BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Asjha Malcolm (she/hers) is a senior majoring in graphic design and painting at Boston University. Recalling her childhood and young adult experiences growing up in the Northeast coupled with imagery from a Jamaican-American upbringing all lend to a unique visual aesthetic prevalent in her digital, print, and painted works. Because of her interests in both painting and graphic design, she uses many of her projects to explore the way digital and craft can meet to yield a final form. Her goal is to continue making work that grabs people’s attention by pushing the boundaries often imposed upon graphic design and “fine art.” This is mostly done through staying open to incorporating multiple mediums into the work and making efforts to expand graphic design from a strictly digital space. When not designing, Asjha can be found drawing, walking an unnecessarily long route to a convenience store, or crocheting fairy dolls. As she finishes up her final year of undergrad, she will continue her painting and graphic design practices alongside each other with a focus on working with a studio to produce print material including book layouts and posters.
What makes you feel inspired?
What makes me feel inspired is seeing the work of my peers. Being a part of both the painting and graphic design programs at BU gives me a cool opportunity to see much more work, and inherently point of views, from an even wider range of people. It’s sweet to me to just walk down a hallway at one of the visual arts buildings and be able to see visual references that I would’ve never come across all through my friends’ works.
What area or areas of design are you hoping to work in or specialize in?
What is one thing that design school has taught you that you did not expect?
Design school has taught me to notice more. Once I start noticing little repeating trends that have been around me or in my mind, even the most mundane thing has the space to influence me.
Who is someone you look up to in your field? Either today or historically?
I’ve been really looking up to Studio Yukiko, a studio founded by 11 artists (Michelle, Johannes, Sebastian, Ira, Lou, Paloma, Tina, Tonia, Floria, Klara, and Yun) who foster really cool projects focusing on type and installation.
What are you reading, listening to, watching?
I’ve been rereading a lot of random books from home such as 13 Treasures by Michelle Harrison and watching way too much Archer.
[stwfoot pyear=2023 pslot=89]
