Courtesy of Lauren Rochford ’26
Art major Lauren Rochford ‘26 is an independently driven graphic designer, contributing her skills and talents to her coursework, her studies abroad in Copenhagen, Connecticut College’s fashion and literature publication Gray Area Magazine and even the state of Connecticut as their graphic design intern this summer.
“I came into Conn knowing I wanted to be an art major, but not really what I wanted to do with it,” Lauren said. She began drawing and painting in high school, but wasn’t introduced to the medium of digital design until the summer of her freshman year, taking off on larger projects her junior year study-away semester.
“I did [an] interior design internship freshman year, and my boss had me make a poster for something, and I was like, ‘oh, like, okay’. I’d started to learn all the Adobe softwares during the summer, and have been able to take it to my classes since.” she began. “The main course I took while in Copenhagen was Graphic Design Foundation Studio. I took a class at Conn too, but it was abroad where I really fell in love with it.”
Rochford says that the immersive and consistent studio experience while studying in Copenhagen led her to a stronger interest in graphic design, developed her artistic voice, and yielded many projects she has displayed on her portfolio today. Her work is modern, emotional, and communicative. A stand out project, she says, was brand design for Copenhagen’s Tranhuset Experience and Learning Center. Inspired by the “Blind Box” trends such as Sonny Angels, Rochford illustrated and designed a blind box line of whale toys, the box packaging, and a logo for this sector of Tranhuset, along with a pamphlet about the environmental protection center. She reflected, “We did a lot of work, but it was really fun. I was glad I got to add my own element to the project.”
After returning to Connecticut, Rochford contributed her skills to Gray Area Magazine as Layout Director. “I really like fashion and magazines and I love design. GAM is a cool way to combine those interests,” she explained. “The team has a lot of great ideas, I think this year turned out really great.”
Reflecting on her academic experience so far, Rochford expresses her gratitude for her abroad experience and desire for more graphic design opportunities on campus at Connecticut College.
“It’s hard, we don’t really even have the [art] major here. I wish there were more classes. But I do feel like a lot of design is very independent and a lot of trial and error.” she said. Rochford is one of the only graphic design students at Connecticut College. “But it’s really nice to have that diverse range of opinions and perspectives from other art majors and see how work translates across mediums.”
