Aaron Davis

Aaron began his time at Swinburne, initially focusing on the Communication Design major, but his enduring passion for photography was always present. As his love for photography grew, he decided to also pursue the Photomedia major, merging skills in publication design and branding with his ability to create compelling images. His design work often plays with experimental typography and grungy aesthetics. More recently, in his Communication Design Capstone, he delved into the realm of 3D-generated graphics.

Outside of university, Aaron works as a freelance photographer specialising in dance, events, and portraiture. He particularly enjoys collaborating within the music industry; documenting the performing arts and electronic music scene in Naarm/Melbourne. Aaron finds great satisfaction in working with creatives from various disciplines. This led him to explore fashion for his Photomedia Capstone Project - partnering with a young fashion designer, documenting her process, and capturing her designs worn on the body.

Aaron’s approach to design and photography is marked by a bold use of colour and expressive forms, regardless of the subject or brief - he strives to grab the viewer's attention and convey a powerful message.

BPM Magazine

BPM Magazine, a dynamic music and events publication, spotlights emerging Naarm/Melbourne-based musicians and the performing arts scene. Imbued with original photography and experimental typography, the magazine draws inspiration from 90s and 2000s techno publications. The majority of the images were captured at a HAPTIC MUSIC event hosted at 524 Flinders St. in Melbourne's CBD. The magazine also features compelling environmental portraits of Tom Walpole, one of HAPTIC MUSIC's founders. Within its pages, you'll find an insightful interview with Tom, where he discusses Haptic, all things techno, and the people he has met along the way.

Sport Climbing Australia

The project involved a comprehensive rebranding initiative for Sport Climbing Australia, encompassing a new logo, color palette, visual style, and an enhanced social media presence. The focus was on the upcoming 2024 National Sport Climbing Titles, strategically targeting the expanding audience of climbers and enthusiasts, particularly after the surge in the sport's popularity following the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The rebranding incorporated dynamic 3D graphics created in Blender, mirroring the tactile and three-dimensional nature of sport climbing inspired by climbing holds. It extended to various brand elements such as posters, chalk bags, and climbing jersey designs. The project also included the creation of nine impactful social media posts and a compelling 20-second animated video, capturing the dynamic essence of the sport, designed for integration into the new Sport Climbing Australia website.

Loomless

Loomless, showcases Lilli McKenzie's unique weaving technique, using recycled t-shirt fibers to create vibrant, textured garments directly on the body. The project tracks her style evolution and highlights the handcrafted nature of her work, with process images documenting a garment being made from start to finish, before finally being modelled on the body. The significance of capturing Lilli’s hands at work emerged through hours of observation. Images of hands form a recurring motif, emphasizing the distinctive characteristics of her materials and the crucial tools in her process.

Terum Motors

Terum Motors, a proposed rebranding initiative for Lucid, an electric car startup, aimed to position the brand as an affordable and sustainable alternative. Drawing inspiration from ancient Roman mythology, particularly the name Terra Mater, meaning Mother Earth, Terum Motors embraced a commitment to sustainability. Through encouraging the adoption of electric vehicles, the company sought to reduce the automotive carbon footprint. The rebranding process involved creating a new emblem, blending futuristic elements with an environmental focus. The emblem featured a vibrant green colour symbolising eco-friendliness, while the custom angular wordmark added a modern touch. Brand extensions included mock-ups of warehouse and factory branding, charging apps for mobile devices and smartwatches, as well as automotive products such as coolant bottles and manuals.

Narcissus

This photo essay narrates the tragic tale of Narcissus from Book III of Ovid's Metamorphoses, written around 8 AD. Capturing the essence of toxic self-obsession and infatuation, the images depict Narcissus ensnared by the allure of his own reflection. Each frame portrays his descent into captivation with his perceived perfection, gradually losing touch with the surrounding world. The series delivers a dark and hopeless message, featuring black and white portraits alongside still life images of frozen or submerged flowers, symbolising the narcissus flower, or daffodil.

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.