Hey, im Melissa. Im a third-year graphic design student based in Aberdeen, currently studying at UHI. I began studying visual communication back in 2018 at North East Scotland College, which is where I completed my HND. I have a keen interest in branding and visual identity, I also really enjoy user experience design and typography and would love to expand my skills and knowledge of this topic in the future. I love searching for new styles and techniques to experiment and combine with my own. I’ve always been a creative thinker, even from a young age so its super cool to be able to continue my creativity into adulthood.
The focus of my work tends to lean more into graphic design, but I do enjoy getting to experiment with different mediums now and again such as sketching and painting. I try to create work that’s inspired by what’s trendy but will also look just as interesting and unique later on down the line.
For me, one of the most exciting parts of the design process is the research stage. I really enjoy delving deep into design trends, finding new sources of inspiration, and just seeing what other designers have been working on. It’s through the research stage that I found some of my favourite designers and illustrators to date such as Petra Eriksson and Kate Moross.
One of my favourite pieces of work that I created this year is my self branded personal item because there weren’t really any creative restrictions, so I had fun just doing whatever I wanted. The goal was to create a promotional piece that represented us well, so I chose to create a vinyl record album cover that is inspired by the 70’s aesthetic with a little bit of psychedelic disco thrown in as well. Anyone that knows me knows I’m pretty much a crazy cat lady, so it was only right of me to incorporate a cat somewhere in the design. I drew out a cat’s head in my sketchbook and then decided to give it a third eye to make it look more trippy and out there. The back of the record acts as a business card almost as it’s got all my contact details on it and I plan to put my CV inside the record as well, just as an extra.
Another project I enjoyed working on this year was for our social design strategies module. The aim of the project was to encourage people and communities to think and act for the long term, and to do so I created an app proposal called ‘Friends of the Forest’ and it aims to raise awareness about deforestation and the effects it has on our planet. The app informs you of what companies to avoid and how they contribute to deforestation, the wildlife that live in the forests, a forest tracker that keeps you up to date about the forests and an interactive game. The app also tries to actively combat deforestation as after every ten levels of the game completed, a tree will be planted in an area that’s been badly damaged. I wanted the app to look very friendly and not intimidating, so I made sure to use rounded objects wherever possible and stuck to a soft colour palette of white and greens. This was my first time designing an app and I really enjoyed it so it’s definitely something id like to do more of in the future.
After graduating my goal is to get a job in a design studio in Glasgow or somewhere outside of the UK. This environment will help me strengthen my existing design skills and learn new ones, all whilst being surrounded with the same kind of creative thinkers. I would also like to explore art and its different mediums a little more in the future as well as I think it’s a great way to relax and destress.
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