Spotlight: Visual Technical Communication (2026)
This graduate-level course focused on the theory and application of visual design and accessibility concepts. Here, I was pushed to think creatively across unique rhetorical situations and diverse, often unfamiliar genres. I had a lot of fun stretching and adapting my design thinking for these projects and scenarios.
Have a look at the results!
Digital Interactions: Care at a Distance (Digital Collection and Virtual Reality Space)
For this team-based project, I curated and presented, in poster form, a collection of digital artifacts representing the concept of “care at a distance” – in other words, how care and connection are mediated by emerging digital technologies.
This collection is also displayed more fully in a gallery-style virtual reality (VR) space, which was linked to similar gallery-style spaces created by other team members. These interlinked VR spaces were connected thematically to create a robust “museum tour” experience.
Contextual Analysis: Breaking Down A Conspiracy Theory
Through the lens of visual technical communication theory, I analyzed an ongoing conspiracy theory which contends that French First Lady Brigitte Macron is secretly transgender.
I designed a timeline-style flowchart that traced the spread of the conspiracy theory and revealed insights about how the misinformation gained traction. I then created a more comprehensive infographic around these insights to tell the story of the conspiracy theory and the visuals that supported it.
Case Study: Building a Novel Conspiracy Theory
Building on the contextual analysis project, I created a novel conspiracy theory and a communication plan for disseminating it. Supporting materials included a full conspiracy theorist-style manifesto, a physical propaganda piece for the conspiracy theory (a sticker design which could be placed in public spaces), and a complementary digital propaganda piece that could be shared across social media (a short form video).
Needless to say, this project represented a unique application of communications theory and a real creative stretch!
Event Flyers: Designing for Engagement
As a fun mini-project, I put my graphic design skills to the test and created flyers to advertise university-sponsored speaker events to the campus community.
Project References
Holtzman, Susan, et al. “Long-distance texting: Text messaging is linked with higher relationship satisfaction in long-distance relationships.” Journal of social and personal relationships 38.12 (2021): 3543-3565.
MN EHR Consortium. “Minnesota Study of Telehealth Expansion and Payment Parity.” MN EHR Consortium, Jan. 2024, www.health.state.mn.us/data/economics/telehealth/docs/mnehrc.pdf
Program to Alleviate National Disparities in Ethnic and Minority Immunizations in the Community (PANDEMIC). “What is telehealth?” PANDEMIC, 8 March 2023, https://phhp-epi-pandemic.sites.medinfo.ufl.edu/2023/03/08/what-is-telehealth/
SpotifyCares. “How to start a Jam so you can listen together in real-time.” YouTube, uploaded by SpotifyCares, 17 Nov. 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vASEpgXZW6c
J. York, “How did online rumours that Brigitte Macron was born male go viral?,” France24, Oct. 27, 2025. [Online.] Available: https://www.france24.com/en/france/20251027-how-did-online-rumours-that-brigitte-macron-was-born-male-go-viral
S. Corbet, “Paris court finds 10 guilty of cyberbullying French first lady Brigitte Macron,” PBS, Jan. 5, 2026. [Online.] Available: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/paris-court-finds-10-guilty-of-cyberbullying-french-first-lady-brigitte-macron
Le Monde with AFP, “Court overturns libel convictions of two women who said French first lady was a man,” Le Monde, July 1, 2025. [Online.] Available: https://www.lemonde.fr/en/france/article/2025/07/10/french-court-clears-defendants-in-french-first-lady-brigitte-macron-s-gender-rumours-trial_6743245_7.html
Several-Till1393, “First ‘Lady’ Brigitte Macron was born as Jean Michel Trogneux and transitioned to Brigitte.” Reddit. Accessed Mar. 2, 2026. [Online.] Available: https://www.reddit.com/r/conspiracy/comments/1isulyz/first_lady_brigitte_macron_was_born_as_jean/
M. Czopek, “Candace Owens’ baseless claim about Brigitte Macron reflects a wider trend of conspiracy theories targeting influential women,” Poynter, July 28, 2025. [Online.] Available: https://www.poynter.org/fact-checking/2025/why-do-people-say-famous-women-are-men-conspiracy/#:~:text=Candace%20Owens’%20baseless%20claim%20about,running%20it%20through%20the%20press.%E2%80%9D
Reuters Fact Check, “Fact Check: Altered image depicts Brigitte Macron as a young man,” Reuters, August 9, 2024. [Online.] Available: https://www.reuters.com/fact-check/altered-image-depicts-brigitte-macron-young-man-2024-08-09/
E. Beardsley, “Emmanuel Macron’s unconventional candidacy stems from an unconventional life,” NPR, May 5, 2017. [Online.] Available: https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2017/05/05/526937030/emmanuel-macrons-unconventional-candidacy-stems-from-an-unconventional-life
A. Merlan, “Transvestigation: What to know about the bizarre and transphobic conspiracy theory,” Teen Vogue, Mar. 27, 2024. [Online.] Available: https://www.teenvogue.com/story/transvestigation-what-to-know-about-the-bizarre-and-transphobic-conspiracy-theory
C. Owens, “This episode is blowing up so I just want to say—After looking into this, I would stake my entire professional reputation on the fact that Brigitte Macron is in fact a man.” X (formerly Twitter). Accessed Mar. 2, 2026. [Online.] Available: https://x.com/RealCandaceO/status/1767568441852969334
C. Owens (Host), “Becoming Brigitte: Gaslighting the public | Ep 1,” Candace, Feb. 4, 2025. [Podcast.] Accessed Mar. 5, 2026.
BOC Sciences (n.d.). Immunomodulators: Definition, mechanism of action and applications. Best of Chemicals Sciences. https://www.bocsci.com/resources/immunomodulators-definition-mechanism-of-action-and-applications.html#:~:text=Immunostimulants%20augment%20or%20stimulate%20immune%20responses%2C%20often,immune%20checkpoint%20inhibitors%2C%20and%20vaccinations%20are%20included.
Cleveland Clinic (2023, August 1). Immunosuppressants. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/10418-immunosuppressants
Dinse, G. E., Parks, C. G., Weinberg, C. R., Co, C. A., Wilkerson, J., Zeldin, D. C., Chan, E. K. L., & Miller, F. W. (2020). Increasing Prevalence of Antinuclear Antibodies in the United States. Arthritis & rheumatology (Hoboken, N.J.), 72(6), 1026–1035. https://doi.org/10.1002/art.41214
Elkay (2021, July 12). Elkay celebrates one millionth ezH2O® bottle filling station milestone. Elkay. https://www.elkay.com/us/en/press-room/press-releases/2021/one-millionth-bottle-filling-station.html
Gagnon, M. A. (2013, June 27). Corruption of pharmaceutical markets: addressing the misalignment of financial incentives and public health. Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics, Forthcoming. https://ssrn.com/abstract=2286415
Ilhamaldi (2026, January 21). How propaganda works in the digital era. Medium. https://medium.com/the-geopolitical-economist/how-propaganda-works-in-the-digital-era-3833eb4e2d6b
Martin, E. M., Duvall, E., & DrBonnie360 (2023, April 5). Specialty pharmaceuticals: The highest autoimmune cost. Autoimmune Connect. https://drbonnie360.com/2023/04/05/specialty-pharmaceuticals-the-highest-autoimmune-cost/#:~:text=Patients%20bear%20some%20of%20these,or%20drop%20out%20of%20care
Martins, A. C., Oshiro, M. Y., Albericio, F., de la Torre, B. G., Pereira, G. J. V., & Gonzaga, R. V. (2022). Trends and perspectives of biological drug approvals by the FDA: A review from 2015 to 2021. Biomedicines, 10(9), 2325. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines10092325
Miller, F. W. (2023). The increasing prevalence of autoimmunity and autoimmune diseases: an urgent call to action for improved understanding, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. Current Opinion in Immunology, 80, 102266. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coi.2022.102266
Murray, M. (2024). A major health crisis: The alarming rise of autoimmune disease. National Health Council. https://nationalhealthcouncil.org/blog/a-major-health-crisis-the-alarming-rise-of-autoimmune-disease/
Seladi-Schulman, J. (2022). What’s the difference between morbidity and mortality? Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/morbidity-vs-mortality
Srivastava, S. (2024, May 27). Real-time insights: The foundation of pharmaceutical success. Aissel. https://www.aissel.com/blog/real-time-insights-the-foundation-of-pharmaceutical-success/#:~:text=One%20of%20the%20key%20sources,that%20address%20unmet%20medical%20needs.