Design Portfolio
Introduction
Hey! My name is Tara Falconer, I am a Communication Design graduate from Auckland University of Technology with a passion for social and environmental good.
I was born and raised in New Zealand by two British parents who infused me with creativity and a strong desire to work hard in everything I do. I love working with my hands to get creative with crochet, sewing, printmaking and more. I also love getting out in nature, caring for my houseplants and travelling.
My time at University was filled with selfdiscovery and curiosity as a designer and human. My minor course, Design for Sustainability, pushed me to be more considerate of the social and environmental impacts of my designs, seeing the real influence a designer can have. This informed many of my projects where I explored
topics such as feminism, sustainability, period poverty and more. In three years, I learned many skills but most importantly, the kind of designer I hope to be.
In my final year of university I got a design internship with MEA and was later offered a permanent position. My time at MEA has given me real-world experience in social media marketing, graphic design, copy writing, animation, content creation, website design, billboard design, and more.
Over the following pages are some of my projects from university and then my CV. I hope you enjoy looking through my portfolio and I would love to hear from you!
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Falconer Design Portfolio 3 Grounding .............................................................................. 4 In Your Hands ......................................................................... 8 Silenced & Stigmatised ......................................................... 11 Curriculum Vitae .................................................................. 15 Contents
Tara
Grounding Branding and Publication Design
2022
‘Grounding’ is the title of my final university project which explores the topics of ecofeminism and ecotherapy. I mixed the digital with the handmade through the use of various materials and methods. I hand made my own paper, embroidered bags, three copies of a publication, a card set, and a laser cut graphic token set. The elements aimed to inspire readers to connect with nature as a form of self care to show that we need to care for ourselves to have the energy to care for the planet and other people. In 2023 this project was chosen as a finalist in the New Zealand Best Awards and I have a paper submitted in the DAT Journal which discusses the project and research.
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In Your Hands Event Branding
2021
“In Your Hands” is an Eco-Craft Festival branding design project I completed in 2021. Asked to create promotional material for an event, I chose to base it off interests of mine, being sustainability and crafts. I wanted to design a craft market celebrating small NZ artists in a way that was unique and had its own spin. The festival is all about bringing people together to reconnect with working with their hands and the environment. The name was chosen to represent this working with your hands as well as the fact that the survival of this planet is very much in our hands.
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Mockup retrieved from : Mockup World
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Silenced and Stigmatised Publication Design, 2022
2022
One of my projects in my final year of my degree involved the creation of a publication about a topic I care about. I chose to look at the topic of period poverty and stigma, something that millions of people deal with around the world. The publication looks at the issue, sharing stories, artwork, images, poems and more that I collected in my research. Each section is a different continent, looking at the issue in different cultures and showing how prevalent it truly is. I believe that design can make a real difference so focusing on topics and issues that are meaningful to me is very important in my work.
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Mockup retrieved from : Mockup World
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Tara Falconer
Curriculum Vitae
Education
2020 - 2022
Auckland University of Technology
I graduated from AUT with a Bachelor of Design in 2022. I majored in Communication Design with a minor in Design for Sustainability. I was able to explore my personal design style and voice and I am so proud of what I achieved.
2015 - 2019
Mount Albert Grammar School
I was the chosen design leader for my school in my final year, creating posters and tickets for a range of events around the school. With this role, I also helped with a large-scale mural, co-led a junior art club and worked at the MAGS Art Show
Gala night. I was also a peer support leader and peer mediator. I received an award for service, endorsed will excellence in all NCEA levels, and received first in my year in both photography and design in my final year, as well as several scholarships and cups, earning a place on my school’s honours board.
Exhibition and Achievements
2019
NZQA Top Art Exhibit
My 2019 NCEA level 3 design board was chosen with just 60 other art portfolios across the country to be featured in the 2020 NZQA top art exhibit, which toured the country.
2019 Scholarship Awards
Recieved NZQA monetary scholarship awards for Design, Photography and English. This earned me a spot on the school’s Honours Board.
2019
High School Art Cups
I recieved three cups at my high school arts prizegiving in my final year including a cup for Excellence in Design, the Gold Exposure Trophy for Photography and the Senior Art Cup.
2023
Published Paper
My research paper from my final semester of university was published in the DAT Journal.
2022
NZ Best Awards
tara-falconer-design
@tara.f_creative
tara.e.falconer@gmail.com
Experience
Dec 2021 - present Graphic designer at MEA Mobile Range of tasks such as social media marketing, video editing, animation, billboards, working for international and local brands. Happy to share work from this position if interested.
March - August 2022
Designer for the MAGS Art Show
A temporary freelance role working on the promotional material for the Mount Albert Grammar School Art Show in 2022.
2020
Freelance Graphic Design
Worked on several projects for brands with branding and publication design.
Aug 2021 - Jan 2022
Call-out assistant for ZODIAK
I completed various tasks in their range of apartments from checking in guests, letting in maintenance workers, and inspections.
Nov 2020 - Jan 2021
Christmas Retail Assistant at Typo
Over the busy Christmas period, I worked as a retail assistant at Typo’s busy outlet store.
My final university project ‘Grounding’ was chosen as a finalist in the 2023 Best Awards
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Tara Falconer Design Portfolio 15 Thank you Email me at tara.e.falconer@gmail.com or find me on LinkedIn to get in touch!