Stained Glass Storytelling: Visual Design Systems Project
For my Visual Design Systems class at the Savannah College of Art and Design, I created a stained glass window design inspired by one of my own personal stories.
According to the project brief:
As a design system, stained glass windows contain layers of important visual, structural, and aesthetic interactions which all come together to make a unified work of design. Your goal is to understand these structural, aesthetic, and visual system needs and apply them into a unified and interesting design.
Your stained-glass window must also tell a story with at least three separate panels. Each panel must include at least three images that add to the story. Aside from these narrative elements, you will focus on the aesthetic and decorative elements of the stained-glass window.
When our class was first introduced to this project and we were told to create a window based on one of our own stories, I immediately thought of telling the story of falling in love from my own experience.
Michal and I met while working at Disney World, which is also where we had our first date, started dating, and said “I love you.” To me, living at Disney for the summer, meeting him, and falling in love was like my own fairytale (and he makes me feel like a princess every day), and I wanted to show that with this project.
I drew inspiration from specific places and moments that meant the most to us:
Typhoon Lagoon – where we first met
The fire pit at our apartment complex – where we started dating
Cocoa Beach – where we said “I love you”
Disney World itself – where we spent our first three months together as cast members
Overall, my theme became a blend of Disney magic and natural elements (fire and water) that tied our story together.
We began with research and sketching that helped me refine both the story and the aesthetic. I used:
Plexiglass and black ink pen for the base and outlines
Cut tissue paper for the color
Glitter for an added magical quality
Mod Podge to seal everything together
As we learned in class, a stained glass window must have a hierarchy of line: different stroke weights and thicknesses that divide the space architecturally as well as visually. These lines aren’t just decorative; they also provide the “structure” that holds the composition together, as if it were a real stained glass window.
For this project, we were required to use at least three different stroke weights. In my piece:
The thickest strokes outline each panel, breaking up the story into clear sections so the viewer can follow the story.
Medium strokes surround important objects (water, fire pit, and castle) to give them more visual weight and depth.
The thinnest lines are used in the skies, allowing the backgrounds to blend and not distract from the main elements.
I organized my stained glass window to read like a storybook:
Bottom Panels (left to right): Meeting Michal → Starting our relationship → Saying “I love you.”
Top Panel: The castle and fireworks at Disney, overarching symbols that were always present throughout our time together. With the fireworks tying into my water/fire theme.
The castle and fireworks sit at the very top because of their scale and importance, just like in real life, where fireworks belong in the sky and the castle towers over everything else. These elements, along with subtle Mickey shapes in the background, represent the magic of Disney that was a constant thread in our story.
This project challenged me to think structurally and visually at the same time. Beyond just telling a story, I had to carefully consider line weight, hierarchy, and how stained glass design systems function in real-world applications.
In the end, my stained glass window became not only a visual system, but also a deeply personal narrative: one that captures my own fairytale of falling in love at Disney.
I love you, Michal. MMBBAF.
