Institute of Art Design + Technology
Dún Laoghaire

Ailish Phillips 

BA [Hons] Visual Communication Design

Hi! I'm a graphic designer with a particular interest in typography, UX and identity design. I love to create holistic solutions that are grounded in user research, solving problems across digital and print outcomes. My particular interest in material culture informs both my practical and theoretical work. Through both my thesis and my graduate project, I had the opportunity to explore the unique relationships between people and the designed world. I’m excited to keep developing my skills and telling stories through diverse media.

stitch

The stitch app encourages people to think about the long-term lives of their clothing, by showcasing each garment's unique story. As an alternative to always buying new clothes, stitch promotes proper clothes maintenance, alteration and upcycling. The app provides mending and making tutorials as well as repair and upcycling kits. The community share their making and mending projects, which are each linked to an individual tag. If the garment is ever passed on or sold, new owners scan the tag's code and can read its history—and add their own chapter.


Home Is Where the Hearth Is: The Social Role of the Fireplace in Irish Material Culture

This thesis explores the social role played by the domestic fireplace and its associated material culture in the lives of the Irish family and community. I researched the way Irish people choose and acquire the objects they display at their hearths, as an exercise in identity formation. I investigated the relationships people form with these objects, and the ways that these reflect social relations. Visual analysis of paintings and photographs formed the basis of this discussion of the various social, economic and political identities played out at the Irish hearth.