Leilani’s design philosophy is anchored in her deep understanding and appreciation of design’s capacity for visual storytelling, fundamentally shaping her approach to every project. Leilani has always been impacted by stories; from a love of reading shared with her mother, to the storytelling tradition and history that is a legacy of her Sāmoan heritage, Leilani's design approach is guided by her passion to beautifully and meaningfully convey visual stories and she sees design as a powerful narrative tool, capable of conveying complex ideas and emotions.

Throughout the course of her studies at Swinburne University, Leilani has developed a range of multidisciplinary skills which she creatively harnesses to effectively respond to each project brief. Her primary design interests are branding, publication design, digital illustration, typography and art direction. She relishes the opportunity to explore new creative ideas, consistently seeking fresh, innovative and unexpected ways to develop her design work, ensuring each project is a captivating visual narrative.

RBGV Annual Report

An annual report for the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. The design approach for this publication was to creatively convey the theme of ‘organic cohesion’, exploring how balance and order is expressed within the living ecosystems present at the RBGV.

Publication Design | Photography

Frankenstein (2023)

The logo and brand identity that were created for the campaign were developed to capture the essence of the original story and its themes, whilst reflecting the contemporary expression of Mosaic Theatre Co.’s adaption. The approach to the brief was to develop a strong typographic logo by which the production could become known. The overall brand identity additionally included the art concept, colour palette and font palette.

As part of Swinburne’s Capstone project, this brief was also rolled-out across a variety of applications to determine their effectiveness.

Brand & Identity Design | Experimental Image-Making

Major Discord

A logo and identity developed for a brand that creates premium guitar straps. Made in conjunction with three packaging designs.

Brand & Identity Design | Packaging Design

Kid A – Album Redesign

A reimagining of Radiohead’s 2000 album, Kid A. Through experimental image-making and digital refinements, the final artwork has been created to reflect the themes of isolation, loneliness and disassociation that are conveyed throughout the tracks on the album.

Experimental Image-Making

The Science of Gondry

A publication which explores the unique cinematic style of French filmmaker, Michel Gondry, and the influence of Busby Berkeley and Georges Méliès on his body of work, especially within his music videos.

Publication Design | Digital Art