Hero’s Journey was a vertical design studio encompassing both Bachelor and Master students. It began as an investigation into the 12 main stages of the structural narrative systems referred to as the Hero’s Journey: Ordinary World, Call to Adventure, Meeting the Mentor, Transformation, Reward, etc. Students probed classic films, analyzing their form to uncover these various steps. After the analysis stage, students began to develop their own narrative journey based on their personal interests and methodological processes.

Projects ranged from augmented reality explorations of the everyday mundane, to techno-futuristic speculations on societies post-digital reliance. Students were encouraged to explore new and unknown tools and techniques, using the learning opportunities as ways of exploring the unfolding and evolving narratives. Aside from the drawings and images presented here, many students incorporated film and virtual reality into their final presentations, pushing the traditional boundaries of a design project.