Hannah Desimone

I am an emerging visual communications designer and a graduate of Swinburne University's Bachelor of Design. I am passionate about crafting unique and meaningful creative narratives and media, specialising in storyboarding, illustration, branding and graphic design. My ambitious designs mean being able to express freedom and fulfilment through the use of traditional and digital artistic mediums, and delving into the complexities of projects.

Accordion Book: Superstitions Of The Moon

The accordion book communicates the superstition of the moon taking ones soul. The aim of this fictional project was to represent an object and connect it to a related concept. Also had to reflect on the idea through form and visual communications. The notion was further established with multiple Turkish map folds extending and connecting to portray a round, rotating structure and the mechanics of engulfing something. The astral like graphics which is a combination of handmade mediums embedded into the books folds, represent the mysterious undertones of the moons, it's characteristics and the circulation and movement of souls in it's composition.

State Library Victoria & St Paul's Cathedral A3 Posters

The State Library of Victoria and Saint Paul's Cathedral posters aim to communicate the presence of these Australian national landmarks through cohesive graphic language of abstract formations, expressive colour schemes and typography. The process required to enhance the visual connection was the analysis of structures and extensive experimentation alongside descriptive graphic elements. These posters use intersecting lines and broken shapes to emphasise the main characteristics of each monument. The combination of cool, hand-made watercolour tones, simplistic typography, and the overall style effectively expresses strength and unity amongst these heritage sites.

Storyboard: Nike; Lead In Green Narrative

Within the educational brief, the storyboard and 30-second animatic, "Lead in green" Nike advertisement, focuses on innovation, engaging conceptual narratives through visual development. The campaign illustrates a migration of average winged shoes flying around the forest; however, the leader of the flock is made of polluted, unsustainable and low-quality material and begins to fall and wither. The flying shoe is revived as a Nike runner, made of strong, sustainable materials, leading the flock once more. A subtle empowering transition from a flying shoe to a person crossing the finish line communicates that being ethically well-produced and impactful always leads to greater success.

Nordic Folk Lore Creatures Vector Illustrations

The Nordic culture and folklore-inspired vector artworks and patterns were initially an element of a flying paper plane brief, with the main focus on creating high-quality, aligned and smooth vector-oriented drawings in an applied design context. Through extensive research on the narratives of each selected folk creature, the illustrations reflect their multifaceted nature and conditions through the plane's form.

Albert Camus: The Stranger Penguin Books Capstone

Within the personal and self-made capstone unit brief, a series of chapter illustrations and a book cover were created for the selected client, Penguin Random House. The illustrations follow the classic novel by Albert Camus, "The Stranger," to create a visual connection between the author's philosophical ideas of finding meaning in life through the main protagonist and his indifference to the individuals around him. The project targets young readers aged 19 - 25 interested in existential and philosophical themes and historical and cultural contexts. They identify as those of diverse backgrounds, philosophy students, educators and critics wanting to analyse and deepen understanding of literature and cultural perspectives through accurate visualisation. Overall the illustrations enhance diverse visual and cultural storytelling through a distorted, contrasting cubism style, cohesive, emotive and vibrant colour palettes, compositional narrativity and recurring motifs and symbolism.

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.