Lecturer & Workshop Facilitator | California State University, Long Beach – Design Department

​

In this hands-on workshop, students explored personal identity through the lens of branding. Using magazines, collage, and found imagery, participants created mood boards that visualized themselves as if they were a brand, translating their values, aspirations, personality, and story into a cohesive visual language.

Through intuitive image-making and creative exploration, the workshop encouraged students to think beyond aesthetics and consider how emotion, narrative, and perception shape brand identities. The exercise introduced key concepts in branding, creative direction, and visual storytelling while helping students develop a deeper understanding of their own unique perspectives as designers.

By transforming self-reflection into a visual communication exercise, students gained practical skills directly applicable to professional design practice, including concept development, narrative building, and the creation of compelling brand experiences.

Aida Ohadi - Duncan Anderson Design Lecture Series - Spring 2026