MFA Graduate Research Project | Crystal Goodwin, TypeSense
Crystal is a multidisciplinary creative with a background spanning architecture, photography, and communication design, disciplines shaped by a genuine curiosity about how space, image, and visual language come together to tell a story. That curiosity led her to pursue an MFA in Communication Design, where she deepened her technical skills, explored emerging tools and technologies, and fully integrated design into her creative practice. An avid traveler who finds inspiration in new cities and unfamiliar places, she brings that sense of discovery to everything she creates. When she’s not exploring, she’s reading, hiking, or spending time with her family.
TypeSense is a multisensory installation that explores how sound can be experienced beyond the ear, translating a live audio signal into three simultaneous outputs: dynamic projected typography, reactive light and color, and physical vibration. It is anchored by a custom variable typeface that stretches and compresses in real time in response to a track’s frequency and amplitude. A wearable haptic vest delivers the music’s low-frequency structure through the body, while a conductive wall mural allows sighted visitors to trigger music and vibration by pressing letters painted with conductive paint, and blind visitors to access the same event through Braille. Designed for deaf and hard-of-hearing concertgoers, blind and low-vision audiences, sensory-sensitive attendees, and the general public, the project treats multiple sensory channels as equally valid from the outset rather than retrofitting accessibility onto a hearing-centered format. It operates on the principle that designing for those most excluded from an experience consistently produces something richer for everyone.
More Work by Crystal
Nalu Sol sunscreen:
Inspired by the palimpsest theme, this project explores coral reef conservation by highlighting reef-safe sunscreen as a simple, individual action that helps reduce human impact on fragile marine ecosystems. Using the risograph design style, the work visually conveys layering, environmental change, and coral regeneration through overlapping colors and textured forms that reveal traces of transformation over time.
Fables Coffee Co.:
Fables Coffee Co. is a coffee brand that blends specialty coffee with storytelling, drawing on fables, folklore, and oral traditions from around the world. By connecting each cup to the culture, history, and wisdom behind its origins, the brand delivers an immersive experience that celebrates community, craftsmanship, and the power of shared stories.
Hotel Ascent:
