Alec Stalder

I am a highly motivated, organised and passionate designer who lives by the principle of versatility. I don’t restrict myself, instead bringing together multiple disciplines including campaign design, branding, typography and photography to create cohesive and visually striking compositions for a wide variety of clients and initiatives. On top of this, I take a client-centred approach to my creative work, always considering their needs holistically throughout my process, as well as the broader context of them as an entity and the industry within which they operate.

My versatility as a creative is best exemplified by my work – as well as dozens of briefs completed in the fields of typography, print design, merchandise design, branding and many more created both for and independently of my tertiary studies, I am well versed in photography and photo editing, particularly concerning lifestyle and landscape work.

Having recently completed my studies as a Communication Design student at Swinburne University of Technology, I am now seeking a studio-based role where I can continue to hone my skills on a broad range of design briefs, and incorporate my passions for music and photography into my work.

Annual report design - State Library Victoria

As Australia’s oldest library, and one of the busiest in the world, State Library Victoria’s cultural significance to Melbourne cannot be understated.

This brief required the design of a monothematic annual report for the institution, to which I responded by creating an energetic and colourful visual style as a nod to Melbourne’s vibrant culture, and the part that State Library Victoria plays in it.

Other constraints included being limited to using only one typeface family and two colours other than black and white, and being required to only use original images.

Campaign design - 'Everything's Fine!'

This campaign was created for ABC Friends, whose main goals for the project were to connect with the ABC’s younger audience and increase awareness of the value of the ABC among this demographic.

Our approach to meet these expectations was to prioritise accessibility and relatability for a young target audience, which we achieved through the use of a simple and colourful illustrative style, and the personification of the letters A, B and C to create brand mascots that felt friendly, familiar and a touch nostalgic.

Publication design - The Last Days of Detroit

This brief saw me provided with an unformatted excerpt from Mark Binelli’s 'The Last Days of Detroit', and instructed to design an entire publication, front to back, around the themes and ideas present in the story. The historical essay-cum-memoir explores the factors contributing to the steady decline of Detroit throughout the 20th century, as well as the author's personal memories and experiences of the city from his youth.

The theme of ‘decay’ was central to my process and visual style, and was represented through type manipulation, heavily textured images, gritty scanography, and an overall dark and grungy look and feel.

Social media campaign - Silk & Stone chocolate

As an up-and-coming brand, Silk & Stone chocolate’s main focus is growth. They approached my team to create a social media campaign that would cement their positioning as a luxury brand and a thoughtful gift - something for special occasions and special people.

After initial discussions, we proceeded with making a hero of the unusual yet irresistible cornerstone of their business - the marriage of chocolate and wine.

My personal contributions to this project included conceptualisation, compositing the collage and laying out and refining the finished artwork.

Lifestyle photography - Treasures

As humans, we all have our prized possessions — some may be family heirlooms passed down through many generations, while some may be newer acquisitions, yet just as cherished. In Treasures, I explore this relationship between people and the belongings they hold most dear, using photography and art direction as a means to document the people, the possessions and the unique character of each of these relationships.

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.