By Zoe Watkins —
For Virtual Portfolio Preview Day, a senior graphic design major shared some of her work and reflected on her journey.
Though she is from Louisville, Taylor Simone first began her college career at Arizona State University before transferring to University of Louisville. Her time at ASU was what first started her interest in graphic design.
“ASU is where I gained my love for visual communication, although I was studying film at the time,” she said. “In my first semester attending U of L, I took an intro class to graphic design and immediately switched my major.”
Simone said the reason she loves graphic design is because it combines both of her two passions, art and social impact.
“I love graphic design because I can address topics like racial injustice and be creative while doing it,” She said.
Even if her designing process varies on each of her pieces, Simone states that she loves the research aspect.
“Having a strong understanding of the content is always the first step in my design process,” Simone said.
When finding inspiration for her pieces, Simone looks in a lot of different place, but is mostly inspired by real stories and experiences.
“I am intrigued by how a design can speak to a certain emotion or an experience that we all go through. I am heavily inspired by designs that bring people together in hopes of creating dialogue and discourse.
She said that her favorite piece in her portfolio is a book called “When Words Unravel.” The book goes over the historical and cultural analysis of the n-word. Simone designed and wrote the book during her third year in a Bookforms class at U of L.
“This book is my favorite piece because it captures so many of my interests in one project. I also learned so much since I got to interview different people about their experience with this word and its history,” she said.
When asked for advice for students who are also in graphic design or considering in majoring, Simone said to take their time to absorb as much as they can.
“As a design student, you don’t need to focus in one area. Learning as much as you can about all kinds of design methods and processes is the most rewarding part about studying graphic design.” Simone states.
To see Simone’s graphic pieces, her work can be found at www.taylorsimonedesign.com.
Photo courtesy by Alexis Simone // The Louisville Cardinal
