WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU DO?

I am a graphic designer and marketer. I currently live in NYC and am juggling 3 jobs that I love. My first job, (the only full-time one) is a Marketing and Creative Services Coordinator. It is a website and email subscription called AskMelissa.com. It is a lifestyle resource that offers best-kept secrets all around NY and now expanding Nationally. For AskMelissa, I do a lot of graphic and web design and basically work on anything involved in creative and artwork. I also do a lot of coding and some marketing as well. It is a start-up company and therefore everyone does a little bit of everything. It is fast-paced, motivating, young, and always changing.

My second job is as the graphic designer for a company called Dream Water. Dream Water is a new product launched in NY (and eventually Nationally and Internationally). It is the first water to help people relax and fall asleep. I design the logo, corporate ID, packaging, bottles, POS materials, collateral, ads, displays, spec sheets, deck, and more. This water is now available at every Duane Reade in NYC and is growing fast. It is very exciting and has a huge amount of growth potential. Every day there is more design work to do, and as we grow and evolve the opportunities are endless.

My third job is graphic design for a new brand called Whole Soul. It is a self-help brand launched by a psychologist that offers books, products, website, blogs, and anything inspirational to help people through those difficult times in life. For Whole Soul, I do book cover designs, web design, product design, logo work, and overall branding. It is very smart, helpful, and a great place to be.

WHY DO YOU LOVE WHAT YOU DO?

Graphic design and web design is very quickly growing field and there are numerous opportunities always. It is very fast, very exciting, and very motivating for me. I see results quickly and the payoff (emotionally) is great. I really love what I do and think NY is exactly the right place to grow, learn, and experience this field.

WHAT LEAD YOU TO YOUR FIELD? WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR OTHER YOUNG PROFESSIONALS THAT YOU HAVE LEARNED THROUGH YOUR EXPERIENCE?
I’ve always been good at Math. The Quadratic Equation and Binomials. Derivatives and Hyperbolas. I see them and they just make sense. I also have a pretty good memory, which made studying for Science and History tests easy for me. So, everyone thought, “Dania will be a doctor, or scientist. Maybe a mathematician or a lawyer.” But I am not. I believe exactly the opposite. That just because you are good at something, does not mean you should pursue it. Instead, pursue the things you love. The things that inspire and motivate you. The things that make you happy and fulfilled. This is what design means to me. Design is an opportunity to express your creativity. To find solutions to problems “your own way” instead of “the only way.”

I studied Advertising and Graphic Design at the University of Miami. I graduated Cum Laude and received numerous awards including one for being a rising advertising talent. I loved learning about space and color. About creating balance and symmetry. About how objects relate and the history of art. About how opposites can create harmony and too many similar things can create chaos. I was fascinated.

Most people wrongly assume that design means a façade. A form of decoration. The typography, the lines, or the colors of the shapes. But to me, nothing could be further from the truth. Graphic design is the meaning of that creation that encourages and is conducive of growth. I knew I had found that thing that I love and should pursue. That thing that motivates me and makes me happy. My solutions…visually.