Advertisement Series
These advertisements are three-part, three-dimensional shadow box series that invites the viewer to engage with the raw emotions behind masculinity. As they view each piece, they are encouraged to place an stamped emotion sticker beneath it, reflecting how the ad makes them feel. This interactive experience allows the viewer to connect with the unspoken truths of self-expression, showing that masculinity is not just seen, but felt.
Use the arrows buttons or swipe horizontally to view the advertisements.
Fragrance : Nothing to Hyde
This piece reimagines the all-American cowboy, a longstanding icon in popular men’s media, as a vessel for vulnerability and truth. By subverting a symbol traditionally associated with stoicism, control, and hypermasculinity, the work opens up space for a broader, more honest portrayal of manhood. In the context of Man Up’s campaign, it challenges viewers to question inherited ideals and consider how self-expression, even through scent, can be a radical act of personal freedom.
Fragrance : True Colors
True Colors uses surrealism to explore the quiet tension between conformity and authenticity. The polished dress shoes and formal attire suggest societal expectations, while the melting plaid socks, dissolving into a vivid rainbow symbolize the fluid, often hidden layers of identity beneath the surface. By letting the phrase “STAND OUT” emerge from the very ground the figure stands on, the work transforms self-expression into a foundation, not an exception. In the context of Man Up’s campaign, this piece speaks to the courage required to reject invisibility and embrace individuality, especially within environments that pressure men to mute their difference.
Fragrance : Suit Noir
Suit Noir engages with the aesthetics of power, romance, and restraint found in traditional masculine archetypes. The black suit and red tie, paired with a bouquet of roses, evoke a tension between softness and control—challenging the notion that confidence must come at the expense of tenderness. By obscuring the man's face and emphasizing gesture and symbolism, the piece critiques the one-dimensional portrayals of men in media, proposing instead a version of masculinity that is both intentional and emotionally present. For Man Up, this work asserts that to be “classic” is not to conform, but to redefine.
2025 Rutgers University Newark
Graphic Design Senior Capstone Exhibition - Common Ground : Perspectives on Freedom
