Janine Leahy: Good Design is Design for Good
Designer and Art Director
by Elizabeth Lavis
|08 May 2024
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Janine Leahy, Designer and Art Director, balances hard work and imagination to create solutions and solve challenges. “I love that ‘aha’ moment when something clicks into place or I figure something out,” she says. “I aim to make a difference, even if it’s a small one because it’s a big win for me.”
Leahy hails from Listowel in County Kerry, Ireland, and her hometown has profoundly influenced her design work, mainly through a focus on contemporary societal issues. “Ireland, like any other country, grapples with a range of challenges that shape the daily lives of its people,” she says. From issues of economic inequality and environmental sustainability to the complexities of modern urban living, my designs reflect the pressing concerns that I’ve observed within my community.”
Leahy’s inspiration comes from her observation of the nuances of social dynamics and seeks to illuminate otherwise overlooked aspects of life and interaction. “Through my work, I aim to prompt reflection, create dialogues, and offer solutions to issues that are a concern in Irish society,” she says. “Most of all, my work places emphasis on fostering a deeper understanding and encouraging positive change.”
Ultimately, Leahy’s philosophy drives her work: good design is design for good.
"Safher", Janine Leahy
As a child, Leahy was interested in several different career paths. “I wanted to be about a thousand different things: a vet, a waitress, an artist, and even a nun at one point,” she says. “As I went through secondary school I decided that I was going to study psychology in university. After I was accepted into the applied psychology program, I immediately felt in my heart that I was on the wrong path. I had always drawn pictures as a hobby and wanted to do something artistic with my life, but I couldn’t grasp what that something was.” Leahy’s future career path was illuminated when someone casually mentioned graphic design to her in passing.
“Once I researched graphic design, everything fell into place for me,” she says. I realized that I had always been fascinated with design, but I didn’t know what it was or even that it was a job people had.”
Today, Leahy has hit her stride as a designer, and she has some sage wisdom for those just stepping out into the field. “Start exploring sooner,” she says. Don’t stick to the same sources of inspiration. Step outside of your comfort zone.” Leahy notes that inspiration can hit in the weirdest of places, but you have to be there to experience it.
Leahy balances off her creative work with self-care and steps away as needed. “I find the hour of personal time that you take makes a massive impact on the next couple of hours you spend designing, “she says. “Switching your mind to something other than design gives your brain time to figure things out subconsciously.” She also makes plenty of time to indulge in her lifelong guilty pleasure of watching anime. “I’ve been watching anime since I was about 11,” she says. “I actually taught myself how to draw from a manga book, so guilty pleasures really aren’t that bad, and they might lead you to become a designer someday.”
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