Elena Axiomakarou

Hi I’m Elena, a communication designer who enjoys creating friendly, human-centred designs that connect with people in a genuine way. I’m drawn to bright, uplifting colours and playful visuals that bring warmth and energy to a project, but I also enjoy being challenged and adapting my style to suit different themes and audiences.

During my time at Swinburne, I completed an industry placement at The Bureau, where I developed my skills in publication, web, and brand identity design, as well as digital content creation. I particularly enjoyed working closely with clients to translate their ideas into visual languages that feel authentic and relatable.

I’ve grown to really enjoy combining manual and digital methods in my process, as I find it brings a sense of playfulness and authenticity to my work. I thrive in fast-paced environments and enjoy working both collaboratively and independently.

At the heart of my practice is a love for creating design that feels approachable, engaging and human. I aim to create work that makes people smile and connects them to an idea or story in a meaningful way.

Fluent-ish (Print and Publication Design)

Fluent-ish is a publication and interactive card game that playfully explores Greek culture through a collection of traditional, nonsensical sayings and proverbs, encouraging young Greek Australians to reconnect with their heritage. It transforms these cultural expressions into a contemporary, engaging format that uses humour and interactivity to make heritage feel accessible and relevant.

Lyric and Liberation (ISTD 2025)

My response to the Interactions brief from the International Society for Typographic Design explores how music has communicated feminist themes across different eras and genres. Through bold, expressive typography and vibrant colour, the project celebrates women’s creative impact while challenging traditional gender norms and highlighting design’s potential as a tool for social commentary.

StemPals (Brand Identity)

The STEMpals program is a not-for-profit initiative that connects primary school students with STEM professionals through a pen pal program to inspire curiosity and engagement. I refreshed their branding with an updated logo and colour palette to create a friendlier, more approachable identity, which was then applied across an expanded website that reflects the new design direction.

Psychological Sciences Research Showcase (Publication Design)

This project involved designing a magazine layout for the annual Research Showcase of the Department of Psychological Sciences at Swinburne University. I developed a flexible design system that presents diverse articles and visuals with clarity and engagement, using thoughtful hierarchy and typography to create a cohesive and consistent reading experience.

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.