How Simone Wray Turns Personal Stories into Purposeful Design
Every new cohort brings its own energy, and Simone Wray joined our June intake with a quietly powerful one—thoughtful, values-driven, and rooted in lived experience. Since stepping into the Graphic Design Circle—a six-week sprint where members meet weekly to collaborate, experiment and shape Creative Opps’ design language—Simone has brought care and curiosity to every session.
A 2022 graduate of Leeds Arts University, Simone’s creative path is shaped by family influences and a strong sense of purpose. Her mum’s old paintings and her grandad’s stained glass work filled her home growing up, laying the foundation for a practice that now centres on identity, culture, and social change. “I often draw from my own life and those around me,” she says, “to create work that educates, uplifts, and connects with wider communities.”
Pt. 1: Say Hello!
Hi Simone! Introduce yourself: Hi! I’m Simone — I graduated with a BA (Hons) in Graphic Design from Leeds Arts University in 2022 and have since been seeking internships and junior design roles to break into the creative industry. I’m passionate about work that explores culture, personal identity, and experiences around race, ethnicity, and inequality.
What was your pathway into Graphic Design? Creativity has always been around me — my mum studied Art & Design at school and we still have some of her paintings and sculptures at home. My grandad also ran a business making stained glass windows and jewellery boxes, so I grew up surrounded by his work too. I didn’t realise it back then, but looking back, it’s clear that creative influence played a big role in shaping who I am and what I do today.
How would you describe your creative DNA: My work often centres on purpose, change, and meaning — not just visuals. While aesthetics matter, I find the most satisfaction in developing ideas rooted in research and intention. That’s why many of my projects reflect personal passions — they start from a place of genuine interest.
It’s important to me that my work reflects my values and ethics. I want to create things that educate, celebrate, or shine a light on issues I care about, while also learning more about topics I might not know personally. It’s about using design as a tool to connect, inform, and inspire.
What is your “making process”? I always start with handwritten notes and sketches — I find it easier to map ideas physically rather than typing them out. Seeing everything laid out helps me make sense of where to begin. I keep lots of iterations and try not to shy away from experimenting, even when I’m unsure.
When stuck, I’ll sometimes ask a friend or fellow designer for input, or go back to basics — the simplest ideas can often unlock the biggest shifts. I also remind myself that a project doesn’t need to be perfect or infinite; knowing when to pause is just as important as pushing forward.
Once a project is done, I like to reflect on how it could develop further — maybe through mockups, public events, or something that brings the work into a wider community. Even if that doesn’t happen straight away, the thought process helps shape future ideas.
Looking ahead, where do you see yourself in the future? Right now, I want to reconnect with design in a way that feels joyful again. Since graduating, it’s been tough navigating job rejections, unpaid opportunities, and the realities of a competitive industry. It’s easy to lose motivation, especially when comparing your journey to others.
But I’m learning to give myself credit and honour the progress I have made, even if it doesn’t always feel visible. I know I’m not alone in feeling this way, and I want to keep moving forward with patience and persistence — focusing on what makes me feel proud, rather than pressured.
Part 2: Simone’s Circle Presentation.
A few weeks ago Graphic Design Members Circle, Creative Opps member Simone Wray turned a seaside Wi-Fi wobble into a vivid tour of purpose-driven, research-heavy design practice. Her showpiece—“Black Joy: Celebration of Black Joy within UK Youth”—wove VHS-textured interviews, Kente-inspired graphics and months of poster-, sticker- and film-based making into a safe space for young Black creatives and a fundraiser for Black Minds Matter. Around it she layered ephemera-fuelled experiments, a War Child record sleeve and competition pieces, all united by the conviction that colour, pattern and story can drive social change as effectively as any plug-in.
Key take-aways from Simone’s presentation:
Collaboration as skill-multiplier. Partnering with motion specialist Kwame let Simone fuse her tactile strengths with his digital fluency, producing work “that’s the best of both worlds” through constant dialogue and negotiated middle-ground decisions.
VHS nostalgia as narrative device. Shooting on VHS—and citing the Black Archives as a reference—rooted the project in a historical visual language familiar to Black British families, creating instant emotional resonance beyond high-definition polish.
Kente palette, cultural shorthand. Bold colour blocks and graphic symbols lifted straight from Kente cloth signalled celebration while sidestepping cliché, proving that thoughtful pattern sampling can communicate heritage faster than copy ever could.
Design that pays forward. Limited-edition prints and stickers channelled proceeds to Black Minds Matter, turning an academic brief into tangible community support and demonstrating how even student projects can build micro-economies for change.
Ephemera as idea gym. A personal archive of stamps, matchbox labels and beer mats feeds Simone’s fascination with “colour, shape and pattern,” giving her an always-on reference stack that keeps stylistic riffing grounded in vernacular design history.
Abstract storytelling under pressure. For War Child’s Celeste cover she distilled the lyric “seeing something through to the end” into a maze-like composition encircling a flame—proof she can translate dense emotion into concise visuals when a brief demands it.
Concept first, software second. Comfortable in Photoshop/Illustrator but candid about her After Effects gaps, she frames tool choice as secondary to rigorous research and long-lasting solutions—a mindset that keeps tech learning purposeful rather than scattershot.
Personal narratives as R&D. Meaningful projects on her grandmother’sdementia and her granddad’s stained-glass craft keep skills sharp while testing how intimate stories can scale into wider conversations about care and heritage.
Community over commercial. Simone is actively scouting studios whose ethics match hers—ideally non-profits, grassroots campaigns or values-led start-ups—while acknowledging the financial tightrope such choices entail.
Resilience as running mate. She treats post-interview disappointments as temporary “brick walls,” letting the emotions run their course before re-applying—a pragmatic reminder that persistence powers purpose-driven careers as much as portfolio polish.
You can reach Simone Wray at [email protected] connect with Simone on LinkedIn. Website: https://hellofromsim.com