Lalana Ray

Hello! I’m Lalana Ray, an energetic communication designer with a passion for creating cheeky, striking identities and campaigns that resonate with audiences and drive meaningful change. My work often tackles social issues, drawing inspiration from everything around me, motivated by purpose and a desire to create impactful designs. I believe that understanding the audience is key to developing vibrant campaigns that evoke emotions, whether it’s a chuckle, a sense of concern, or sheer awe. I’m excited to channel my creativity into projects that are not only eye-catching but also make a big impact.

The Picket Fence Campaign

The Picket Fence Campaign raises awareness for police inaction regarding 'low-level breaches,' a significant factor in domestic violence. In Australia, an average of one woman was killed every eight days by an intimate partner in 2023-24 (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2025). A low-level breach refers to minor violations of a victim's personal safety in a relationship, characterized by behaviors such as unwanted contact or property damage that often go unaddressed by police. These behaviors test the limits of police response, allowing partners to escalate to more serious forms of violence. Utilizing child-like illustrations of monsters, the unified brand identity symbolizes the fear experienced when a dangerous partner breaches the domestic home. This approach evokes concern and action, encouraging viewers to sign the petition and support the movement to protect women from 'low-level breaches,' emphasizing that a breach is still a breach, regardless of its severity.

Birrablue

The Birrablue initiative by Regen Melbourne features a comprehensive brand identity and campaign strategy across both printed and digital media, aimed at restoring the Yarra River to its pre-colonial health, making it swimmable again in the heart of the CBD.
The identity incorporates artwork with hidden Melbourne landmarks, complemented by a natural colour palette inspired by Australia’s stunning landscape. The illustrations reflect the river’s flowing and evolving nature, celebrating the local environment while fostering a connection to the Wurundjeri Woi-Wurrung and Boonwurrung peoples, the traditional custodians of the land. This design approach positions Birrarung Marr as a vibrant community hub, fostering engagement and promoting environmental awareness.

Sardines

Introducing Sardines: the playful rebrand of Lanza, an Australian luggage company. Inspired by the phrase 'packed like sardines,' this new identity infuses vibrance and humor into the travel experience. Drawing from Melbourne’s eclectic inner-city culture, Sardines embraces bright colors and zany illustrations. These elements create an engaging and lively identity, resonating with the target audience’s desire for fun, stylish and functional travel solutions. This fresh approach positions Sardines as the go-to destination for unique, functional luggage, inviting Melbournians to embark on their next adventure with a smile.

Cheeks

This is Cheeks a charming and playful emergency underwear brand designed for busy women with PCOS. With a coherent brand identity applied across printed packaging and digital platforms, Cheeks offers convenient, reusable underwear for emergencies and special occasions, available in vending machines at train stations, offices, and universities. The brand identity features vibrant illustrations and age-appropriate humor, making the products approachable and fun to use. This design choice enhances the user experience, transforming emergencies into manageable moments of empowerment. By breaking the stigma surrounding period emergencies, Cheeks encourages women to feel confident and supported. With a focus on sisterhood and reliability, Cheeks establishes itself as a brand that women can connect with and trust.

Nazi Punks Folk Off, by Karl Spracklen

Presenting Karl Spracklen’s, Nazi Punks Folk Off, a print publication that dissects the infiltration of Neo-Nazis in the punk music scene of the 1980s through dynamic visual strategies. This visual language employs a striking color palette of black, white, and hot pink, capturing the raw, chaotic energy of punk culture. Utilizing my own photography, the design brings to life the rebellious spirit of the era, while bold contrasting colors reflect the defiance inherent in punk aesthetics. The typography mimics the hand-drawn style characteristic of punk zines, enhancing the publication's authenticity. By incorporating dynamic imagery and a layout that evokes movement and chaos, this publication engages readers and immerses them in the historical context of the punk movement, to provoke thought and discussion about its cultural implications.

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.