1. art and entertainment
2. visual art and design
3. design

Contents
Shapeshifting graphic designer seeking problem
solving solutions with idiosyncratic ideas. A knack
for finding odd combinations of the practical yet
quirky with an explorative spirit. Minimalist with
maximalist binges. Always pragmatic.
[email protected]
© Copyright 2015 Dan Vo
Dimensional
3
Printed
8
Web / Mobile
16
Branding
19
Dimensional
A Kit of Parts
Josef Albers was an early Modernist instructor of the
Bauhaus school of architecture and design, whose
experiments in a modular typeface are fully stylized here
in base components of geometric shapes. Letter forms
are constructed on a pegboard from circles and squares.
4
Texturizing the Great War
The renowned designers Charles and Ray Eames’ House
of Cards were a playful assortment of vignettes. Similarly,
this project is composed of cards with textures and
hand-drawn typography—except the subject matter
invokes the feeling and the time of the first World War.
Components included packaging, cards, and a handbound
process book.
5
The Alchemist
Shown in the University of Houston’s Third Space Gallery,
The Alchemist is a collaborative project in one of eight
installations for the Written Worlds exhibition. Themes
of mysticism, self-discovery, and personal journeys
are explored in small details that invite the participant
inwards.
6
Hybrid Creatures
A short piece of writing about a creature’s mechanized
determination to take flight, Hybrid Creatures is crafted in
tactile fabrics and paper to give a sense of the ethereal.
7
Printed
Ghost Bikes
Unfold: Houston Revealed is a visual story of Houston told
by those who know it best. Among the nine maps, Ghost
Bikes tells the ghastly tale of fallen cyclists who are forever
remembered by memorial installations—white painted
tombstones on two wheels strewn throughout the city.
9
The mission of the Fair Labor Association is to
combine the efforts of business, civil society
organizations, and colleges and universities
to promote and protect workers’ rights and to
improve working conditions globally through
adherence to international standards.
Board of Directors
Stan Blankenship
Karen Daubert
Craig Westmeier
Russell Brands/Fruit of
the Loom
Washington University
in St. Louis
University of Texas at Austin
Cara Chacon
Bob Durkee
Patagonia
Princeton University
Educators for Socially
Responsible Apparel Business
Monica Oberkofler
Gorman
Richard Fairchild
Linda Golodner
University of Utah
Term began June 1, 2013
National Consumers League
New Balance
Brad Grider
Kathy Hoggan
Human Rights First
Hanesbrands
University of Washington
Jim Silk
Gregg Nebel
Michael Low
Yale Law School
Adidas Group
University of Notre Dame
Karen Tramontano
Tammy Rodriguez
Maureen Riedel
Global Fairness Initiative
Esquel Group
Pennsylvania State University
Marsha Dickson
Meg Roggensack
CONTINUE
TO INNOVATE
AND LEAD
4
Fair Labor
The Fair Labor Association 2013 annual report asked for
a look and feel that represented something that is often
not thought about—the rights of workers worldwide and
seeking the betterment of the world populace.
10
Ubiquity
Both an homage to legendary European styling and a
showcase of the subtle characteristics of a seemingly
neutral typeface, this poster reveals the history behind
one of the world’s most used fonts.
11
Vernacular Design
A system of cards and a poster for an educational kit
provides case studies and profiles of vernacular design.
Concepts borrowed from the golden age of comic books
allow the kit to be dynamic and vivid.
12
Drop Caps
In coordination with the Contemporary Art Museum of
Houston and the 2013 AIGA Design Week exhibition, a set
of colorful and playful drop caps were produced with a
scavenger hunt activity on the back.
13
MFA Thesis Exhibition
THESIS EXHIBITION
JOSE BAEZ FRANCESCHI IHCSECNARF ZEAB ESOJ
AARON BIELISH HSILEIB NORAA
CARLOS CARONA ANORAC SOLRAC
JESSICA CRUTE ETURC ACISSEJ
BRENDA CRUZ ZURC ADNERB
JAMIE DAVIS SIVAD EIMAJ
LAUREN MOYA FORD DROF AYOM NERUAL
JOHN FORSE ESROF NHOJ
BETSY HUETE ETEUH YSTEB
BRADLEY KERL LREK YELDARB
KYLE EARL MCAVOY YOVACM LRAE ELYK
LINH O’BRIANT TNAIRB’O HNIL
TOM SO OS MOT
JEREMY UNDERWOOD DOOWREDNU YMEREJ
JOSHUA WARD DRAW AUHSOJ
ARNEA WILLIAMS SMAILLIW AENRA
RHONDA WOLVERTON NOTREVLOW ADNOHR
AMY BETH WRIGHT THGIRW HTEB YMA
THESIS
EXHIBITION
JOSE BAEZ FRANCESCHI
AARON BIELISH
CARLOS CARONA
JESSICA CRUTE
BRENDA CRUZ
JAMIE DAVIS
LAUREN MOYA FORD
JOHN FORSE
BETSY HUETE
BRADLEY KERL
KYLE EARL MCAVOY
LINH O’BRIANT
TOM SO
JEREMY UNDERWOOD
JOSHUA WARD
ARNEA WILLIAMS
RHONDA WOLVERTON
AMY BETH WRIGHT
This identity for the Masters of Fine Arts thesis exhibition
at the Blaffer Gallery included digital and printed formats.
Based on representing the voices of the intertwining
of various types of artists, the logo and catalog shows a
literal striking out of the old and a rewriting of the new.
April 5–19, 2014
Opening Reception Friday, April 4, 6–8 PM
Gallery Talks April 9, 16, and 17 at noon
The 36th School of Art Masters' Thesis
Exhibition is made possible by the
University of Houston's Student Fees
Advisory Committee.
The 36th University of Houston School of Art
THESIS EXHIBITION
JOSE BAEZ FRANCESCHI
AARON BIELISH
CARLOS CORONA
JESSICA CRUTE
BRENDA CRUZ
JAMIE DAVIS
LAUREN MOYA FORD
JOHN FORSE
BETSY HUETE
BRADLEY KERL
KYLE EARL MCAVOY
LINH O'BRIANT
TOM SO
JEREMY UNDERWOOD
JOSHUA WARD
ARNEA WILLIAMS
RHONDA WOLVERTON
AMY BETH WRIGHT
April 4 – 19, 2013
The 36th School of Art Masters' Thesis Exhibition
is made possible by the University of Houston's
Student Fees Advisory Committee.
14
12
months a year
$19,776
(before taxes)
4
weeks a month
40
entertainment
food away from home
transportation: gasoline, motor oil
apparel and Services
retirement and cash savings)
housing: furnishings, equipment
education
housing: household operations
miscellaneous
housing: housekeeping supplies
alcoholic Beverages
personal Care
life, other personal insurance
reading
(LIVING WITHOUT)
hours a week
8
Hours a Day
$2,698
$2,668
$2,384
$1,881
$1,821
$1,797
$945
$984
$808
$639
$457
$588
$309
$118
To Live Without
$5.15
The minimum wage has been raising over time but
is not meeting a minimum cost of living in many
parts of the United States. On a federal level, the
minimum wage was last increased in 2009 from
$6.55 to $7.25 per hour. Before 2007, the minimum
wage had been at $5.15 per hour for ten years.
an Hour
The Value of a Dollar
12.00
$10,023
housing
$5,027
pensions
social
security
10.00
60,000
nominal minimum wage
50,000
adjusted minimum wage
8.00
40,000
6.00
30,000
4.00
20,000
2.00
10,000
real GDP per capita in adjusted dollars
Search for affordable housing. Try to make $133 worth of
food last a whole month. Subsist on poor quality food. Skip
a meal. Work longer and harder than most others. Go to
bed 3 hours before the (first) job starts. Pay more than the
fair share of taxes. Fall further behind. Raise kids who will
be poor. Vote less. Live with chronic pain. Live shorter lives.
Receive less in subsidized benefits than corporations. Live
paycheck to paycheck.
0.00
Average Expenses Over a Year
$3,477
utilities
fuels
services
1940
1950
Highs &
Lows
1960
Federal
Standards
$15
Above
Same
None
Below
Seattle, WA
$2,853
healthcare
$3,130
other
expenses
12% Left
$3,244
vehicle
$3,465
purchases food at home
1970
2015
Marietta, GA
$5.15
1980
1990
2000
2010
Gratuitously
Unincluded
4.25
2.13
Workers under twenty
years of age can be paid
as little as $4.25/hour
during the first ninety
consecutive calendar
days of employment.
Tipped employees work
for a minimum wage of
$2.13/hour, where it has
been stuck since 1991.
Living Minimally
Living Minimally is a set of posters that takes a set of data
about minimum wage over time and asks, “what sacrifices
to quality of life must be made?”
15
Web and Mobile
Pedal Pantry Mobile App
Pedal Pantry is a company built on convenience and
speed, their mobile app had to have the same fresh and
fast look their brand conveys. Friendly and easy to use,
Pedal Pantry allows students on campus to quickly order
ingredients to cook with little hassle.
17
Chuck Close
Designed as a tribute website meant to inform the user
about artist Chuck Close.
18
Branding
Pedal Pantry
Houston’s Third Ward is home to many students and
backyard gardens, but readily accessible fresh food is hard
to get to. Pedal Pantry is a store front and delivery service
that makes it easy for those too busy to drive far to get
fresh, local, and good foods—fast. Paired with a mobile
app, grocery shopping has never been easier.
20
Frugies
Frugies, a portmaneau of “fruits” and “vegetables,” is a
toy that introduces healthy food choices to children at a
young age. The logo imbues the characteristics of taking
apart a Frugie and is a quirky and interesting look meant to
stand out among other toy packaging.
21
Cirro Energy
Growing with you.
Cirro Energy needed a new look. A logo was drawn to
reflect both their commitment to their customers and
their potential to grow with them over the years. The
approach is different than their competitors in a bolder
manner, yet is still humble in its appearance like the
organic shapes the logo was based on.
22
Thank you.