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Stacey Craychee is a multi-disciplinary graphic designer and illustrator born in San Diego, California. Stacey is interested in typography, motion design, 3D, brand identities, and packaging. In addition to her graphic design work, she also maintains a fine art practice emphasizing drawing and painting, and is interested in themes relating to the baroque, impressionist, and renaissance art eras. Stacey feels fine art is integral to her design process. As such, she continuously updates her traditional repertoire. Her future goals include working abroad or long-term at an agency specializing in brand identities.

What does your Visions logo mean to you?

I firmly believe graphic design and fine art should not be separated despite the digitalization of the field. Combining the notions of the cyber age and free-form drawings, I wanted my logo to express a chaotic and beautiful mixture of the two. I enjoy artwork that evokes a double-take and forces the viewer to study it. Verging on illegibility only adds to the logo as one is forced to look closer to make connections based on the context surrounding it.

If you weren’t a graphic designer, what would you be?

I would either be an animator, oil painter, or glass blowing artist. Art is the most challenging, calming, stressful, and mindless field for me. It’s full of contradictions but I enjoy every bit of it… Except for sculpture. I am a terrible ceramics artist.

What advice do you have for the next generation of designers?

All art is subjective and your work will never be perfect. Turn in your assignments on time and be proud of how far you’ve come as well as what you’ve made, including any flaws. More often than not, what you perceive to be flaws are merely artistic differences. The flaws in your work may be considered “on-trend” within a year so I recommend stressing less over it.

How has your work developed since the beginning of the BFA program?

At the beginning of the program, despite multiple past design classes, I didn't even know what a die-line was. Now, I constantly build custom prototypes of my designs. During this time, I have taught myself Cinema 4D, After Effects, and Premiere Pro in order to combine my knowledge of animation and 3D thinking within my work. Comparing my work from a mere two years ago, I can barely recognize it was made by the same person. I’ve gotten more comfortable with stepping outside of the boundaries of corporate-acceptable artwork and have really begun to show my bold artistic taste through my projects.