Claudia Schonfeldt

Hey I’m Claudia! I am a communication designer who will be completing a double degree in Communication Design and Business Marketing at the end of 2024. My journey into design has been very diverse, but also pivotal in shaping my creative approach and career direction. I’m excited to now dive into new opportunities and apply the skills I’ve honed along the way.

Interestingly, I started out training as a professional ballet dancer. The discipline, creativity, and perseverance I gained from dance have carried over into my design work. That background instilled a unique blend of precision and artistry in my approach to visual communication.

Throughout my degree I’ve been proactive in gaining hands-on experience through internships and part-time roles. From a graphic design position at Swinburne University, an international internship with a social media agency in Berlin, and a technology-based start-up, I’ve sharpened my skills in the Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, and strategic marketing, while deepening my knowledge of global branding standards.

What drives me? A passion for creative problem-solving and a constant desire to learn new things. I thrive in fast-paced, dynamic environments where I can think on my feet and explore new perspectives.

As I continue to grow in the world of branding and design, my ultimate goal is to create innovative, thoughtful solutions that make a lasting impact and resonate with today’s ever-changing world. I’m ready for whatever comes next—and I can’t wait to see where this creative journey takes me!

Romeo & Juliet: Classical Reboot

This classical reboot of Romeo & Juliet reimagines Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy through the lens of the night and day motif, symbolising the destined separation of the two lovers. The mini-publication guides readers on a visual journey from night to day, with the symbol of the sun rising across each page. Various ephemera utilise typography and visual cues to highlight the emotional depth of the characters' dialogue. Imperial blue represents night, ivory symbolises day, and gold-foil stamping captures the fleeting moments when Romeo and Juliet are united, embodying their tragic yet beautiful love.

Ramblers Ale Works: Re-brand

Ramblers Ale Works is a microbrewery in Hawthorn, Melbourne, founded by five friends with a passion for craft beer and global adventures. The rebrand transforms Ramblers Ale Works as a vibrant, community-driven brand, targeting a younger, more diverse audience, particularly women. Featuring a bold, modern logo, a warm colour palette, and playful illustrations of the ‘five ramblers,’ the new identity reflects its core values of global adventure, connection, and diversity. The redesign spans packaging, marketing materials, and digital touch-points, positioning Ramblers' for success in an increasingly competitive craft beer market.

Journey to the Non-Place: Publication Design

Sarah Sharma’s article, "BARING LIFE AND LIFESTYLE IN THE NON-PLACE," re-evaluates definitions of the "non-place." This 36-page publication, designed in a contemporary brutalist style using only two colours, reflects the text's exploration of whether non-places are truly artificial and soulless. Imagery and typography were treated to reflect the aesthetics of passport stamps and personal identification documents, symbolizing the transient and impersonal nature of non-places often encountered in modern life.

Skin Salvation: Brand Identity

Skin Salvation is a boutique skincare brand offering high-quality, everyday products for consumers aged 22-45. Their facial sunscreen, available in three different botanical oil-infused scents, provides SPF 30+ protection while addressing various skin needs. Designed to inspire regular sunscreen use, the brand aims to be consumers’ "salvation," preserving their skin from harm. The packaging design incorporates photography of botanical shadows with an over-print treatment, symbolizing how the sunscreen acts as a protective shadow in the sun, aligning with the brand's mission to preserve skin from harm.

Meat Your Meal: Communication Campaign

‘Meat Your Meal’ is a campaign that visually educates consumers on the detrimental health effects of meat production and consumption. The campaign uses a hamburger to showcase the many health issues of factory farming, creating a connection between what people choose to eat and the severe health implications of eating meat. As such consumers are encouraged to feel motivated to change their behaviour and consciously reduce their consumption of animals and animal products.

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.