Institute of Art Design + Technology
Dún Laoghaire

Lauren Harkin 

BA [Hons] Visual Communication Design

Hi! My name is Lauren and I am thrilled to be exhibiting my work at the 2023 Visual Communications graduate show. I am a multi-disciplinary designer, passionate about creative problem solving and embracing unconventional approaches, with a keen eye for uncovering unique perspectives . My interests lie in bold illustrative design, identity design, photography and art direction. In 2022, I was lucky to have worked as an intern at Heimat in Berlin, Germany for 9 weeks, working on a range of interesting projects for various renowned companies. I hope to see you at the 2023 Visual Communications graduate show!

Nomo Fomo

The Covid lockdown years evidently took time away from all of us, but adolescents lost numerous rites of passages that were crucial for their transition from adolescence into adulthood. Teens nowadays feel this time taken away from them has contributed to various issues, such as lack of independence, maturity and social skills. Nomo Fomo accommodates this problem by presenting various effective challenges, encouraging adolescents to explore, experiment and socialise. These challenges allow adolescents to feel more confident getting out there, taking risks, gaining new experiences and they get rewarded for doing so!


Mad Woman Meets the Media

This thesis explores the social impact of the portrayal of mental illness in the mass media. The rise of social media has created a platform for the discussion of explicit content, that is often sparked from the content we see on controversial teen television shows. The use of social media apps like TikTok, have become an essential aspect in the lives of younger generations, who are observably more open and accepting of topics such as mental illness. The media has the ability to educate the viewer on topics like mental health but have used this platform instead to create a glamourous portrayal of people who suffer with mental illness. As a result of this, it has inspired viewers to link the exciting lives of the attractive characters we see in televisions shows, to the mental illness they possess.