Miya (Li) Simmons
Graphic Communication and Illustration
I’m a multidisciplinary designer with a passion for branding and visual identity.
Final year project
Open Rind / Byenary / Diary of a Young Naturalist
Open Rind- Adaptogen Lemonade
Created as a response to the BrandOpus Hatch award, Open Rind is a series of four different flavoured canned lemonades focusing on the mental well-being of young professionals. With anxiety, stress, depression and sleep issues at an all-time high amongst 25-30-year-olds, Open Rind utilises natural substances called adaptogens as a low effort booster to mental wellbeing, in a world where time is limited.
Open Rind aims to subvert and disrupt the calm, subdued identity most commonly seen within the adaptogen and wellness market, powering through into the mainstream in a zingy manner with bright colours, bold type, and funky patterns.
Open Rind- Art Direction
Incorporating bright backgrounds, colourful gradients and fresh lemons, Open Rind's art direction combines uplifting emotions with everyday objects.
Open Rind- Brand Purpose
Open Rind is fiercely motivated- for when you can't be. The brand's tone of voice is positive, inspiring and a little bit cheesy.
Open Rind- Print Advertising
The first stage of Open Rind's brand activation is through print advertising. This utilises relatability to attract its target audience, whilst being placed in locations near to where the lemonades would be bought, such as in and around supermarkets.
Open Rind- Social Media Advertising
Alongside print advertising, Open Rind uses social media and targeted advertising to attract its consumers. Loyalty and Brand Legacy are created by encouraging sharing the drink and sharing people's personal stories about mental health.
Byenary- Gender Affirming Clothing
Byenary is a gender-affirming clothing store based in Gay Village, Manchester, to create a safe, judgement-free, in-store shopping experience for trans and non-binary individuals. At Byenary, everyone fits. Instead of categorising clothing by gender, Byenary separates clothing by aesthetic, minimising any discomfort trans people may feel from shopping in a section disconnected from their identity.
Byenary- Wayfinding Mural
Byenary utilises an uplifting and empowering tone of voice; its visual imagery strives to match this positivity. Featuring vibrant, joyful characters, Byenary hopes to inspire its consumers through emotion and relatable representation.
Penguin Cover Design Award 2022- Diary of a Young Naturalist Cover
Created as a response to the Penguin Cover Design Awards adult non-fiction category, for the book Diary of a Young Naturalist by Dara McAnulty. The design aims to match the calming, tranquil tone of the book, whilst utilising illustration to document key emotional moments.
Miya (Li) Simmons
Final year project
Open Rind / Byenary / Diary of a Young Naturalist
Awards
BrandOpus Hatch Award- Shortlisted
My project, Open Rind, was shortlisted for the BrandOpus Hatch award and was focused first and foremost on consumer and culture driven insight. Anxiety, depression, stress, and sleep issues are at an all-time high amongst young professionals aged 25-30. Open Rind is a series of canned lemonade drinks that aim to bring adaptogens-which are said to bolster many aspects of emotional wellbeing- into the mainstream in a bold and zingy way.
Work Experience
I have experience freelancing throughout my degree, having worked on a variety of illustrative and design outputs with printing services, independent magazines and local community groups throughout my time at Loughborough.