This thesis is a look into why humor communicates information more effectively. Starting with satirical news programs and moving forward, I attempted to make my own and begin to understand what tools and practices are used to communicate humorously. The result was a group of things: 1) Humor is hard. 2) It tells a story. 3) and plays off your audience’s previous knowledge.

I explored this concept of incongruity and the unexpected through more projects. The surprise box takes you through a journey, giving you a surprise ending. It is further elaborated through my capstone project and thesis book. The process documentary helped me to conclude my first semester of thesis work and allowed me to document my process inspiring the continuation of my thesis.

Through this dive into humor, I discovered the ideas of honesty, surprise, and relatability. Ideas that people find humorous are relatable and honest. The main component being the element of surprise. Set up your audience an expectation and then give them the unexpected. This is the theory of incongruity.