Every year, Moore Graphic Design seniors create design concepts for the annual Fashion Show and Senior Show, which features final thesis collections from graduating students across majors. One design, inspired by Moore’s institutional brand, is chosen to represent each event.
Read on to hear from Haley O’Neill ’24, who was chosen to create the design for the 2024 Senior Show, and who was the lead designer on this year’s Fashion Show promotional assets, as a Graphic Design work-study student in Moore’s Marketing & Communications department.
You can visit Moore’s Events page to learn more about the Senior Show, on view at Moore from April 25 through May 11, and the Fashion Show on May 10.
Can you tell us who you are?
My name is Haley O’Neill (she/her) and I’m a senior majoring in Graphic Design. I’m from Yardley, PA, about an hour outside of Philadelphia.
I came to Moore because I was really looking for a small school with a close-knit community where I could get one-on-one interactions and a more personalized education. Moore edged out my other top choice because it was smaller and more personal.
How did it feel to have your design selected for Senior Show promotional materials?
I was very surprised because I have some very talented classmates. I thought for sure that their designs were going to win out. I was really pleased that those in charge of this project saw my design and thought it was a good representation of Moore and its community.
It still feels a little surreal when I see the invitations and the social media graphics and I say, “Hey, I did that!”
What was your favorite part about working on that design?
My favorite part was pushing Moore’s brand guidelines and seeing how I could reinterpret them in a way that wasn’t so standard.
I work with the brand guidelines as part of my work study, so I’m used to doing things much more by the book. This was a good opportunity to take those set guidelines and [employ] a greater sense of freedom, and smash them together to get something cool.
What was your inspiration behind the Fashion Show design materials?
I took inspiration from the garment itself and the designer behind it, Alyssa Lucas ’24. She shared her mood boards and inspiration with us, and she took a lot of inspiration from star maps and star motifs.
I also looked at the past Fashion Show invitation designs. The more recent ones were very simple and highlighted the design of the garment, so I didn’t want to do anything too crazy with it. I wanted to incorporate the star theme in a subtle but still visually interesting way.
The invitation is very heavily centered around specific photographs, and that wasn’t negotiable—the photos needed to be the main focus. Navigating that relationship between the focal point and good design while also following the guidelines was really interesting.
What are you looking forward to after graduation? How did Moore prepare you for your goals?
I’m most excited about becoming a “real,” full-fledged artist and being able to push myself to the level of a lot of the artists I admire, especially in Philadelphia. I want to get on the same stage as them and work towards becoming their peer.
One of the things I like best about Moore is how often they bring in local artists and designers to have these really small, personalized meetings and lectures. It gives us the opportunity to interact with artists.
In the Graphic Design department, a professional in the field comes in and teaches a three-day workshop for juniors every year. Spending so much time with a really established designer helps give you a taste of what you’re going to be doing. It’s exciting!
What are some of your proudest accomplishments from your time at Moore?
I’m really proud that I did these designs for the Senior Show and Fashion Show. I’m also proud of how I’ve grown as an artist. I transferred to Moore in 2022 from Bucks County Community College after I saw another Bucks transfer student on some marketing materials.
Looking back at my start at community college and at Moore to now, I’ve seen exponential growth. Moore pushed me to be so much better.
What is your advice for future Moore students and fellow designers?
Engage with peers in your program, but outside of your program, too. I’m definitely pushed a lot by my classmates and seeing how incredible their work is. Seeing other people at school make really amazing, awesome art makes me want to create cool stuff and be part of this community.
Create a network that can push you and make you the best version of yourself, both artistically and as a person.
Fashion Show image: garment design: Alyssa Lucas '24; graphic design: Haley O'Neill '24 (lead) and Simone Gray '25; photography: Claudia Rubio '24; model: Londyn Morris.
