3D Design
2D Design

1. Aceable
Internship Case Study
Graphic Design
Aceable
Spring 2026

Aceable is an online driver's education and real estate licensing platform serving hundreds of thousands of learners across the US. As a visual design intern on the Learning Experience (LX) team, I contributed to the visual layer of course content: selecting and sourcing general imagery and creating original flat illustrations for scenario-based learning modules across real estate and insurance courses.

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2. Sonic Sans
Type Inspired by Sound
Typeface Design & Type Specimen
DES 325 Typography 1, The University of Texas at Austin
Fall 2023

The project began with a single letter: O. From one starting point, I sketched 25 variations, exploring abstraction, visual rhythm, and circular geometry, then selected five styles to expand into partial alphabets. One design kept pulling ahead.

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3. Zuzana Licko Costume Presentation
 A Deck Inspired by World Renowned Designer
 DES 325 Typography 1, The University of Texas at Austin
Fall 2023

This assignment asked for something harder than a research presentation: a presentation that itself embodied the designer's work. Rather than using a template, I built a visual system directly inspired by Licko's typefaces and compositional logic, then delivered 7–8 minutes of research through it.

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4. Radiohead Magazine Spread
Exploring International Typographic Style
DES 325 Typography 1
The University of Texas
at Austin
Fall 2023

Two sequential assignments asked me to design magazine spreads about a favorite artist within the rules of the International Typographic Style: sans-serif type, a strict grid, left-aligned ragged-right text, photography only, and asymmetric layouts. I chose Radiohead, using a Chuck Klosterman article as the source text.

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Profile (WORK IN PROGRESS)
Emma Hathaway McBride
emmamcbride03@gmail.com
LinkedInResume I am a senior Design BFA student at the University of Texas at Austin, pursuing a certificate in Humanitarian Engineering. My work sits at the intersection of industrial design, spatial research, and socially driven problem-solving; with a focus on ecological responsibility, community infrastructure, and design for underserved contexts, but I like to call myself a “humanitarian product designer”. I approach every project with curiosity, rigor, and a belief in design as a tool for tangible change.








Education
Design BFA
College of Fine Arts University of Texas at Austin
May 2026

Certificate in Humanitarian Engineering
Cockrell School of Engineering, UT Austin
May 2026


Experience Senior Student Associate - AHG Wood Shop University of Texas at Austin
Fall 2025 – Present

Research & Design Lead
Humanitarian Product Design — Latrine Liner Project
UT Austin / Kenyan Red Cross
2025 – Present

Design Assistant
Aceable
Summer 2025 – Present

Geospatial Researcher - Mapping Food Apartheid in Austin
GRG 356T: Spatial Data Science and Maps, UT Austin
Fall 2025

Industrial Design Intern
ANDesign Lab
Summer 2024

DES Senior Student Associate / Summer Fellow
University of Texas at Austin
Summer 2024

Design Assistant Internship
ROX, LLC
Summer 2023



Referrals



Skills
Industrial Design
Rapid Prototyping
Arduino / Electronics
CAD (Rhino, Blender, SolidWorks)
3D Printing / Fabrication
Spatial Data Science
Python / GIS
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe InDesign
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Premiere Pro
Figma
p5.js
TouchDesigner
Alt Text / Accessibility
Visual Communication
Sustainable Materials
Human-Centered Design








Last Updated 04.13.26



1. Guitar Learning Aid
Making the Guitar More Accessible
Interactive Arduino Device & Interface Design
DES 334C, University of Texas at Austin
Fall 2023

Most beginner guitarists quit before learning a single chord. This project asked whether the guitar's steep learning curve is inherent to the instrument, or a design problem. The result is a tactile, browser-connected learning tool that lets users explore chords without any prior music theory knowledge.


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2. SkyScooter
Reimagining mobility for Aging Riders. Product Design
University of Texas at Austin, ITD Prototyping Products
Fall 2025

Existing e-scooters are designed for young, able-bodied riders, leaving older adults with mobility limitations without a viable option for independent travel. This project challenged us to redesign the stand-up electric scooter for users over 70 with reduced stability and mobility, prioritizing safety, comfort, and dignity without sacrificing the sense of freedom our user wanted.

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3. Lid Intervention
A Response to Bad Design
Product Design
Longhorn Design Lab Designathon, University of Texas at Austin
Fall 2026

UT Austin's outdoor concrete trash bins are chronically compromised, displaced by wind, raided by wildlife, and ignored by passersby. Rather than replacing expensive infrastructure, our team asked: what if the lid itself was the intervention? The result is a low-cost, retrofittable wooden lid system designed to fit the existing concrete bins across campus.

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4. Bermuda Grass Paper
A Use for an Invasive Species
Materials Exploration
Fellowship with the School of Design, The University of Texas at Austin
Summer 2024

The Festival Beach Food Forest in East Austin is an “edible forest garden where visitors can openly forage and enjoy fresh food on the shores of Lady Bird Lake” (festivalbeach.org). They only have one source of waste: the invasive species of Bermuda Grass that has taken over the surrounding landscape. I took that waste and found a solution. 

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