Arianna Shekhani
Hi there, I’m Arianna (she/her)!
I am a senior pursuing a BFA in Communication Design with minors in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Art History at Washington University in St. Louis, in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts.
I’m fascinated by the intersection of research and design. A large part of my process involves diving into rabbit holes and uncovering insights and niches that inform the visual storytelling arc each project takes. I am interested in branding systems, research, typography, and art direction.
When I’m not working in an InDesign file, you can find me taking long walks in the park, obsessing over sunsets, and experimenting with nail art!
Resume
Selected Work Additionally
Click through the slideshow for each project to view more images.
Girl Claw: A Feminine Design Condition
Broadsheet design about the Girl Claw phenonmenon, in which women have acquired a skill of holding their essentials after oftentimes not having pockets in their clothing.
Stay for the Sunset
Installation design encouraging students to take a moment to pause, reflect and watch the sunset. The installation included a westward facing acrylic frame (that framed the sunset), as well as a takeaway zine/poster in which I reflected on how the midwestern sunsets anchored my college experience, as well as a sticker takeaway so students could have their own small frame to remind them to take a moment of pause.
The Secret Life of Gnomes
This project translates the Decoder Ring podcast episode “The Secret Life of Lawn Ornaments” into a theatrical book that treats the transcript as a script. Using expressive typography and kitsch collage, the design frames gnomes, jockeys, and hermits as characters that reveal personal identity through public-facing display. Short sheets introduce historical context with more ornamental, archival-inspired compositions, layering research with play.
La Luce Lontana
Hand lettered packaging design, reimagining The Great Gatsby in mid century Italy.
Invasive Systems
Video piece exploring the imposition of technology on nature. This project was a result of my visit to the Missouri Botanical Garden where I couldn’t help but notice the big mechanical infrastructure within the greenhouses. The audio has been edited to include some of the recordings that I took while I visited the garden to underline the ominous tone of the piece.
The Glass Menagerie Book Cover Redesign
Book cover redesign for The Glass Menagerie that was made with shards of glass, a sunset lamp, and photographed. I reimagined themes of the book, like fragility, for this new cover.