Parsons School of Design
BFA Communication Design
Thesis 2022

Parsons School of Design
BFA Communication Design
Thesis 2022

The Primitive Metaphor & [(Tea + Imagination / Skepticism) * ∞ Probability] ≈ ‽
Ilan Belokon

We all want to shape the story of our lives, to construct a reality based on the stories we unconsciously choose to believe. Apophenia is the name of the process humans use to create patterns between unrelated things that in turn shape their reality. This phenomenon is experienced when a tree trunk seems to resemble a face, conspiracy theories run rampant, and we begin to interpret natural phenomena as signs of mysticism.

Perhaps, as some psychologists theorize, the ability to detect patterns once ensured our survival as we evolved a hyper-awareness of predators. Over time, we repurposed this instinct to explain the extraordinary and find meaning in the universe, to explain phenomena and the strange nature of coincidences. Seeking to visualize this cognitive fallacy and archive it, the following books identify and collect ambiguous visual forms, pairing them with personal analysis. Primitive Metaphor, the first in this collection, is a compilation of interpretations exploring associations between form and meaning. The second, "[ (Tea + Imagination / Skepticism) * ∞ Probability ] ≈ ‽" is a sterile documentation of divination, pushing the boundaries of one's imagination and pattern-making abilities even as they seek to remain skeptical of any significant message. Both display the absurd nature of this ability in which our eyes and mind seek the comfort of distinguishable patterns. They force us to face a truth, that our interpretations reveal our experiences, desires, and assumptions; and that even these are ultimately what we make of them.

Eesha Agrawal

Paul Ahern

Aishah S. Ahmad

Luna Alatorre

Nadia Alhejailan

Seher Anand

Maren Hannah Anscheidt

Kayla Marie Isabelle Areglado

Zeynep Atik

Vee Authari

Amaya Avila

Vlora Bajrushi

Sophia Beceiro

Ilan Belokon

Madeline Benfield

Sophia Bevacqua

Sia Bishnoi

Tarra Boroumandi

Paul Brock

Sofia Cacho Sousa

Eunice Chan

Malini Chandra

Jacey Chen

Jamie Chen

Nico Chilla

Samantha Chun

Erin Clausen-McGee

Stephanie Cui

Chenguang Deng

Claire Dong

Shaanzya Dongre

Miranda Elder

Adelai Evans

Elizabeth Fan

Nicho Ferez

Emiliano Flores

Emily Force

Logan Frances

Jen Fu

Juriel Furukawa

Chloe Gad

Camila Giraldo

Avni Goel

Jess Gooding

Amanda Guo

Ethan Halpern

Aijia Hao

Nathan Harrison-Bokor

Meini He

Ashley Heo

Olivia Hepner

Joy Hsu

Yuhan Hu

Diwen Huang

Leanne Huang

Xinyi Huang

Dakoda Hughes

Hana Jacobsen

Emma Jaeger

Zeid Jaouni

Vivian Ji

Zhiyuan Ji

Hyunji Jo

Avery Kang

Simran Kanwar

Nicole Kapper

Sarah Kendric

Ashley Kim

Kyutae Kim

Sarah Kim

Veronica Kim

Nitya Kumar

Ivy Kurniawan

Danielle Lair Ferrari

Hana Lanzkowsky

Yea Sun Lee

Yingyi Lei

Cecily Li

Weihe Li

Zimo Li

Vivian Lin

Yiwen Lin

Kai Ling Kelly Liu

Zi Yun Liu

Nora Lombardo

John Luo

Patrick Yang MacDonald

Germaine Mai

Rachael Mattison

Arman McLean

Alex Mi

Ayesha Mirza

Noyonika Nath

Staicy Ngongu

Khe Nguyen

Helen Niu

Calvin Ogden

Sonya Olomskaya

Aly Orescanin

Alina Osborn

Hyunji Park

Min Jung Park

Albert Parson

Carmen Pleitez

Emily Popovitz

Haiqingqing Qi

Amaarah Rahman

Audrey Razak

Olivia Ries

Daniela Rodriguez

Eva Roso

Erin Rusek

Elizabeth Shavrick

Disha Shetty

Freeze (Jiating) Shi

Sophie Shron

Alisa Su

Haozheng Sui

Ziyi Tang

Oriana Teitelbaum Zwerdling

Ren (Karen) Thomas

Zachary Tinubu-Karch

Brigitte Ugarte

Julia Vidal

Tia Wagh

Stephanie Wang

Zhanyi Wang

Ali Waqar

Mary Wedd

River Wildmen

Duncan Williams

Amy Wong

Jiayi (Cassie) Xu

Shuming Xu

You Xu

YoonJi Yang

Allison Yick

Yejoon Yoo

Shamail Zahir

Arianne Zhang

Victoria Zhang

Regulus Zhao

Xinyi Zhao