INFO

EXPOSÉ

How to Write an Exposé for Your Thesis

An exposé is a short document (one page) that helps you—and your advisors—understand what your thesis will be about. It is a mix of concept, plan, and first research. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but it should be clear, focused, and convincing.

Your exposé should include four core elements on one page, plus two optional additions:

Core Elements (one page)

Research Topic & Field

What topic are you working on? Write in a couple of sentences what the larger field is that you are interested in. Add citations to the most relevant research, books, artworks, or design projects in the field. The citations are your embedding within the larger design and research space that you are working from. They are the starting platform for your journey. Pick your references wisely—and make sure you know the work really well.

Examples:

“My topic is data poetics in spatial installations. I’m particularly interested in works that transform abstract data into sensory experiences. This relates to projects such as Refik Anadol’s ‘Data Sculptures’ and theories from Johanna Drucker’s Graphesis.”

“I’m exploring climate communication through visual tools. My focus is on sea-level rise and how it can be better understood by the public. This builds on work like ‘Climate Central’s Sea Level Rise Map’ and publications by Kate Crawford and Benjamin Bratton on planetary-scale design.”

Goal of the Work

Describe in a few sentences what you want to do or explore. What will you contribute to the research topic? Where will you go from there? This is your project’s intention or motivation. It can be artistic, theoretical, or practice-based. Explain what you want to find out by the end of your project—and why!

Examples:

“I want to investigate how data can become a poetic form in spatial installations. While data is constantly surrounding us, we barely interact with it on a poetic scale.”

“I will design a tool that helps non-experts visually understand sea-level rise. Sea-level rise is a giant problem for generations to come and it is strongly underrepresented in news media.”

Research Question

Formulate a clear question that guides your project. This question should be specific enough to give direction, but open enough to allow exploration.

Examples:

“How can abstract data be translated into poetic spatial experiences that emotionally engage the audience?”

“How can interactive visualizations help non-experts understand the long-term effects of sea-level rise?”

Cited Works / References

Include 2–5 references that relate to your topic. These can be academic texts, artists, designers, projects, exhibitions, or relevant theories. Use a simple citation style—I recommend the Harvard Referencing Style.

Examples:

Optional Additions

These are not mandatory, but will help you later in the process. They should not be part of your first page.

First Draft of an Outline

Sketch out possible chapters or sections of your thesis. This structure can and will likely change, but it gives you (and us) a sense of direction.

Example:

  1. Introduction
  2. Background and Context
  3. Case Studies
  4. Artistic Experiments
  5. Discussion
  6. Conclusion

Timetable

Roughly plan your time. When do you want to finish your research, start designing or producing, and start writing? Write down how many weeks you have in total. Create milestones: when do you want to have something finished? This will also help us plan when we should meet.

Example Milestones:
Week 1–2 – Finalize exposé, collect key references
Week 3–5 – Research & sketch concepts
Week 6–9 – Build prototype / develop installation
Week 10–12 – Test, reflect, iterate
Week 13–15 – Finalize documentation and prepare for submission

Don’t stress about perfection. The exposé is a tool to help you get started, not a final contract. Let it be clear, reflective, and grounded—but also personal and open to change.