Design as a Way of Life
I began designing 30 years ago by drawing letters at the kitchen table at my childhood home in Cambridge, Mass. Having grown up with parents who were design professionals, I was influenced by art and design beginning at an early age. After studying fine art and art history in college, I embarked upon my formal design training as a student at Parsons the New School for Design. Thereafter I worked on creative teams at The U.S. Fund for UNICEF, Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 2018 I made the shift to freelance which led me to launch Melissa Axelrod Design. I currently live just outside of Boston with my husband and two young children.
What is your biggest source of inspiration?
I’ve been influenced by a handful of talented female creative directors that have taught me an infinite amount about design and have inspired my best creative work. I’m forever grateful for the opportunity to have worked with these brilliant mentors.
Having spent my summers on a small island off the coast of Maine, I have been influenced by the palette of the ocean and the rocky shore for as long as I can remember. I can always find the most perfect shade of green on the moss growing on a tree trunk in the woods, or the ideal form when rock-hunting at the cove. I love tall and winding stems, the curvature of the mountains and of course, the infinite shades of the Atlantic Ocean.
I also spent some formative years living in Spain and became intrigued by the Basque sculptor and artist Eduardo Chillida whose forms are graphic, bold, elemental, and always dramatic. Other influences are Maine coast painters. Every artist offers a new way to see the world.
What originally made you want to become a graphic designer?
I’ve always been attracted to letter forms. I can remember drawing detailed and styled letter forms during art class in elementary school. I then became interested in painting and for a long time I thought I wanted to be a fine artist. But the design world drew me in. To me graphic design is the ideal creative career combining art, problem solving, communication and relationship building.
What are your other hobbies?
Painting. My veggie garden. Cooking. Redecorating our old New England farmhouse.
My passion for design permeates all aspects of my life. Whether it’s cooking a beautiful meal or organizing a nook in my home, I’m constantly influenced by my surrounding aesthetics. In many ways design has not just been a career, but a way of life. I’m so grateful for this all-encompassing career.
How would you describe your approach to design?
Honest. Intuitive. Transparent. Hands-on. Getting to know my clients is my favorite part of the process.
How would you describe your aesthetic?
At heart I’m a minimalist and I think that shines through in my design work. I love white space coupled with beautiful type and I gravitate towards neutral colors. I also find interest in the juxtaposition of shapes, whether it’s a jagged form combined with clean lines or a serifed typeface coupled with a clean and modern type form, to me there’s beauty in that contrast. Some of the more classic, serif typefaces are my favorites so in some ways my work can also feel classic.
