ZOË PULLEY

RHODE ISLAND SCHOOL OF DESIGN (RISD)

Zoë Pulley (b. 7/93) was born in Chicago, Illinois and grew up in South Orange, New Jersey. She currently is based in Providence, RI pursuing her MFA in Graphic Design as a Presidential Fellow. She received her BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2015 and began a career in apparel design in New York shortly after graduating. She designed many a legging and sport bra during this time for brands such as Under Armor, Splendid and Spalding. Motivated to preserve generational narratives of Black experiences through print, textiles and other media, Pulley pursues ongoing projects including the jewelry line GRAN SANS and the collaborative opencall project called Black Joy Archive.

Her current work primarily focuses on the narratives of Black folks and questions the visibility of Blackness and meaning of these stories within various spaces. She loves to laugh, she loves her grandma and she currently loves the color orange (again).

WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL INSPIRED?

Slow mornings, Good one-on-ones, Walks, People and stories

WHAT AREA OR AREAS OF DESIGN ARE YOU HOPING TO WORK IN OR SPECIALIZE IN?

I get most jazzed about designing systems that need to be applied to various outputs — whether that be publications, digital, space or objects. I find it especially fun to figure out one core design concept that can then guide the narrative for all other components of a project.

WHAT ARE YOU READING/LISTENING TO/WATCHING?

(Re)Reading Beloved by Toni Morrison and Black Performance on the Outskirts of the Left: A History of the Impossible by Malik Gaines Listening to SAULT, Notes of a Native Son and DOMi & JD BECK (a lot). Watching Abbott Elementary — we stan for Quinta B!!

Iris Xie

RHODE ISLAND SCHOOL OF DESIGN (RISD)

Iris Xie is a Chinese-American designer from Massachusetts. She is a graphic design major at Rhode Island School of Design. Her work takes a friendly and nostalgic approach, utilizing a love for humor, typography, and communication in order to create evocative and accessible works. She likes to infiltrate the disciplines of animation and illustration using a graphic design mindset, and marrying digital and analog techniques as much as she can. Recently, she has been tinkering in the realms of game design, machine embroidery, and poster design.

WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL INSPIRED?

Looking at the works of others that make my heart race. Getting in the zone with noise-cancelling headphones.

WHAT AREA OR AREAS OF DESIGN ARE YOU HOPING TO WORK IN OR SPECIALIZE IN?

Branding, illustration, animation, music videos, storytelling.

WHAT IS ONE THING THAT DESIGN SCHOOL HAS TAUGHT YOU THAT YOU DID NOT EXPECT?

Learning about how much time is necessary to spend thinking about your practice versus actually creating, recognizing that hard skills and tools for creation change all the time, realizing that thinking is ultimately more important.

WHO IS SOMEONE YOU LOOK UP TO IN YOUR FIELD? EITHER TODAY OR HISTORICALLY?

My very first design mentor, Claudia DePiante Vicin, who teaches me to seek personal truth.

WHAT ARE YOU READING/LISTENING TO/WATCHING?

Listening to Young Fathers and The Minimalists podcast, reading Severance by Ling Ma, playing Pokemon GO.

INTAN ZAKRI-RAJA ACADEMY OF ART UNIVERSITY

My name is Intan Zakri-Raja. I double-majored in Graphic Design and Communications at the University of Utah as an undergraduate student. I am currently studying for an MFA in Graphic Design at Academy of Art University. My thesis project aims to empower the next generation of female gaming developers.

I’m a detail-oriented designer with a knack for conceptual solutions and innovative aesthetics. Making graphics work in a cohesive and flexible system is my specialty. I strive to bring out emotions in others. I also seek to make positive changes in people’s lives with the messages I portray. My skills range from illustrating and writing to animating and coding. I’m also a pretty good cat whisperer.

I currently live with my husband and two cats in California. In my free time, you will find me drawing, writing, or playing video games (currently addicted to Sonic Frontiers and Final Fantasy XIV).

WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL INSPIRED?

Video games, music, friends, and family. My husband is my number one fan.

WHAT AREA OR AREAS OF DESIGN ARE YOU HOPING TO WORK IN OR SPECIALIZE IN?

Motion graphics, though I also love UX/UI and editorial design. Working in the gaming or entertainment industry would be a good fit for me.

WHAT IS ONE THING THAT DESIGN SCHOOL HAS TAUGHT YOU THAT YOU DID NOT EXPECT?

Graphic design influences our lives in more ways than we realize.

Carly Curran Mercer University

Carly Curran is an Atlanta-born designer receiving a Bachelor of Arts from Mercer University in Graphic Design. Art has always been an ever-evolving practice for her, as she continues to push the limits of multimedia design. The areas of study she excels in are digital illustration, photography, interactive design, and she also enjoys studio-based work including ceramics. She is particularly interested in finding ways to push the constraints of and combine areas of design. Carly’s professional experience in corporate graphic design and marketing, enabled her to create content libraries for numerous companies, and also produce branding materials and guidelines for companies. She is passionate about the work she produces down to the details. She has worked alongside fellow Mercer professors to become a published artist, producing illustrative material for an academic textbook. She has worked with Mercer’s Athletic Director creating foundation logos and awards for donors. Carly has been able to accomplish all of this, while also competing as a Division 1 athlete on the women’s lacrosse team at Mercer.

WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL INSPIRED?

Producing work for others who can see and feel the passion and thought I put into my work, as well as the delicate work I produce only for myself.

WHAT AREA OR AREAS OF DESIGN ARE YOU HOPING TO WORK IN OR SPECIALIZE IN?

Premium packaging design and personal/company branding.

WHAT IS ONE THING THAT DESIGN SCHOOL HAS TAUGHT YOU THAT YOU DID NOT EXPECT?

When you find a distinct style within your work, people will start to notice, and they will want your work that you produce. Your work is essentially your identity.

RAAYA CHAKRABARTI SCHOOL OF VISUAL ARTS (SVA)

Raaya is an art director and designer currently studying as a senior advertising student. She grew up moving around Southeast Asia and lived in Vietnam, The Philippines, and India before moving to New York. She is a Scorpio, a conceptual and empathetic risk-taker. Before anything, Raaya considers herself an appreciator of the arts. Watching films, reading literature, listening to music, and studying art have allowed her to live a thousand lives beyond her own. Raaya’s work reflects the exact moment it was made, empathetically examining culture within the ever-changing labyrinth of society. Her creative solutions navigate cultural shifts but also challenge them. Raaya hopes to do work in her career that makes people laugh and cry. Raaya enjoys communicating in many mediums, including print design, web and digital, 3D, and motion graphics, and she continues to learn different ways to communicate her vision. She has interned at creative agencies in Mumbai (Infectious Ad) and New York (Fallon). You can see more of her work at raaya.work.

WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL INSPIRED?

Reading, listening, and watching. Hearing other people’s stories is an excellent source of inspiration for me. There are so many great mediums to tell your story: film, literature, music, and graphic design. I’m always searching for new and exciting ways to tell stories.

WHAT ARE YOU READING/LISTENING TO/WATCHING?

I’ve read a bunch of memoirs this year, including Hunger by Roxane Gay, The Chronology of Water by Lidia Yuknavitch, and I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy, to name a few. I’m currently working on Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward. I also recently watched All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, a portrait of Nan Goldin’s life that was directed by Laura Poitras.

DOAH KWON SCHOOL OF VISUAL ARTS (SVA)

Doah is a senior majoring in Graphic Design. Her passions within the field of design include creating brand identities, designing for print, and user experiences. She spent her childhood in East Asia before moving to New York and has gained a unique perspective that she proudly utilizes in her work. She tackles challenges head-on to craft creative solutions to complicated or ambiguous problems. As a designer, she firmly believes that anyone can communicate their various experiences and relate to others through the world of design. Outside the classroom, Doah is frequently seen traveling, going on walks (even in the winter!), and exploring film photography. A quote that resonates with her about design is something Steve Jobs once said: “Design is not just about how it looks and feels — design is how it works.”

WHAT AREA OR AREAS OF DESIGN ARE YOU HOPING TO WORK IN OR SPECIALIZE IN?

I am especially interested in creating brand identities, which go beyond just a logo and some graphic elements. To me, delivering the personality of the brand means delivering the experience felt by the audience and creating an emotional bond. I am passionate about being able to contribute to something that pervades all products of a brand and becomes an identity that people will recognize for decades.

WHAT

ARE YOU READING/LISTENING TO/WATCHING?

I am currently watching HBO’s Westworld and am fascinated by the blend between AI and human society. To me, it presents a dramatization of how our future could play out with AI becoming more advanced and playing a bigger role in human society each year.

WHO IS SOMEONE YOU LOOK UP TO IN YOUR FIELD?

Brian Collins. His works are timeless, authentic, and sensational. As Brian said, the whole system should always work to be both unique and relevant.

Joumana Ibrahim

SAVANNAH COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN (SCAD)

Joumana is a Lebanese design educator based in Dubai, U.A.E. who is currently pursuing her M.F.A. in graphic design and visual experience from SCAD. She graduated with an M.A. from the London College of Communications (LCC) after obtaining her B.A. in graphic design and a minor in fine arts from the Lebanese American University (LAU). She has taught at LAU in the past few years with students at every level, from Foundation courses to M.A.. Before teaching, Joumana was a senior art director with Leo Burnett in Beirut, where she won several regional and international awards. As part of her academic work, Joumana has conducted workshops in Lebanon and abroad on data visualization, graphic design, and advertising for participants from different professional backgrounds. Her focus in her MFA is on deepening her research and writing skills and taking the opportunity to relish in each stage of the design process.

WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL INSPIRED?

There isn’t a quick and short answer to this question. The nature of the project, my environment, the people around me, and the context all inspire me (or the opposite). I would sometimes find inspiration in past moments that seemed mundane but suddenly take on a whole new meaning and dimension.

WHAT AREA OR AREAS OF DESIGN ARE YOU HOPING TO WORK IN OR SPECIALIZE IN?

When I signed up for this degree, my goal was to strengthen my research and writing skills. As an educator, I would like to deepen my knowledge in topics related to the graphic design field, such as humanities and social sciences, and to work on expressing my findings in various written and visual forms.

Boris Schneersohn

SAVANNAH COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN (SCAD)

Hi, I’m Boris Schneersohn. I’m from France and South Korea, born and raised in Hong Kong. During my 20 years of stay in Hong Kong, I was constantly exposed to multicultural experiences and people. I’m interested in improving the day-to-day experience of people from all walks of life. Exploring the development of identities, improvement of systems, or the creation of opportunities for collaboration.

I love working with brands with passion and transforming their messages into something visible that communicates their stories and values. After graduation with my B.F.A. from SCAD, I’d love to join an agency or design studio. When I’m not designing, you can find me watching sad or romantic movies, reading, or listening to music. Thanks for taking the time to read my profile!

WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL INSPIRED?

Excellent work, design that truly catches your attention and makes you remember it forever. It makes me want to design something just as good, or even better.

WHAT AREA OR AREAS OF DESIGN ARE YOU HOPING TO WORK IN OR SPECIALIZE IN?

I really love creating identities for brands, as well as logo design. So, anything with branding and identity design.

WHAT IS ONE THING THAT DESIGN SCHOOL HAS TAUGHT YOU THAT YOU DID NOT EXPECT?

I learned that creatives in general do not sleep much.

WHO IS SOMEONE YOU LOOK UP TO IN YOUR FIELD? EITHER TODAY OR HISTORICALLY?

I have a lot of people I look up to. But a name that always stuck with me throughout my time designing is Paul Rand.

Mira Dandiker

SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DESIGN

Hi, I'm Mira Dandiker and I am a designer and aspiring art director. I'm currently a senior finishing up my studies in Communications Design. Born outside of London, raised in Toronto and Minneapolis, and currently split my time between Syracuse and NYC — taking advantage of all the creative opportunities both cities have to offer. Throughout my life, I’ve grown to love creative problem-solving and looking for intricate solutions to complex questions. I consider myself an interdisciplinary designer, my passions lie in editorial, brand identity, and packaging design. I've had the opportunity to work with a diverse range of clients, from Fortune 100 companies to one of my favorite rappers, Metro Boomin. My background and identity play a vital role in shaping my design philosophy. I'm only 22 years old, so I’m still discovering who I am. This self-exploration is stimulated by honing my craft and using creativity as a medium to explore different facets of myself. Everything that I am attracted to, whether a color, an interesting article, or an ad I saw on the subway, goes into my inner “inspiration blender,” and manifests in my designs. My work is a representation of the ever-changing self.

WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL INSPIRED?

I am constantly inspired by culture and the visual and cultural essences of community. Culture, in its broadest sense, encompasses a wide array of forms such as art, design, fashion, food, history, music, etc. It is not just a trend, but rather the foundation of a community and serves as the most prominent representation of any given civilization. The strength of a community can be measured by the strength of its culture, which is personified in its cultural identity and cultural objects. Community is the new currency. This fuels me as a designer, because I get the opportunity to be a cultural differentiator and have the ability to design for a greater good, to design and visualize a future and community I want and I am accepted in.

Alexa Policano Syracuse University School Of Design

Alexa Policano is a senior pursuing a BFA in Communications Design and a minor in English and Textual Studies. Before she knew how to read, she would flip through picture books and pretend to read the stories to her favorite stuffed animal. She did eventually learn to read, and has since followed her passion for visual and written storytelling which introduced her to graphic and communications design. Her design passion lies in branding, publication, and copywriting. Alexa is a night-owl with a secret love for pulling all-nighters in the studio with her friends that end in early morning coffee runs. She gets her best ideas in the shower. She is a passionate car-concert performer. When she isn’t designing, Alexa loves to crochet, draw, and read.

WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL INSPIRED?

People, literature, and my environment! I’m an avid people watcher and I’m fascinated by our inclination for storytelling. Wherever I am, I take note of the sights, sounds, and structures around me.

WHAT AREA OR AREAS OF DESIGN ARE YOU HOPING TO WORK IN OR SPECIALIZE IN?

I’m really interested in branding, publication design, and copywriting. WHAT IS ONE THING THAT DESIGN SCHOOL HAS TAUGHT YOU THAT YOU DID NOT EXPECT?

The value of critique! I didn’t have much opportunity for critical design conversations prior to my college career, and critiques with my peers and professors have changed my design process and thinking.

WHO IS SOMEONE YOU LOOK UP TO IN YOUR FIELD? EITHER TODAY OR HISTORICALLY?

Paula Scher

WHAT ARE YOU READING, LISTENING TO, WATCHING?

Listening: Blue Slide Park by Mac Miller

Watching: Abbott Elementary