time.
Insights: ‘non-Latin’ was used the most across of the three companies’ marketing. Creating a binary between Latin, e.g. Aa, Bb, Cc..., and ‘non-Latin’, e.g. literally everything else, results in a false binary that prioritizes a dominant, oppresive culture in the realms of design, technology, and language.
Impact: One solution to ‘non-Latin’ includes re-orientating our thinking of font design by addressing global scripts using the name(s) determined by its original culture.