Shanice Aga

Shanice Aga

Designer in Virginia

Shanice Aga (b.1995) is a khoja-american designer and art director. A trained architect and material culturalist, she is inspired by philosophy, (ancientpop) cultural phenomena and human expression.
    Aga has been primarily working for museums, brands, and artists across multiple touch-points: from digital and print, to (IRL) experiences.

Contact

Website
LinkedIn

Work Experience

2023 — Now
Graphic Designer at VCUarts

As a graphic designer at VCUarts I plan, develop, create, and implement high-quality designs for use in initiatives aimed at meeting the school's communications, recruitment, and development goals in collaboration with the Art Director. Including presentations, publications, direct mail pieces, displays, digital/web graphics, and other media to promote communications tailored to specific audiences like prospective and current students and their families, alumni, faculty, staff, and donors.

Most notably I've contributed to:

  • New VCUarts Website (coming soon)

  • Admissions Viewbook Design, 2024 (coming soon)

  • A full re-brand of VCUarts including a new Brand Guide

  • CONTEXT Annual Fashion Event 2024 Brand/experience design

  • MFA Thesis Catalog 2023

  • National Portfolio Day posters and Branding 2023, 2024

2022 — Now

Work with 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. Assist in the development of graphic resource tools and the physical production of signage to be used by all ICA departments.

2021 — 2022

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.

2020 — 2021

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 for clients such as Verizon and Telus.

2015 — 2020

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.

2018 — 2020

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.

2017 — 2019

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.

2013 — 2018
DJ --> Art Director --> General Manager at WUVT FM 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.

2018 — 2018

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.

Side Projects

Ongoing

HOYEHH is a homemade Chinese-Vietnamese-American chili oil brand I collaborated on with my partner, his dad (the creator of the recipe), and really the whole family. The design and branding is inspired by magazine culture, cantonese culture, the experiences of kids of immigrants, photos on film and the story of the monkey king from ancient art references to Dragon Ball Z. Right now we're only taking orders through instagram DM's, Venmo, and in person in Richmond, VA...more to come!

Ongoing
Film Photography

Education

2018 — 2020
M.A., Material Culture and Public Humanities at Virginia Tech

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.

2013 — 2018
B.Arch, Architecture, Art History Minor at Virginia Tech

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

2022
VCU Brandcenter Scholarship from Virginia Commonwealth University
2022
Graduate School Master's Scholarship from Virginia Commonwealth University

Scholarship covering the tuition costs for underrepresented candidates.

2022
Future 2020 Vision for Social Justice Endowed Scholarship from Virginia Commonwealth University

Scholarship awarded to a full-time VCU Brandcenter student who demonstrates a commitment to social good.

2018
Ellen Braaten Media Award from College of Architecture + Urban Studies, Virginia Tech

For exceptional use of traditional media in undergraduate architectural thesis work.

Certifications

2022
User Experience Design from Google