Anne-Fatima Syed is a Pakistani-American Graphic Designer focused on Branding & Marketing in the Bay Area.
Student Ambassador Program
Tools used: Photoshop + Illustrator + AfterEffects
January 2025
Find Your Voice at the Symphony!
The Student Ambassador Program at the Symphony San Jose is an enthusiastic group of four Bay Area high-schoolers that bring a fresh perspective to the Symphony San Jose. This is an opportunity for them to develop skills in Social Media Marketing & Content Creation under the guidance of the Marketing team.
I launched this initiative Fall of 2024 to bring in a younger voice to a space that is dominated by an older demographic. As the Marketing & Graphics Coordinator, I was able to execute and fulfill my vision in January 2025!
Shown are the Marketing Materials I created for this program including Merch, Social Media Assets, and a Handbook that I produced.
Behind The Scenes:
Save the Snowy Plover
Brand Identity + Marketing Campaign + Print
Tools used: Illustrator + Indesign + Photoshop
September 2023
Save the Snowy Plover is a Public Service Announcement campaign in Santa Monica to save the species from extinction.
It hopes to bring awareness to the Santa Monica community that their habits are rapidly declining the population of the bird. This campaign is rooted in a local coffee shop’s efforts to spread information on the Snowy Plover and what efforts can be done to protect it.
The production of the campaign includes a coffee sleeve, exclusive coffee menu, posters, a complimentary tote, and an informational brochure which folds out into a poster.
Approach + Process:
The brand identity is driven by the shape and texture of the Snowy Plover Egg, the main icon being the bird inside of the egg. The spots are the pattern on the bird egg. It is complimented with a Decorative typeface that pairs well with the artistic feel of the identity.
Raida Collection
Brand Strategy, Visual Identity, Content, Digital, Packaging + Print
Tools Used: Illustrator +Figma + Photoshop
January 2024
Raida Collection is a modest fashion brand tailored for young women to help them feel classy while still maintaining the edge that celebrates their personalities.
Raida in Arabic, means leader. Young girls all strive to be leaders in the spaces they occupy- we want to make our mark as leaders with class.
Logo + Wordmark
The logo and wordmark represent the feminine youthfulness and freedom of girlhood since the modern day “Cool Girl” embraces her feminity and owns her agency in life decisions.
The Logo represents a Bow Icon which speaks towards that youthful femine energy.
The Logo represents a Bow Icon which speaks towards that youthful femine energy.
The Bow is created with two decorative and delicate R’s that represent the brand.
In juxtaposition to the bow's delicate softness, the bold and commanding Archivo font exudes confidence. The Logo and Font decision make the perfect pair to represent confidence with class
SmartStart School Learning Center
Brand Identity
Tools Used: Illustrator + Indesign + Photoshop
June 2023
SmartStart School is a Developmental Sensory Relationship-based Education Preschool located in Santa Monica aimed to support special needs children.
The Five Senses Character Symbols:
At SmartStart, there is an emphasis on Literacy, Language, and Sensory-Motor development. Because of this, I felt that it would be helpful for the students to have companions with them along the way in their journey since hearing, sight, smell, taste, and touch help us understand the world around us. These illustrated characters represent the Five Senses and they are a critical part of the brand identity.
The Character Symbols are tied to the children’s educational journey by being a constant supporting “friend” within the identity of the preschool, such as the notebooks and murals etc.
Their outline, similar to the logo, emulates the energy of a destination point to communicate the Five Senses as “points” of growth.
Their outline, similar to the logo, emulates the energy of a destination point to communicate the Five Senses as “points” of growth.
Mural + Signage:
Problem: The exterior of SmartStart fails to represent the warm and loving energy the school represents.
Solution: Designing a mural for the Preschool to mark the school with a warm presence and welcoming first impression. This mural reflects a roadmap of the Five Senses coming together with a community of helping hands, which represent the children. The side and top of the mural additionally serve as signage to locate the school.
School Material:
SmartStart provides parents with the following materials to support and be informed about their child’s educational journey. These materials were redesigned in a fun format to help the parents and children materialize and enjoy all the information they receive in an organized manner.
1. Daily Note for Inbox
2. Weekly Curriculum for Inbox
3. Journey Map Notebook
Process + Inspiration:
I looked at preschools that exist with beautiful identities that fostered a welcoming and playful energy. Spaces that evoked feelings of exploration, excitement, and growth were key.
Once inspired, notes of thoughts and endless sketches were made, launching me into the rebrand with the clear visual aesthetic I wanted to achieve.
Problem:
SmartStart holds an honorable reputation within Los Angeles, but the Preschool’s brand is underdeveloped, outdated, and disconnected from its main message. From the logo to the poor website execution, SmartStart lacks a representative identity.
Below are screen-grabs from the website.
Solution + Goal:
A brand identity for SmartStart that allows special needs
children to feel like they belong.
Challenge:
Questions that framed my design thinking were:
1. What does a space that fosters a positive environment for special needs children to learn confidently & feel appreciated look like?
2. How do colors impact children’s sensory systems?
3. How does the approach I take differ from branding a diverse
and public preschool?
Approach:
The typefaces chosen were to drive the playful nature of the preschool while keeping accessibility in mind. As for the colors, they had to be bright and welcoming.
Logo Process:
The original logo felt outdated and too similar to other Education logos.
However, I did appreciate how the typography held character.
These were a few drafts of experimentation but none of these versions felt right and read as a logo. I wanted the logo to still encapsulate the playful energy of the original logo.
However, there was one sketch that I felt had potential...
Drawing upon the word “start!” this was trying to represent a destination pin, but with a heart to show passion.
This one was a suprising since it was an experimental sketch, but it seemed the most interesting. A challenge I came across while designing this logo was that it was lacking an immediate recogition in representing Education.
After committing to this design, 47 variations were made.
Logo Suite:
Reflections:
This project was very exciting to me since I’m fascinated by how environments can come to life through the magic of branding.
Designing the logo was the most challenging part of the project for me but once I had a clear idea of the direction I wanted to take with the logo, the identity was easy to form. I’m really proud of the Five Senses Characters because I never really considered myself an illustrator, but this really allowed me to tap into my doodling obsession and take it up a notch. The characters also drive the concept that in a world that doesn’t welcome those with disabilities, they will always have a friend to protect them.
Overall, this is the work that I really love to do. Places that help others deserve really beautiful identities and I can only hope that I have a chance to do projects like this for the rest of my life.
Designing the logo was the most challenging part of the project for me but once I had a clear idea of the direction I wanted to take with the logo, the identity was easy to form. I’m really proud of the Five Senses Characters because I never really considered myself an illustrator, but this really allowed me to tap into my doodling obsession and take it up a notch. The characters also drive the concept that in a world that doesn’t welcome those with disabilities, they will always have a friend to protect them.
Overall, this is the work that I really love to do. Places that help others deserve really beautiful identities and I can only hope that I have a chance to do projects like this for the rest of my life.
Maza Malai
Packaging Design
Tools used: Illustrator + Photoshop
November 2021
Maza Malai is a chocolate rusk biscuit to be paired with a cup of chai.
As a Pakistani American, I connect chai with stories since the moments that bring family, friends, and everything in between to drink chai are very cherished. Taking all this into consideration, it just seems fair to focus the aesthetics of the brand around South Asian truck art since it narrates a story— the bright colors and symbolism within truck art celebrate the diversity of Pakistan’s working class.
My choice to represent Maza Malai with truck art is to appreciate the talents of the diversity of artists behind the brush! The chocolate rusk has a decorative emboss to complement the packaging.
Process & Design Thinking:
