As a costume designer, I begin looking at who and what a character is. I then look at how they relate to other characters in the play. Costumes and hair have the ability to help the audience understand time, location, emotional, and physical aspects of a character. The process of a costume designer begins with analyzing a script and characters, researching the time and fashions of the show, creating a visual rendering of what characters wear in the world. Rendering is a tool of communication, a working document that will often change as the production develops. It is the costume designer’s job to understand why a character wears what they wear. Characters are meant to help create and solidify the world of the play. The costume designer is one of those keys to making that world come alive. This thesis portfolio will include images and brief descriptions of my costume design work and wig work at the University of Iowa. This portfolio contains both realized productions photos, renderings and projects from class work. This document also shows the evolution of my design work over the course of my Master of Fine Arts education. The entire breadth of my thesis portfolio can be found at the link: http://ir.uiowa.edu/theatre_d_folio/.