Institute of Art Design + Technology
Dún Laoghaire

Dayna Brislane 

BA [Hons] Visual Communication Design

Hi, my name is Dayna. I am a designer with a focus on UX/UI, motion graphics and branding. I have a particular interest in socially conscious design which led me to participate in a 7 month internship for a global medical aid organisation. I will be moving to New York in the autumn as I have received a scholarship from the Parsons School of Design in Manhattan to study Digital Product Design as part of their Communication Design MPS. I have also been awarded the George Moore Scholarship which will aid in funding my studies.

Reprise: Til Death Do Us Party

Feeling excluded from the post-pandemic party? Want to celebrate FINALLY being free again? Want to hit the dance floor but NOT bump into your 20-year-old son? Have a distaste for techno?
Reprise is a night for those who don’t want to wait for the next niece’s wedding just to be able to dance. It’s for those who remember the smoke-filled, chicken-dinner-in-the-club, slow sets, Blue Monday kinda nights.
So, if you’re looking for the kinda night where you can dance with people who also remember the Sweet Dreams, Tainted Love, Just Like Heaven sets from the disc jockey’s collection then we think you’ll like Reprise.



High Society: From ‘Frightful Perversions’ to ‘Chill Intentions'.

The Role of Visual Communications in Shaping the United States’ Relationship with Cannabis.

This study sets out to examine the profoundly complex relationship between humans and cannabis, particularly within the United States. It argues that federal prohibition of cannabis in the United States is fundamentally wrong and its status as a Schedule 1 drug with ‘no medical benefits’ is based on sociopolitical ideology and systemic racism rather than evidence based scientific research. The impact of cannabis laws which has resulted in the highest incarceration rates in the world is examined with a particular focus on Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC). The legalisation of cannabis by the U.S. Federal government is inevitable and fundamentally a good thing for American society.

This thesis also traces the role that visual communications played in the scaremongering and misinformation about cannabis by successive government administrations and looks at how visual communicators are now helping to change attitudes to a more positive perception in the new emerging cannabis economy by disassociating it from crime and transgression and associating it with innocuous use, luxury and wellness with innovative design solutions.

Finally, the study examines the new emerging economy to explore how the current legally profitable cannabis market can be ethically navigated given its systemic racist origins. The wider implications for the design field are noted in the increased opportunities for innovative designs for a product with no design
rhetoric historically.