Have you ever heard the phrase, “the whole package”? That concept definitely applies to Diana D’Achille, a graphic design graduate from Marywood University who got hired right after graduation and has been soaring in her career ever since. Diana is a an accomplished triathlete, a prolific artist, a gifted UX/UI/Web Designer, and breath of fresh air.
Diana D’Achille
Graduation Year/Major: 2014 BFA Graphic Design
Marywood Clubs/Activities: Cross County, Lacrosse, Assistant Graphic Designer for the
Wood Word Newspaper and assigned to design projects for non-profit organizations
Current Occupation: Corporate Communication UX/UI Manager at Verizon
How long at current job: I have been working for Verizon for 4 and 1/2 years. I started working for Verizon as a Visual Designer Consultant after I graduated Marywood in 2014. I was then hired on Verizon’s Digital Brand Team full-time in 2017, until recently promoted to my current position.
What was your favorite part about studying art at Marywood?
The professors at Marywood are very approachable. They get to know you on a personal level since the class sizes are small. The art buildings are up to date with the latest technology equipment and available to the students 24/7. Since the campus is small it allows you to get to everything quicker and accomplish more in less time.
How did your art education at Marywood help your career?
My Marywood education helped me to excel at what I do today at Verizon. Marywood’s art department covered all of the basics of good design to create a solid art foundation. The Web Design classes held by Sue Jenkins gave me my initial interest in a more technical career as a designer. Furthermore, the internship opportunities I had with non-profit organizations my senior year were very beneficial. They got me off on a good start by providing me with some real-world experience before graduation.
What attracted you to this career path?
I was exposed to art and technology at a young age. My father is a computer science professional and my grandmother is a talented fine art painter. I always like to say “the combination of mixing technology with art is fascinating because it has no limits, the possibilities are endless”. Web design and development seemed to come as a natural career path for me.
Did your career path match your vision of a career path? What’s different?
I love everything about my job and am very thankful for the career path I chose. The assignments I receive both at Verizon and my side projects continue to provide challenges to help me grow each and every day.
What is your favorite thing about your current job?
What I love about my current position at Verizon is that I get involved in high level projects from start to finish; from brainstorming design solutions to executing them with our development team. My input is important in nearly all the checkpoints.
Primarily I am a User Experience designer at Verizon, however I get the opportunity to dabble in many different aspects of Web Design; the actual design of the page, project management, UAT and occasionally development for some of my projects.
Are you currently working on any interesting side projects?
I am currently designing a collection of low polygon animals. Once my animals started to take on a personality of their own I was hooked. You can learn more about my process here. The goal of my collection is to reach 400 animals. After I create a new animal, I post it on Instagram and then I typically use the design in my other projects. So far I have coded two sticker packs for iPhone with my animals that can be found in the Apple store; Heggy Stickers and Diana’s Animals Stickers.
My newest project and passion has been designing and coding clock faces for Fitbit’s smart watches; Fitbit Versa and Ionic. The code I developed for these clock faces pulls information from the Fitbit users profile to display on the clock face. This includes the users heart rate, distance (km or miles depending on users setting), steps, time (12 and 24hr), floors completed and battery percentage. However, each animal clock face displays the stats a bit different. You can browse all of animal clock faces at, www.animalclockfaces.com.
In addition to these two projects I also work on an online e-commerce website, www.dianasanimals.com . This is where my low polygon animals can be purchased on a number of products.
What’s something that would surprise people about your day-to-day?
In my spare time I like to stay active by running, lifting or getting involved in any outdoor activity. Everyday I get up at 4am to get to the gym by 5am. I find that getting my workout in the morning energizes me throughout the day and keeps me fit.
What are some of the biggest rewards in your career?
My goal is to create a positive experience for my end-users in my professional career and side projects. The best reward is seeing my work make others happy and receiving positive feedback from my audience.
Anything else you’d like to share?
Hard work will always pay off as long as you apply yourself.
Any advice for current art students at Marywood?
The best advice I could give to anyone graduating is to embrace what interests you. Research tutorials, discover popular artists, and commit yourself to a continuous education. It does not stop once you get your degree or dream job, enjoy the ride. Everything you need to know is a never-ending pursuit. I wish all future Marywood artists luck and I hope they find some inspiration in my story.
To learn more about Diana, follow her online at:
Portfolio – dachilledesigns.com
Fitbit Clock Faces – animalclockfaces.com
E-commerce – dianasanimals.com
UX Blog – orcajourneys.com
Instagram – @diana_dachille
Facebook – www.facebook.com/dianasanimals
Twitter – @dianasanimals
ARE YOU INTERESTED IN STUDYING ART?
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