2024 Hot New Things: Olivia Brandeis-Mclellan, Victoria University Wellington – Te Herenga Waka
Each summer DA profiles a selection of the top design graduates coming out of our tertiary institutions. We welcome these talented emerging professionals to our industry, learn about their passions, final projects, developing creative confidence and ambitions for the future.
Today we speak with Olivia Brandeis-Mclellan, who recently graduated from the Design Innovation programme at Victoria University Wellington – Te Herenga Waka. You can find out more about Aotearoa NZ creative study options by visiting our design schools page.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Hi, I’m Olivia! I recently graduated from Victoria University of Wellington – Te Herenga Waka with a major in Communication Design and a minor in Marketing. I’m interested in telling stories through my work, whether that be illustrating and creating fictional stories, making a distinctive brand identity and visually expressing a brand’s story. My hobbies include drawing, painting, cooking, socialising with friends and family, going on scenic walks, and reading.
What did your graduating project focus on?
The Lyrics to Life project is a collection of three digital albums with physical covers for K-pop singles to showcase their individual meanings through my visual interpretations of them. I’m interested in K-pop music and used BTS songs as inspiration because they are lyrically ingenious, meaningful, and relatable. To effectively communicate the stories of each song and enhance the tangible experience of the albums, I paid particular attention to their compositions, typography, colour palettes, and the construction.
Why did you choose to study at Victoria?
Graduating from Victoria University runs in the family over 3 generations – my gran, mum, uncle and older sister all graduated there. I wanted to follow in their footsteps and I didn’t have to travel far as I’m from Wellington!
I loved how much variety there was in the Design Innovation degree and wanted to discover the many different aspects of it. It was great how you could experience a range of courses in the first year of studying before deciding on which major to do for your degree. I also liked how it was easy to fit in another subject outside of the degree, such as marketing, to complement design.
What did you enjoy most about your course, or what do you feel you can take away now that you’ve completed it?
After doing Communication Design I learnt how to imagine unique ways of telling a narrative, communicate a message through a visual output, have a key audience in mind, and how to develop and improve my ideas through discussions with others who can offer different perspectives.
Were there any exciting or unexpected discoveries to come out of your studies?
Part of my journey in university was learning how to execute digital design in more depth. It was exciting to learn how to apply my painting skills in digital form initially by scanning and adjusting them digitally. Then I transitioned to digital painting and vector art. Now I am confident in my ability to switch between the mediums and also combine them to create a distinctive aesthetic.
What was your biggest challenge while studying and how did you overcome it?
Like anyone who does design, there were of course times when I was stuck on generating ideas. The more time I spent at university, the better I became at trusting the process and having belief that I will come up with an idea I’m happy with. An example of this was an assignment where we had to create a poster taking inspiration from existing posters based on topics or events which used propaganda design. We had to communicate a current issue or message by transforming the original concept. It was a challenging project but I persevered and produced a striking piece of work (see ‘That was Home’ poster).
Was there someone (or something) that inspired you to pick Communication Design as a career path?
After high school I explored a few different degree options, including the Design Innovation degree. Having done product and spatial design, painting, and some design technology at school, Communication Design excited me and was something I wanted to learn more about.
Which piece in your portfolio are you most proud of and why?
Apart from my Lyrics to Life project, I’m particularly proud of my third year Typography project where the class was given the opportunity to present their work in a typographic installation exhibition which was titled Beyond Type at the Twentysix gallery. The brief was to research and examine an allocated letterform, keeping in mind its graphic and spatial qualities and historic contexts. My project is called ‘Betamorphosis’, a sculpture which resembles the metamorphosis of “E” becoming “B”. It conveys this transformation while also allowing “B” to represent the overall form. The level of restraint in the design allows the concept to shine.
Another project which comes to mind is ‘That was Home’. I adapted elements of existing 1969 moon landing posters (e.g. TIME magazine covers) to develop an entirely new poster which powerfully addresses the issue of climate change.
What’s next for you?
At the moment I am making a website for the start-up company Jooules which is in the alt-protein space. This is a great opportunity to develop my skills in web design and how to effectively communicate a brand’s story and complex proposition to a target audience.
I also have just completed a painting for a Christmas card commission for a client with specific requirements to follow but also freedom for artistic licence. I hope to keep doing painting/illustration commissions in the future.
Next year I’ll be on the lookout for opportunities where I can utilise and develop my visual communication design and marketing skills.
How can people get in touch or see more of your work?
Email: olivia@brandeis-mclellan.co.nz
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olivia-brandeis-mclellan
Portfolio: https://oliviabrandeis-mclellan.myportfolio.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/livpainterly/
