Gabrielle Hanley

Communication Design

Hi, my name is Gabrielle Hanley and I am a Designer from the Eastern suburbs of Melbourne. From a young age, I knew I had a passion for creating but was unsure where that would take me. In high school through our elective program, I was introduced to Visual Communication Design and through the guidance of my teachers, I knew I’d found my passion in VCE and hopefully University.

I am currently in my final semester studying a Bachelor of Design majoring in Communication Design and minors in Branded Environments and Photomedia. The past 3 years at Swinburne has been an exciting and enriching journey. Being surrounded by other student designers as passionate and driven as I am has opened my eyes to the prosperities of design.

Whilst at Swinburne I wanted to experience everything there was to offer which lead me to take units from 3 Design Majors. Communication Design has always been my favourite design field as I find creating and seeing a brand being developed from the ground up extremely rewarding. I have also always been curious about how design can be mathematical through the creations of three-dimensional designs and elevations in my Branded Environments minor. Lastly, in second year I started Photomedia classes to pursue my other passion for photography, which also allowed me to combine these new skills in my Communication Design major.

Photomedia - Food Photography and Magazine Design

Photomedia - Album Design

Communication Design Capstone - Proposal Poster Design

Communication Design - Packaging Design

Photomedia - Tv Show Advertisement

Acknowledgement of Country

The School of Design and Architecture respectfully acknowledges the Wurundjeri peoples of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners and knowledge-keepers of the lands, waters and sky that surround us, where we work, learn, create, communicate and make place. We recognise that sovereignty has never been ceded and this always was and will always be Wurundjeri Country. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who continue to make a better world through design.

We extend our acknowledgement to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff, students, alumni, real-life clients, and knowledge keepers, who have contributed to our own education diversity and growth. We will continue to ensure that staff and students respectfully honour ancestral connection to Country and Place in everything that they do.

We are dedicated to the notion of design to make a better world and we acknowledge that making tools, shaping place, sharing stories, making meaning, wayfinding and collaborating have long been and continue to be both central and integral to First Peoples' cultures. We recognize that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ cultural contributions have continued relevance to design practice and commit to: reconciling ancestries of design and contemporary practice as well as pursuing culturally and professionally appropriate ways to engage with a diverse population of colleagues, industries and clients. In a time of treaty-making and voice we understand that there are overlaps between caring for Country and the sustainable production of goods, services, experiences, products and buildings.

Guided by the principles of respect, reconciliation, and reciprocity we undertake to indigenising and decolonising design practice by dismantling colonial structures and challenging biases that have marginalised Indigenous voices and design.

As students of SoDA you will be given opportunities to both engage with and educate yourself in Indigenous creative practices and cultural protocols through a lens of inclusivity, diversity, respect, mutual understanding, inter-cultural dialogue in all aspects of design practice. Indigenous people have been telling stories, making tools, and connecting to Country through visual media, placemaking and place marking for more than 60,000 years and these practices are part of an ongoing, evolving and live tradition.