The concept of the truth has always been concrete to me. Although recently, it seems the truth is being manipulated through technology and greed for financial gain. Lies spread six times as fast as the truth. The dark reality we live today is: Will we be able to emerge from the spread of misinformation and allow factual information to prevail? Or will we deteriorate from the spread of unreliable, sometimes even dangerous, socially destabilizing ideas? (Anderson, Jenna). This project blurs the line of the truth between true statements that seem false, false statements that seem true, and opinions disguised as facts. This was a very open-ended prompt I chose to explore because the truth can also differ greatly from different perspectives. The manipulated truth project aims to bring awareness to this heavy issue by starting a discussion about what you believe to be true. Through newspapers, postcards, a book, and the Truth Machine, people will be more aware of this issue and hopefully work to restore trust in the truth.
I began this project with in-depth visual and informational research. A key influence was designer Michael Rock, who emphasizes the importance of critical perspective in design. He argues that every design decision reveals a point of view—a concept that deeply resonated with me and aligned with the central theme of this project. Perspective plays a crucial role in shaping what people believe as true or false. This idea became the foundation for all of my conceptual iterations.
For the design system, I selected Franklin Gothic Condensed for its bold, eye-catching qualities—evoking the urgency and authority of newspaper headlines. To complement it, I used Times New Roman, a typeface long associated with trustworthiness and credibility.
The color palette played a key role in conveying meaning: Blue represents factual, verified information, Yellow indicates false or misleading information, and Green symbolizes opinion presented as fact. These colors help the viewer visually decode the reliability of content, reinforcing the project’s message about media literacy and critical consumption.
This project challenged me to expand my skill set and explore new mediums. I used screen printing, CNC routing, Risograph printing, woodworking, and the Adobe Creative Suite to fully bring the concept to life. I'm proud of the outcome—and even more passionate about using design as a tool for meaningful communication.
The concept of the truth has always been concrete to me. Although recently, it seems the truth is being manipulated through technology and greed for financial gain. Lies spread six times as fast as the truth. The dark reality we live today is: Will we be able to emerge from the spread of misinformation and allow factual information to prevail? Or will we deteriorate from the spread of unreliable, sometimes even dangerous, socially destabilizing ideas? (Anderson, Jenna). This project blurs the line of the truth between true statements that seem false, false statements that seem true, and opinions disguised as facts. This was a very open-ended prompt I chose to explore because the truth can also differ greatly from different perspectives. The manipulated truth project aims to bring awareness to this heavy issue by starting a discussion about what you believe to be true. Through newspapers, postcards, a book, and the Truth Machine, people will be more aware of this issue and hopefully work to restore trust in the truth.
I began this project with in-depth visual and informational research. A key influence was designer Michael Rock, who emphasizes the importance of critical perspective in design. He argues that every design decision reveals a point of view—a concept that deeply resonated with me and aligned with the central theme of this project. Perspective plays a crucial role in shaping what people believe as true or false. This idea became the foundation for all of my conceptual iterations.
A quote that stayed with me throughout this project was: “Information is only as reliable as the people reading it.” — Julia Koller. This notion guided both my conceptual approach and visual strategy.
For the design system, I selected Franklin Gothic Condensed for its bold, eye-catching qualities—evoking the urgency and authority of newspaper headlines. To complement it, I used Times New Roman, a typeface long associated with trustworthiness and credibility.
The color palette played a key role in conveying meaning:
These colors help the viewer visually decode the reliability of content, reinforcing the project’s message about media literacy and critical consumption.
This project challenged me to expand my skill set and explore new mediums. I experimented with screen printing, CNC routing, Risograph printing, woodworking, and the Adobe Creative Suite to fully bring the concept to life.
This project challenged me to expand my skill set and explore new mediums. I experimented with screen printing, CNC routing, Risograph printing, woodworking, and the Adobe Creative Suite to fully bring the concept to life. I'm proud of the outcome—and even more passionate about using design as a tool for meaningful communication.
