Concept Design

Gossamer Grove
Traverse a Fae Realm Full of Magic & Comfort

Created for Storyland Studio’s 2024 Design Challenge, Gossamer Grove acts as a fun yet calming option for guests drained by thrills-forward themed entertainment venues. This shopping district fulfills a clear need for themed third spaces by offering a location-based interpretation of the cozy fantasy worlds people already inhabit through other means, as seen through the rise of this ambient sub-genre in books, video games, and even social media. Read my research-based argument for why we need relaxing themed entertainment here.

View our submission here or the full process book here, which includes work by my collaborators McKenna Kreiling, Sofia Munoz, and Sasha Raskin. In addition to project managing this concept, I created the key concept art, wrote the backstories and story treatment, drew the characters, 3D modeled five of the structures in SketchUp, and edited the renders in Photoshop.

The STEAMpunk Factory
Unlock Mechanical Wonders through the Power of STEAM

Created for THED 730: Concept Design, this project is a proposed wing for a children’s museum. The steampunk theme appeals to children’s imaginations, offers opportunities for scientific exploration, and is a play on words for STEAM, the educational acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Math. For this project, I focused on of balancing kinetic interactive activities (which are more satisfying for children and gives them time away from screens) with digital games (which can easily be updated and reprogrammed, thus encouraging repeat visits and replayability).

To view the full process book—which includes a table of contents, deliverables, quantitative and qualitative research, guest personas, other concept art plus call-outs, early sketches, mood boards, and more—please use the form on the Contact page or email BizHyzy@gmail.com.

Retrostellar Resort
Voyage into Yesterday’s Future

In THED 730: Concept Design, our professor tasked us with making a space-themed resort. My group decided to bring the optimism and whimsy of the Atomic Age to the present through Retrostellar Resort, a midcentury-inspired vacation destination featuring helpful robots, a high-tech salon, a vintage diner, and hover cars. I co-wrote the mission statement and was in charge of creating the opportunities page and guest journey map, storyboarding the commute, depicting the programming that took place in the lobby, and designing the salon and beauty bots.

To view the full process book—which includes designs by my collaborators Ella Van Haren and Bella Cooney—please use the form on the contact page or email BizHyzy@gmail.com.

Escape from Moria
A Thrilling Middle-Earth Experience

For THED 720, an introductory Theme Entertainment Design course, I was given a building blueprint and asked to fill it with a dark ride and queue. My proposed Lord of the Rings–themed roller coaster takes place during the reign of of Durin VI, the Dwarven King who dug too deeply and greedily for mythril and awakened the balrog. By setting the ride during this era, guests can experience the creatures and places that make the Mines of Moria so iconic to Tolkien fans, such as the Doors of Durin (“speak friend and enter”), mythril mines, goblins, balrog, and Dwarves themselves.

Our classes allow us to use IP for educational purposes. I do not claim to own any rights to the Middle-Earth franchise or Tolkien estate.

To view the full process book—which includes a materials board for each scene, mood boards, storyboards, and more—please use the form on the Contact page or email BizHyzy@gmail.com.