I am an investigative, minimalist designer who is interested in promoting social equity across all fields in design. Design to me is universal, it is mathematical, being structured in ratios, shapes, lines, and space. Although I believe design is universal, I am inspired by the humanities. I see myself as an interdisciplinary creative, working in the fields of graphic design, photography, and anthropology. Frequently, I discern my triple major as an amalgamation of separate fields that operate interdependently and often influence one another. I comprehend and respect photography in relation to design and assure neither of the disciplines’ interacting elements impair the other, and with anthropology I understand the influence of cultural elements and how history, society, personality, language, and other social mechanisms operate behind the intended audience of a design. This versatility keeps me engaged in my creative work as being influenced by the humanities means there’s no exact solution and many possibilities to a design. In my work I am attentive to the content’s contemporary association within the intended audience’s culture. I want the content of the design to be at the forefront and instantly have the audience attentive to the main point. For example, my editorial spreads intended for a layperson audience convey a sense of mystery based around the daguerreotype photo by iconoclastically splitting up the human face in the design. This enhances an already established idea of early photography being enigmatic.
During the initial stages of design, I like to focus on shape and space, and always design in grayscale or black-and-white before the addition of color. I believe this strong foundation in the beginning will lead to better results. I benefit from this ruleset, but it is exciting when the opportunity arises to counteract it, create a timeless piece, and at the same time strengthen my skill set and knowledge. As a designer I want my work to be appreciated by the people who see it. Therefore, I cannot cater to one type of person. Since visual media and design are a part of our everyday existence, I feel it is important to incorporate accessibility and multiple social perspectives. By incorporating social themes in my work like class, ethnicity, citizenship, humanism, and using clear typefaces, and in some cases Braille, I can push the limits of what is expected in design and in turn make a change in our society. My redesigned United States currency highlights the backbone of America, an incredibly important, especially now, and sometimes ignored part of the population. In this project I incorporated social themes such as ethnicity and Braille accessibility to the handicapped.
I take into account the needs of the project and my own personal influences. I often put self-expression second because I am not willing to sacrifice the authenticity of the design to push personal agenda. Overall, my main design goal is to create a visual aesthetic that is intrinsically intriguing while also maintaining legibility and accuracy with incorporation of underlying social themes.