Erin Hughes
BFA: Graphic Design - Ceramics Certificate
Artist Name:
Erin Hughes
Work Title:
UnMasked: A Love Letter To Myself
Medium:
Campaign materials include posters, educational booklets, table runners, iron-on vinyl for tables, and pain-stimming support products with branded package design.
Artist Statement:
My piece is a series of booklets, posters, & other products that function as part of an educational campaign focused on individuals with Autism. The work is designed to provide accessible information for individuals on the spectrum and their loved ones, giving insight into how Autism Spectrum Disorder(ASD) can affect daily experience, behavior, health, and more. While the project aims to educate about all who are affected by ASD, it places a small emphasis on the experience of women who are affected by ASD, who are often overlooked and have limited access to easily accessible and accurate information on their experience which often varies greatly from their male counterparts.
Through clear, engaging, and thoughtfully designed materials, the campaign aims to make information more accessible while also validating lived experiences that are often overlooked. While this work emphasizes awareness, recognition, & understanding, it also provides clinical definitions and reliable sources for the viewers. It functions as both an educational tool & an act of visibility, it brings attention to the diversity of experiences people with Autism experience, encourages more inclusive conversations, & promotes greater empathy, representation, & support for individuals on the spectrum.
Artist Bio:
Erin Hughes is a senior at Webster University, graduating with her BFA in Graphic Design in May 2026. A multimedia artist based in Saint Louis, Missouri, she creates intentional, experience-driven design that combines aesthetically appealing designs with accessibility and clarity. Hughes believes design without purpose becomes noise—work that exists without purpose.
She approaches each project with empathy, considering her audience and how her work will be experienced. Influenced by history, culture, and lived experiences, her projects often contain themes of identity, phenomenology, and education. Using design to simplify complex ideas, she aims to produce work that informs, supports, and promotes awareness.
After graduation, Hughes plans to continue creating design that is both purposeful and compassionate, using her skills to make meaningful, impactful work that connects with and benefits others.