Hello, co-designers—

My name is Hanna and I’m a first-year Master in Design Studies (M.Des) student in the Art, Design, and the Public Domain program at Harvard Graduate School of Design. I have a BFA in painting and concentration in graphic design from the Maryland Institute College of Art. For four years after college, I worked with a wide range of clients from fashion to tech startup as a graphic designer and illustrator.

I came back to school because I hit a wall. I became aware that I made the few already-rich richer, those who don’t really need my help. So I set out to find a more meaningful purpose, where my service could truly benefit as many people as possible. To my relief, I found it at the intersection of design and policy, which is the current focus of my study.

Last year, I collaborated with the Center for Urban Pedagogy on an issue of Making Policy Public as a graphic designer. I created a visual guide that educates the public on New York state’s utility law with CUP and the Public Utility Law Project. Through this class, I hope to continue exploring innovative and design-driven methods of approaching issues that are difficult to communicate. I thoroughly enjoy translating complex and abstract information into friendly visual communication—and I’m good at it 🙂

I don’t have a partnering organization this semester, so I am all yours! I work intuitively, iteratively, and collaboratively, just as any moderately successful designer would. While I don’t shy away from the mess—as my class exercise shows—I actively seek out joyful moments in my design process. I would like to work with someone who wants to work with a visual communicator, tool-kit maker, and an all-around artist to spice up their project. I would love to work with someone who can help me become passionate about their project. Here’s my portfolio site if you are interested in the work I’ve produced over the years.