Benjamin Melavin

2024 Senior Exhibition Artists

Benjamin Melavin

Concentration: Art + Design: Graphic Design

About Benjamin Melavin

Hi, I’m Ben! Ever since I was young I’ve been creatively inclined. Whether I was at home or out at school, I was drawing. I continue to do so—with the same passion as when I started. While I am an artist at heart, design has become a prominent part of my life too. My studies of graphic design began during my high school sophomore year. From the start, finding my design style was critically important to me. Massasoit Community College was where I found my footing with design, and met my partner along with some of my best friends. Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to build new skills and knowledge, where I have learned how to code websites, design books, create screenprints, and much more. This Spring, I will proudly graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from the College of Visual and Performing Arts at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.

Statement

Forged in Magic & Steel: Control Your Fate is an expansion book built for the 5th edition of the popular tabletop roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons. Like many expansion books before it, it introduces an entire collection of new content for players and game masters alike to enjoy. This includes new races, classes, subclasses, systems, spells, and more. What sets the project apart from others is not just its design style, but the wonderful people who’ve poured their heart into its creation. From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank the people who worked with me: Ryan Dang, Frank Biancuzzo, Brian McCormack, and Jenna Bastien. Without all their contributions over the last few months, Forged in Magic & Steel wouldn’t be what it is today.

Dungeons & Dragons has been a part of my life just as long as design has. Forged in Magic & Steel, in a way, is the culmination of all the experiences I built up from high school. It has been a great chance to show off everything I’ve learned since starting my graphic design journey, and to work with peers on an assignment we all enjoy. Each Monday, I wrote content for myself to design over the week. Whenever I had a new idea for any content, even at my part-time job outside of school, I wrote it down on whatever I had handy. On Thursday, my group gathered to brainstorm, write, and eventually playtest the material I would incorporate into the product. What is on display at the 2024 senior show is only a sample of a product we hope to have on full display in the coming months.

My goal was to build something that was still a D&D book at its core but with my own unique spin by incorporating my typographic style, illustrations, and design ideologies. I wanted it to be simple, understandable, and pleasant to use. I hope you can get as much enjoyment out of Forged in Magic & Steel as I did when making it.