Bio
Rhiannon Harris is a graphic designer, screen printer, and drawing artist. Harris studied graphic design while attending the Walker County Center of Technology from 2015 to 2018, which started her journey into professional art and design. In 2017 and 2018, her design talent was recognized by SkillsUSA at the state and the national level. Currently, Harris is a BA candidate at the University of Alabama at Birmingham where her work was featured in Aura Literary Arts Review and the 46th Annual Juried Student Exhibition.
Since 2018, Harris has been a dedicated employee at Custom Shirts & Signs working as the sole screen printer. In 2019, she was awarded the Reader’s Choice Award for “Best Screen Printer” as an employee with Custom Shirts and Signs by the Daily Mountain Eagle newspaper.
As a graphic designer, Harris specializes in logo design, brand identity, and typography. Her design work reflects that of a screen printer, often capturing the effects created by handcrafted prints. To Harris, finding the best imagery, icons, and type to effectively communicate a client’s purpose, culture, and mission is a rewarding experience that is imperative for a brand’s reception.
Artist Statement
I am a graphic designer and screen printer. Inherently, my work is quite varied and includes both digital designs and tangible products. As a graphic designer, I am primarily concerned with branding and advertising. In particular, I am drawn to logo creation and brand identity. As a screen printer, I mainly work with wearable textiles such as t-shirts, tank tops, sweatshirts, work uniforms, athletic uniforms, and tote bags.
My experience as a screen printer has inspired the way that I create digitally. Having worked through and fallen in love with the meticulous process of printing multicolored designs, observing how each silkscreen adds a new layer that builds upon and radically changes the outcome of a design, and experiencing some interesting mistakes from misaligned printing, I try to capture these effects in my digital work to provide an authentic and handmade appearance.
I have taken inspiration from modernism and minimalism in terms of a flattened approach, though I greatly admire the postmodern work of Art Chantry, especially his hand-drawn typography and poster design. In my own work, I often include hand-drawn elements as well because they offer uniqueness that is not easily achieved solely by software. These elements can include letterforms, icons, line illustration, and textures.
Logo design and brand identity is integral to a business’s reputation. It is the first impression clients and customers have of an establishment; therefore, it is necessary for the logo to effectively communicate the brand’s ideals, culture, values, and purpose. I find exploring the possible combinations of imagery, icons, symbols, and type to properly connect consumers and business owners to be an invigorating and rewarding experience.