Nicole Junkin (She/Her)
I am a graphic designer primarily working across identity, typography and editorial design. My practice draws from both digital and analogue methods, traditional processes providing an opportunity for tactility and new perspective in my work. I am conceptually driven, my interests in cultural identity and social issues informing much of my work this year. I also enjoy working on concept-led identity projects, often incorporating visual play and animation- finding satisfaction in iterative processes to resolve creative problems.
The Other Side
‘The Other Side’ is a publication that explores the impact of Northern Ireland’s political divide on the Ceasefire Babies- the generation who were children or born around the time of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. Although this generation may not have experienced violence directly, studies at the University of Ulster have shown Troubles related trauma may be inherited between generations, exacerbated as a result of poor community relations and economic conditions.
Through interviewing a diverse range of voices from this generation, and reflecting on my own lived experience growing up in Northern Ireland, I have gained an insight into the identities of this generation- visually interpreting what it means to be a part of the Ceasefire Generation through materiality and play with perspective. The Other Side presents an alternative perspective to the binary narrative of orange and green politics, showing the identity of the Ceasefire Generation as something personal to each individual and their experience.
The publication was taken back to my home town to be photographed- where an old, once heavily fortified, Royal Ulster Constabulary station stood until 2016, now a contemporary arts hub- one example of the slow, but significant progress in community relations across Northern Ireland.
Invisible Forces
Using screenprinting and letterpress, this work explores the lasting impact of green and orange politics on the Ceasefire Generation in Northern Ireland.
Deconstruct
This was a self-negotiated brief to design posters for an interactive exhibition for parents and children held at the V&A. The exhibition aims to deconstruct rigid gender constructs in the toy industry. This would be a weekend of gender-neutral play workshops & activities aimed at involving parents in the move to gender-equal play, showcasing the importance of play in childhood development.
Banned: A Poster Exhibition
These prints were made as part of a collaborative exhibition, ‘Banned’, which explored censorship through letterpress printing. I took inspiration from Blondie’s ‘Atomic’ which was banned by the BBC during the gulf war for ‘connotations of bombing’. The song is highly experimental, with few lyrics and the word ‘Atomic’ used only as an expression of excitement, removed from the context of war.
Open Up
This was a self-negotiated brief to create a playful brand identity that was for purpose rather than profit. My research focused on socially conscious brands, designers and campaigns, following on from the subject of my extended essay. The concept for this project was to create a zero-alcohol drinks brand that is open and honest about the effects of alcohol on mental health, and aims to fight the stigma surrounding this in collaboration with the charity Mind.
The peel and reveal label would offer encouragement and show what the brand has been up to in their campaign- aimed at the nervous fidgeters among us, or those who feel they have to have a drink in their hand to feel comfortable. Open Up brewing co. is for those who the want to avoid the morning after, or who don’t need a drink to have a great time.
