Natalie Desmarais: Design Student
Natalie Desmarais is a graphic designer and creative from Louisville, KY, based in Northern Kentucky. She is currently a senior at Northern Kentucky University (NKU), pursuing her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Visual Communication Design with a minor in Marketing.
Natalie's work draws inspiration from music and film. She particularly enjoys packaging, branding, and editorial design. Natalie also dabbles in photography, ceramics, and digital drawing with the application Procreate. She enjoys creating work that inspires change and moves others. Much of Natalie's work is socially and environmentally focused.
Natalie Desmarais NKU ‘21
J: What is the biggest effect COVID-19 has had on you, as a designer?
N: I definitely find myself missing the in person interactions especially when it comes to getting feedback on my designs. I also find that it’s harder to pay attention in my design classes since they’re all online. However, I find myself using more of my free time to work on designs whether they’re for class or not.
J: What is the biggest effect COVID-19 has had on you, that doesn’t relate to you as a designer?
N: I definitely feel like I have missed out on a lot of things I had planned like concerts and other events. I also miss not being able to see my friends and classmates in person as much and I definitely miss traveling.
J: Being a design student, do you believe you’re still being as affective online as you would be in the classroom?
N: I think yes and no. I think I have been pushing myself in my classes still but I feel like I would be performing better if we were in the classroom. I find myself getting more motivated to work and do well when I’m surrounded by other creatives and can ask my professors questions in person.
J: Has your work flow or the way your create changed with COVID-19?
N: I think mine has stayed the same. I like setting aside time to work despite COVID-19. I always make sure I get my work in on time and that I can balance that with other aspects of my life like my internship.
This is a design project for a class project Natalie worked on during COVID. Control is a contraception delivery service brand that I created after I realized that many that already exist are very female oriented. I wanted to create a service that would be inclusive of anyone and everyone regardless of their sex or gender identity.
J: If and when, we go back to normal, do you think things will change within the design world?
N: I definitely think new trends will arise and there will be a lot of designs pertaining to COVID-19 and its effects on society. I’m interested to see infographics and other designs emerge from this.
J: Does COVID-19 differ your perspective at all, as a practicing designer?
N: I think that it doesn’t differ my perspective but I have learned a lot from it. I think it’s made me more open minded and taught me that I can’t always have control over everything. I had to learn how to work in an all digital environment which was a big change but I figured out how to get used to it.
J: Has COVID-19 opened you up to other artistic practices or hobbies, other than design?
N: Yeah I actually have been getting into digital drawing more ever since I got an iPad for Christmas. I’ve been working within procreate and trying to learn about all of its capabilities.
J: Has COVID-19 helped you or hurt you as a designer? Explain.
N: I think that in some ways it’s made me stronger because I’ve had to really think about how I can communicate messages more effectively and keep people interested since COVID-19 has made us all have shorter attention spans.
J: What is something positive that you can say about this journey of COVID-19? Related to design, or not.
N: I definitely think its made me value the small things and made me miss human interaction. I think I’m really excited to return to campus next year in person and make up for the time lost by interacting with people more.
J: If you have one piece of advice for any struggling designers or artists during this time, what would it be?
N: I would say that it’s ok to feel unmotivated and that you will have designer's or artist’s block every once in a while. I think that it’s important to give yourself a break and remind yourself that you’re trying in the middle of a pandemic and you’re making it work which is an amazing accomplishment. Try to make work that excites you or that you’re interested in whenever you can to keep yourself motivated and invested.
Natalie also started working with illustration during COVID. She has been drawn to creating scenes related to film/tv shows that she enjoys.