ABOUT
@bu_graphicdesign
@bostonpainting
@pmp.bu
@bostonsculpture
@buvisualnarrative
she/her
Alexina FederhenBUILDING A BETTER BRAND
Branding is everywhere and has the power to change us as people and as a society. It is what we interact with every day, and it affects our mood, our decisions, and our habits. Designers have an ethical responsibility to create with intention and purpose to make the world a better place.
Humans have an innate desire to surround themselves with items that define them. Identity and place are so closely connected that they inform each other. We create our environment based on our identity as individuals and our personal values. Environmental psychology studies how we shape our environment and, in turn, how our environment shapes us.
Brands are more than just the products we use; they’ve become our built environment. As a result of the pandemic and our reliance on a digital world, we have disconnected from communities and lead more isolated lives. Brands have the power to connect us, not to the actual products, but to groups who share certain values communicated by those products. Brands have become ecosystems with the power to create communities.
My thesis explores the three dimensions of brand design. Brand designers need to adopt a new way of thinking about design identity that is more rooted in architectural design—a solid foundation, a reliable structure, and a user-friendly interface. Brand design should not just be a market strategy to sell a product. I approach it as an architect would—a physical grounding in the structure of design to create a foundation for the client that the business will build off. It must be tied to the identity of the client and the target audience. Every project, every problem, every solution is an opportunity to create a three-dimensional solution—concept/vision, target client, storytelling as wayfinding—and change the world for the better.
Book, 10 × 7½ in.
Cookbook, 7½ × 5½ in.
Website.
Poster, 36 × 24 in.
Silkscreen print, 17 × 11 in.