AS NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS, the team and I noticed an issue at hand with the University acquiring more and more satellite campuses and the subsequent pushback from the Northeastern community.
In Lux · Veritas · Imperium, we envisioned a future where the University has all-encompassing power beyond Boston, Massachusetts. We used humor to make our idea approachable to our community through a presentation at the end of the class.
The team’s work culminated into a 30-page final paper, where we used academic sources to back up our design choices. We researched the “McDonaldization” of higher education entering the corporate world, colonialism from such mergers, and the University’s role not just as an institution but as a brand itself.
WHAT DOES THE NAME MEAN?
Lux · Veritas · Imperium is a darker twist on the University’s Latin motto, Lux, Veritas, Virtus. This translates from Latin to “Light, Truth, Courage.”
Our rendition of the University’s future motto translates to “Light, Truth, Supremacy.” Omitting the word “courage” from the motto ties to fears of such power.
Northeastern’s 2021 acquisition of Mills College, a historic women’s college in Oakland, California, caused 408 students to file a lawsuit against the University saying they had been misled about the merger.
Today, the college is known to most commonly as Northeastern’s Oakland campus, stripping the college of its identity and rich history.
The team and I joined forces with experience in interaction design, experience design, and graphic design to put our skills in world-building, creative storytelling, and dark humor to the test.
Lux · Veritas · Imperium takes Northeastern’s conquest to the next level, raising awareness to the University’s rapid expansion over the past decade.
In our final presentation, we played the role of Husky Emissaries, a play-on-words of today’s Husky Ambassadors, who are tour guides and University representatives. I focused on creating physical collateral from stickers to brochures for users to engage with during our presentation.
In our future, Northeastern University is one of the remaining institutions after such frequent acquisitions.
In our presentation, we play the role of Husky Emissaries visiting a local high school, convincing students and parents that applying to the University is the best, and only, path to take. We used this opportunity as a satirical take on a college fair found by students today.
Our interactive exhibit exhibit took place in Northeastern University’s Burnes Center for Social Change. We invited users to participate in a poll, placing a pin where in the world (and the solar system) Northeastern should conquest next. Our world map was also edited to acknowledge rising sea levels.
