Hello I’m Ash!
Born and bred in Northern Ireland, I have had an absolute ball studying Graphic Communication Design at the University of Leeds over the past four years.
I have learnt the skills necessary to generate and execute original conceptual designs. I have pushed myself to develop and innovate creative solutions to challenging briefs and used industry machines and fine art solutions to help bring my ideas to life.
My time at Leeds has not only developed my growing skills as a designer, but it has also shaped me into a well-rounded young adult. I immersed myself in various societies from boxing to amateur dramatics, was a participant in surf trips and art classes, learnt to curate and organise exhibitions and developed a network of friends.
Outside of my degree I am a big fan of travel and the outdoors, and my most recent trips have included South America and India. Moving forward, I would love my developing work to include influences from the cultures I have experienced around the world.
Never could I have imagined a global pandemic drastically cutting short my final year short and in-between various zoom quizzes I completed my final year project, named House of Liberty. This project aimed to improve the lack of enthusiasm in working professionals as a result of the social issue, FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). FOMO was challenged by encouraging consumers to engage with basic acts of mindfulness, through the branding of a coffee shop. The brand is disruptive and unique to the market, changing the face of design in an attempt to reform social attitudes. The chatty vernacular and hand-crafted prints result in the brands tone of voice being upmarket and contemporary.
A typographic first vinyl campaign ‘Essential Things’, communicates the priority of human connections. Based on the song 21st Century Blues by Frank Turner which encourages millennial’s to consider what they deem as essential. Research highlighted that the value system has become skewed, and the need for consumerism has overtaken the need for human connections. The words laser cut into the paper is a reminder that this essential list offers stability and will never fade or be lost in Frank Turners ‘storm’.
Lastly, an information design project, ‘A Topographic Display’, explores the topographic landscape of the Mourne Mountains. The geographical form is expressed through a set of explorative prints and an accompanying informational book. The abstract, artistic nature of the project admires the beauty of the Mourne Mountains, celebrating their unique distinguishable form. The simplicity of the restricted colour palette ensures that the key elements remain the focal point in line with Rosenburg’s principle to ‘show the graphics and highlight the emotion of the data’.
To see more of these projects please check out my website and blog.
www.linkedin.com/in/ashleigh-hawthorne-2001a6a1/
