Why am I a designer?
Because I know what it’s like to be an outsider.

From about fourth grade to ninth grade, I felt invisible around my peers. While my brand-name-wearing peers were sitting in their cliques and making weekend plans, I was either sitting alone or with an equally awkward peer. And though I did begin to find my footing in about tenth grade, the experience stuck with me. Feeling like an outsider played a critical role in furthering my ability to empathize with the people around me. When someone feels excluded, their discomfort is palpable to me and I can’t help but try and find a solution.

There are many situations in our day-to-day lives that require us to decipher, absorb, and act on new information—following signage to navigate through the airport, reading about cancer risks and screenings at the doctor’s office, checking account balances with a banking app, etc. Poorly designed signage creates chaos and confusion for travelers.
A poorly designed healthcare pamphlet fails to emphasize the most important information, resulting in uneducated patients. An app with poor font and color choices makes it unreadable and nearly impossible
to navigate.

 

Each of these examples is a scenario in which people do not have

access to necessary information. We all want (and need) to be included and “in-the-know.” And, ultimately, that is the place from which I design: a deep desire to include and equip others by presenting information in a way that’s accessible, engaging, and crystal clear.