Creative Portfolio | Aliyah Philip

AliyahPhilip

Concept Development & Execution • Art Direction • Visual Storytelling • Brand Identity & Systems • Integrated Campaign Development • Design for Digital & Social • Graphic Design • Layout & Typography • Motion Concepts • Figma Prototyping • UI/UX Design • Rapid Concepting & Iteration • Creative Strategy • Consumer Insights • User Research Synthesis • Content Strategy •

Creative Direction @ Mellyqo

At Mellyqo, I supported multidisciplinary creative work for entertainment, cultural, and brand-focused clients within an agency known for research-driven storytelling and visually forward design.

What I did

Contributed to concept development, visual exploration, and early campaign ideation across multiple client projects
Translated research findings and visual references into organized briefs, decks, and strategic materials for internal and client-facing use
Assisted designers and motion artists by preparing references, refining visual directions, and supporting pitch development
Participated in Mellyqo’s exploratory, research-intensive process, including experimentation, moodboarding, and collaborative reviews

What I learned

Strengthened ability to shape narrative, tone, and visual language for diverse audiences
Refined skills in translating qualitative insights into actionable creative direction
Improved collaboration with multidisciplinary teams working in motion, design, and storytelling
Gained mentorship-guided experience in professional concepting, brand voice development, and presentation craft

Design @ Jarvis

At Jarvis, I manage creative and design projects from idea to execution, keeping timelines, resources, and teams moving in sync. I lead day-to-day project flow using Notion, building workflows and systems that support internal teams. My work includes shaping content strategy and experiences to improve collaboration and program retention. I handle budgets, vendor relationships, and production logistics from quote to delivery, and support events and partnerships with external creatives and speakers. I focus on clear communication, strong creative direction, and operational structure that helps execute ideas.

Creative Leadership Positions

Design Consultant
American Advertising Federation - Midnight Oil

At Midnight Oil, I worked for a fully student-run shop that operated like a real advertising studio. I contributed to campaigns for local Champaign–Urbana clients, shaping concepts, designing print and digital assets, and helping translate research into compelling creative directions. Working alongside a team of strategists, copywriters, and fellow designers, I learned how to build ideas collaboratively, respond to client needs, and present work.

Creative Chair
Indian Student Association

As Creative Chair for the Indian Student Association, I handled the visuals for our major cultural events, from posters and social content to full event branding. I worked closely with a small design team, helping shape ideas and keeping everything consistent across channels. I also designed materials myself and used audience insights to plan what we posted and how we promoted each event.

Communications Chair
Planned Parenthood: Generation Action

As Communications Chair for Planned Parenthood on campus, I worked on digital outreach that supported our advocacy and education efforts. I designed visuals, wrote copy, and kept our content schedule organized so our messaging stayed clear, timely, and aligned with the brand.

Creative Director
The Fashion Network Magazine

The Fashion Network Magazine is a student-run publication at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I joined the organization as a makeup artist during my freshman year, and the following year I applied to design a singular spread. I later became the design director, and I eventually was promoted to creative director. I had the opportunity to direct ten projects, and I was featured in their alumni spotlight for my contributions to the program.

My responsibilities included:

Defining the magazine’s visual direction each issue, including themes, mood, color stories, and editorial concepts
Monitoring industry trends, runway shows, and cultural movements to keep the magazine’s visuals contemporary and influential
Overseeing styling direction for shoots, including wardrobe pulls, accessory selection, and coordination with stylists.
Collaborating closely with photographers and writers to align visuals with editorial storytelling.
Leading art direction for photoshoots, guiding stylists, photographers, models, and set designers to achieve a cohesive narrative
Overseeing on-set operations to ensure smooth execution of shoots, adherence to schedules, and problem-solving in real time
Evaluating and approve photo retouching, color correction, and final production edits.
Approving all fashion editorials, cover concepts, layouts, and photography selections
Managing creation and refinement of magazine layouts, spreads, typography choices, and overall visual flow.
Maintaining a unified brand identity across print, digital, and social channels.
Coordinating with marketing teams to translate editorial concepts into promotional content and campaigns.
Managing budgets, timelines, and vendor relationships (studio rentals, equipment, set builders).
Building relationships with photographers, stylists, models, and creatives to ensure diverse, high-quality talent, and a positive creative community.

Education

DePaul University

M.S. Human–Computer Interaction

Studied how people interpret visual cues, narrative structures, and interactions across digital spaces. Applied this research lens to develop systems thinking, visual strategy, and creative storytelling for multi-platform experiences.
Coursework included front end development, prototyping, qualitative and quantitative research methods, data analysis, design theory, IT project management, and more.

University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign

B.S. Cognitive Neuroscience Psychology + Minors in Informatics & Spanish

Studied how the brain processes sensory input, constructs visual and auditory experiences, and recognizes patterns, faces, language, and other cues essential to meaning-making.
Learned how attention, perception, memory, mental models, and cognitive load shape how people interpret information and make decisions.
Trained in behavioral experiment design, user studies, data analysis, and ethical research using tools such as eye-tracking, MATLAB, fMRI, and computational methods.
Informatics: Applied computational thinking, data structures, and information systems to analyze behavior and translate complex findings into clear, usable insights.
Spanish: Strengthened cross-cultural communication and semantic understanding, supporting more inclusive, culturally aware creative and research practices. Had the opportunity to study abroad in Granada, Spain.