CV — Shanice Aga

Experience

Graphic Designer / Senior Communications Specialist / 2023 - Present
Virginia Commonwealth University, School of the Arts
Work with the Art Director to plan, develop, create, and implement high quality designs for use in initiatives aimed at meeting the school's communications, recruitment and development goals. These designs include presentations, publications, direct mail pieces, displays, digital/web graphics and other media.

Graphic Designer / 2022 - 2023
Institute of Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University
Lead designer in the support of all exhibition print and digital design needs including collaborating with artists to create new pieces for shows and working across internal teams and external vendors to see projects through from inception to production and installation.Worked on the Communications and Content Strategy team to create digital and print design assets for the ICA’s website and social media channels, paid advertising, exhibitions and programs, membership, and general marketing. Assisted in the development of graphic resource tools and the physical production of signage to be used by all ICA departments. Assisted in the creation of seasonal and exhibition-specific branding and implementation.

Adjunct Instructor / 2021 - 2022
Virginia Tech School of Architecture and Design
Taught a year-long foundations design lab focused on exploring basic design concepts and iterative processes, exposing students to new materials, methods of visual representation, and new ways of seeing, thinking, and working while fostering experimentation, critical dialogue, and play.

Content Developer / 2020 - 2021
Ozmo
Leveraging in-house development tools and technology, in conjunction with commercial tools (Photoshop, Sublime, Vysor, JIRA, SVN, etc.), to develop device and mobile application content.

Curatorial and Exhibition Design Graduate Assistant / 2018 - 2020
Moss Arts Center at Virginia Tech
Assisted with exhibition design, curation, and planning. Helped with art installations and takedown, receiving art shipments and documenting their condition, selecting pieces for shows, and creating 3D SketchUp models of the gallery spaces to use in the exhibition design/planning process.

Curatorial and Graphic Design Intern / Summer - Fall 2019
Taubman Museum of Art
Assisted with exhibition design and planning for a traveling POP art exhibition. Held a screen printing workshop for museum patrons related to the pop art exhibition and created the gallery guide and other exhibition materials.

Teaching Assistant - Screenprinting / 2018
Virginia Tech School of Architecture and Design
Assisted in the instruction of printmaking methods, equipment setup, and processes, as well as discussion and critique of an undergraduate screenprinting course offered within the College of Architecture and Urban Studies at Virginia Tech.

Creative/Art Director / 2017 - 2019
ThriftED Mag
Exploring thrift/reuse culture through creative collaboration on full-fledged editorial shoots, interviews, digital and print publications, and experiential, pop-up shopping. I worked with the founder and other creative members on sourcing merchandise, concepts for shoots and social media content, podcast graphics and content, styling, concept and creative direction for photographers and models, layouts for our printed materials, and larger-scale graphics for pop-ups, as well as creating our brand colors, logo, and guidelines, and working on creative pitches, video, and business plans for seed funding opportunities through the Virginia Tech Entrepreneur Challenge Competition of 2018.

Summer Instructor / 2017, 2018, 2019
Inside Architecture + Design, Virginia Tech
Led groups of prospective students through intensive design sprints, exercises, and projects introducing them to design thinking, methods, prototyping, modeling, theory, and the basics of force and structures. I also served as a photographer for this summer program capturing images of the students, their work, and the overall experience that are featured in an end-of-program exhibition and are used throughout the department’s website.

Graphics Head / 2015 - 2016
Publication Design + Graphics Team / 2014 - 2018
Invasion Film Festival Director / 2015
Studio Collective Design Journal
A student-run design journal for which I primarily did graphic design, social media, and publication layouts while also contributing to written pieces, interviews, and photography.

General Manager / 2017 - 2018
Art Director / 2014 - 2016
DJ / 2013 - 2018
WUVT 90.7
WUVT is an FCC-licensed, volunteer-run, non-profit, non-commercial radio station broadcasting to Blacksburg and a large surrounding area, including Montgomery County, Christiansburg, Radford, Floyd, Giles, Salem, Pulaski, and Wytheville, for which I was a DJ, graphic designer, and General Manager. As GM I helped run a large fundraising campaign, maintained our FCC licensing, digitized our past FCC records, and led a group of volunteers for each branch of our station necessary to keep the station running. I also served on the parent media company’s (EMCVT) board as a representative of the radio station at our board meetings As Art Director, I ran a team of student volunteers in the creation of graphics for all our events, posters, social media posts, and merchandise.

Projects

Designer/Collaborator
Facade Mural, Vinyl
McLean (2023), Navine Dosas-Khan
Institute of Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University

Designer/Collaborator
Untitled, Vinyl Wallpaper and Black Noetic Theory: An Introduction, Vinyl / 2022
dana washington-queen, Resume at the Point of Interruption
Institute of Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University

Graphic Designer
Can Labels / 2020 - Present
Mural Design + Installation / 2021
Moon Hollow Brewing Co.

Illustrator
Thesis Writing Excerpts / 2022
Virginia Tech, English Department

Designer
Logo Design + Branding Guide / 2021
Miscreants | CODEC

Designer
Album Art / 2017 - 2020
Furious Hooves Records
Stay Rad Stay Home Mix, ZDJ Rituals, Horse Culture, Helm

Co-Investigator
Mini SEAD Grant / 2018 - 2019
The Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology (ICAT), Virginia Tech
Willie Cole Bottle Project

Skills

Developing design language + Processes
High level of detail and craft
Branding & Advertising
Project Management
Leadership
Collaboration
Digital Design
Graphic Design
Spatial Design
Publication Design
UX Design
User Research
Prototyping
Illustration
Printmaking

Tools

Adobe Creative Suite

Photoshop
InDesign
Illustrator
XD

Procreate
Sketchup
Midjourney (AI)
Final Cut Pro
Figma

<3’s

Good food
Nice people
Rock Climbing
Fashion
Movie Sets
Graphic Novels
Screen Printing
Sketching
Pokemon
Singing
Posters

Education

B.Arch, Architecture
Virginia Tech / 2013 - 2018
Residency at Steger Center for International Scholarship in Riva San Vitale, Switzerland / 2017
Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center (WAAC) / 2016
Minor: Art History | Graduated Cum Laude

My undergraduate thesis titled “Simultaneity” followed the thoughts and experiences of two characters placed in two starkly different architectural environments. Through these designs, characters, and the world I created, I navigate ideas about space, time, perception, power, and intention in design - while highlighting that we as architects are often not thinking enough about the perspective view or various contexts of those using and experiencing the buildings we design.

Awards:
Ellen Braaten Media Award / 2018
College of Architecture + Urban Studies, Virginia Tech
For exceptional use of traditional media in undergraduate architectural thesis work

Order of the Gavel Honors Society Inductee / 2017
Virginia Tech
In recognition of my contributions as the leader of a major student organization - General Manager for WUVT Virginia Tech’s college radio station.

Furthered my education in Branding/Advertising through several courses
focused on Art Direction, Strategy, and Experience Design at VCU Brandcenter / 2022 - 2023

Awards:

Future 2020 Vision for Social Justice Endowed Scholarship / 2022 - 2023
Virginia Commonwealth University
Scholarship awarded to a full-time VCU Brandcenter student who demonstrates a commitment to social good

VCU Graduate School Master's Scholarship / 2022 - 2023
Virginia Commonwealth University
Scholarship covering the tuition costs for underrepresented candidates

VCU Brandcenter Scholarship / 2022 - 2023
Virginia Commonwealth University
Meritorious

M.A Material Culture and Public Humanities
Virginia Tech / 2018 - 2020
Concentrations: Exhibition Design | Semiotics | Sociology / Culture | Art History

My graduate thesis explores the semiotic aspects of architecture and exhibition design as a way to understand the varied issues a local museum is facing. I focused on how museum visitors can be thought of as interpretant groups or sign-readers, how design can communicate “feelings of inclusion or exclusion” ultimately attracting or repelling visitors, and how the museum can use design to create a better visitor experience for the local community.