J A K E W E L C H . D E S I G N

PROJECTS TOOLS INFO/CV CONTACT

PROJECTS

TITLE DATE TYPE TOOLS DESCRIPTION
Language of Movement Summer 2024 Art Exhibition P5.js, Python, computer vision, projection mapping, Adobe Premiere & After Effects, 3D printing, physical prototyping Language of Movement is an art exhibition at the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art by Milad Mozari and is centered on the archives of Ghaffar Pourazar, an Azerbaijani-Iranian computer animator turned Beijing Opera performer.
Declatel Concert Visuals Spring/Summer 2024 Audio reactive concert visuals, DMX lighting, VJing TouchDesigner Performing at Salt Lake City's historic Masonic Temple, 10 unique audio-reactive visuals were designed to play with Declatel during their debut album release show. The visuals were performed using a custom built VJing framework connected with MIDI inputs and DMX light outputs.
austinaubry.photo Spring 2024 Web design & developement P5.js, HTML, CSS Designed for Austin Aubry's photography portfolio website, these animations were developed to make the landing page dynamic.
Adaptable Auras Fall 2023 Interactive installation Processing, Arduino, electronics, computer vision Adaptable Auras is an installation designed to explore & challenge the role technology plays in the tradition of art by implementing reproduction & machine learning technologies to create an art piece that is intrinsically connected to those who view it. The pen plotter receives data collected from individuals in the space using computer vision & converts that data into a unique drawing.
Digital Humanities Utah Fall 2023 Branding and promotion Processing, Adobe Illustrator Every year, Utah's seven major universities gather for a two-day symposium dedicated to share research, network, and learn about emerging digital humanities tools and methods. Striving to honor the theme, this branding guide incorporated generative methods & traditional computer "dithering" aesthetics to create its assets.
MAACH Agency launch event Fall 2023 Interactive installation, event Processing, computer vision Designed for MAACH Agency in Berlin, this installation was developed for attendees to interact with during their launch event.
IKEA Kyrre CMF re-design Spring 2023 CMF re-design Blender, Adobe Illustrator As an exercise in exploring & understanding CMF redesigns, this project reimagines the IKEA KYRRE stool as if it were designed with utility purposes to exist in a workshop or a garage.
The Pod Mill Spring 2023 Audio reactive visuals TouchDesigner This project was to work with The Pod Mill, a podcasting studio from Salt Lake City, to explore audio reactive visualizers that could be paired with the audio recordings of their podcasting clients when uploading content to video platforms.
The Face of Media Spring 2023 Interactive exhibit, speculative Processing, Python, computer vision The Face of Media is a speculative installation designed to explore machine learning as a UI tool to surpass language barriers.
Digital data collection sprint Spring 2023 Research Blender, Adobe Premiere, Arduino, electronics A light measuring device was built & used to gather light values near bus stops in three Salt Lake City neighborhoods of varying incomes. The data was then compared, mapped, & analyzed.
DEMO Festival Fall 2022 Motion design Processing Showcased during the DEMO Festival 2022, "Pixel Waves" was one of the 800 pieces chosen out of 5300 submissions from 1533 designers.
SOHI Studios / Camp4 Spring 2023 Pitch deck template design Adobe InDesign Working with SOHI Studios, this project was to create a treatment deck template for the production studio Camp4 that could be adjusted for use when presenting to new clients.
Body of Leaves, "Equation" music video Fall 2022 Music video Processing, Blender, TouchDesigner, Adobe Premiere Music video designed & edited using Processing, Blender, TouchDesigner & Adobe Premiere for Body of Leaves' single "Equation", released on August 19, 2022.
FOLDERS Fall 2022 Research, system design, UX/UI Figma, Adobe Illustrator FOLDERS was developed as a prototype open-source website targeted towards designers for collecting, finding, & sharing resources.
UPHERE Compilation Vol. 2 for Ukraine Spring 2022 Motion & Visual graphics, promotion Blender, Adobe Premiere UPHERE! Records is an independent record label & collective based in Provo, Utah. For this project, 3D graphics were designed for their Compilation Vol. 2 cassette tape to raise money for refugees of the Ukraine-Russia war. All proceeds went to Save The Children and The Ukraine Humanitarian Fund.
Papaya system exploration Spring 2022 System research, speculative Processing, Blender, Adobe Illustrator, lasercutting, physical prototyping Using natural systems research as a constraint, this project draws from the physical form & cultural significance & history of the papaya to create drawings, narratives, & a physical artifact.
Virtualized Abstractions Fall 2021 Interactive installation, speculative Processing, physical prototyping, woodworking In a semester-long speculative design project, students were tasked with exploring and interpreting the concept of a "mask" which could be interacted with by a user to distort or enhance sight or sound -- and could then be collapsed or disassembled and placed into container.

TOOLS

TOOL TYPE DESCRIPTION
Book cover grid-offset design tool Generative graphics Developed for the "Fabricated Landscapes" project, this tool takes photo inputs and crops and adjusts the image to fit an 11x17 format. Guides are provided for bleed, trim, and spine, and parameters can be adjusted to change the grid as well as the noise and wave offset scale and intensity.
Glitch type generator Typography Inspired by this effect coded for a presentation , this tool copies chunks of a graphic layer with displayed text and randomly creates "runners" to build a generative glitching effect.
Gradient flower generator Generative graphics Based on this exploration of gradients in p5.js, this tool pairs custom gradient functions with various wave parameters to create unique generative flower patterns.
Noise painting generator Image manipulation Based on this intial exploration , this tool uses perlin noise field displacement to create a painting-like effect on custom loaded images.
Tile collage generator Image manipulation Inspired by this earlier art exploration , this tool generates unique collages of images by dividing the canvas into a grid and randomly rotating each tile by an increment of 90 degrees.

INFO

Diagram of the apparatus construction
ABOUT ME
Hi there! My name is Jake Welch and I am a designer, creative technologist, and generative artist living in Brooklyn, New York. I am passionate using art, design, and technology to connect humans to the world around them.
EDUCATION
B.S. in Multi-Disciplinary Design
University of Utah, 2023
Cum Laude

WORK EXPERIENCE
Exhibition assistant
Milad Mozari, April - July 2024

Concert visual artist
Declatel, February - June 2024

Graphic design and developement
Ashton Reeder, May-June 2024

Code Assistant
Adam Miller, April 2024

Web design and developement
Austin Aubry, March 2024

Branding
Digital Humanities Utah, July 2023

Audio reactive graphic developement
The Pod Mill, March - July 2023

FESTIVALS & EXHIBITIONS
Senior studio design exhibit
University of Utah, November 2023

MAACH Agency launch event
Berlin, October 2023

Research design exhibit
University of Utah, April 2023

3D Printer Hacking Fair
University of Utah, December 2022

DEMO Festival
The Netherlands, October 2022

PRESENTATIONS & WORKSHOPS
Workshop, Leveraging machine learning & technology to create meaningful art
8th Digital Humanities Utah Symposium, Feburary 2024

Blender animation workshop
College of Architecture and Planning, Prototyping Methods class, November 2023

Prototyping presentation
College of Architecture and Planning, Design Thinking class, September 2023

SOFTWARE
Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere
Processing (Java)
P5.js (JavaScript)
HTML, CSS
TouchDesigner
Python
Computer Vision
Blender
Arduino IDE
Figma

MAKING
Electronics
Arduino
Projection mapping
3D printing
Mold making / casting
CNC
Lasercutting
Metal & woodworking
Physical prototyping

LANGUAGES
English
Spanish

CONTACT

WHERE TO FIND ME LINK
Email ↳ hello@jakewelch.design
Instagram ↳ @jake___welch
LinkedIn ↳ Jake Welch
Are.na ↳ jake-welch
GitHub ↳ jake-welch-design