Art & Creative Direction

01 VISUAL DESIGN

02 PRINTS

03 BRANDING

Visual Stroytelling

Being an architect has exposed me to some tangible qualities like the ability to work with a wide range of visual and graphic design tools. In the past few years, I have had the chance to occasionally design digitally such as promotional materials, posters, billboards, and other graphics for various purposes such as non-profit organizations and social media. I believe graphical content for social media sites must be meaningful and thought-provoking in addition to being visually attractive and beautiful. In my works, I have taken advantage of simple ideas sometimes ranging with slight complexities.

Below are a few of the work samples that I think best represent my philosophy and approach to visual storytelling.

Visual Designs for HUMANITIES WITHOUT WALLS

Humanities Without Walls (HWW) is an extensive consortium of sixteen universities and research institutions in the Midwest and beyond. The aim of this program is to create new avenues for collaborative research, teaching, and the production of scholarship in the humanities.

Penn State’s Institute of Art and Humanities (IAH) is a partner at Humanities Without Walls. Inspired by the mission of the consortium, I created multiple illustrations using different techniques for graphic design and the social media manager role at IAH.

Designs for Truth and Reconciliation Series

Truth and Reconciliation Series were the themes of the film festival held by the Institute for the Arts and Humanities at Penn State. While racial tensions and structural inequalities between black and white Americans have been in the news recently, in 2015 the institute believed that the issues are not new. Through the film selections, the institute aimed to “examine the historical and persistent realities of race in America.”

Addressing the importance of unity, my draft design for the Truth and Reconciliation series’ brochure is an example of my keen attention to detail to produce thought-provoking graphics from simple, yet creative ideas.

Flyer Design for a Photo Exhibition at Penn State

The exhibit, titled “Peace Bridge,” was organized by Penn State's International Office to give the Penn State community an opportunity to learn more about life in Iran through photographs. As its name suggests, the exhibition is designed to connect students of all nationalities and to promote a culture of peace through dialogue and mutual understanding. Curating this exhibition had been a long-time passion of one my good friends, Yeganeh a Ph.D student at a time. She wanted to challenge American misconceptions of Iran by curating this exhibition depicting realities of Iranian life.

I was first approached by Yeganeh to share some of my photography works to be exhibited. When I heard the story, I felt a deep personal connection to the cause that I offered to design their promotional materials voluntarily for which I did a little photoshoot with students of different backgrounds to emphasis the values of human connection surpassing the race and ethnicity. The photoshoot took place in front of the Penn State's iconic Old Main.