Lakeisha Nevin

G’day, I’m Lakeisha Nevin, a Melbourne designer and marketer. My work spans branding, communication design, digital content, publication design and e-commerce, shaped by hands-on experience as a graphic designer and admin assistant in a Melbourne based manufacturing environment.

I’m big on figuring out what people are really trying to say, cutting out the noise and building visuals that make sense in the real world. I work with clients to dig out their goals, set a clear message and pull everything into a system that feels grounded, strategic and even a little bit fun!

Thanks for spending a moment with my work. I’m grateful to be part of this year’s GradX.

From Prickly Things Great Things Grow

My personal brand is built around the idea that good design doesn’t always start smooth. It’s often prickly, messy and a bit stubborn before it grows into something strong. I used cactus shapes, clean lines and simple colour to create an identity that feels grounded, adaptable and honest. This system includes my logo, type choices and the visual language I use across my portfolio and leave-behinds.

Gretel's Panko Pride Breadcrumbs

A packaging project inspired by family food traditions and the charm of homemade cooking. I mixed vintage textures, hand-drawn illustrations and bold colour to give the brand a warm, pantry-friendly feel. The goal was to make something that feels elevated, inviting and a bit nostalgic and strong enough to sit confidently on a shelf next to bigger, established brands.

Summer Range Hat Swing Tags

I designed this swing tag system by working with the client to pinpoint the key selling points, understand the target audience and shape what best represented their brand. I also coordinated mass print production to make sure the tags were consistent, accurate and ready for real-world use. The final outcome is a cohesive visual system where each tag feels connected to the brand, yet still gives every hat its own moment to stand out on the rack.

Barometer: The Weather We Drink To

Each bottle represents a weather system or event that has taken over Australian minds and media in the last year. From rare auroras lighting up the sky, to bright blue summer days and the extreme storms we plan our lives around, every label reflects a different national weather moment. “The Weather We Drink To” imagines a playful collab between the Bureau of Meteorology and Dan Murphy’s, using BoM-inspired colour systems and atmospheric gradients to turn real forecasts into a series of drinkable weather moods.

Abbotsford Convent: A Place to Meet

A publication design that focuses on connection, creativity and clear communication. I used simple grids, soft illustration and open layouts to make the content feel welcoming and easy to navigate. I also photographed the site myself, spending time in the space to understand its atmosphere and the people who use it. The piece is tied together through a colour system that represents the different communities within the place, giving each group its own presence while still feeling part of a larger whole.

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.