By Rachel Holt

07/03/2021

New logo design for Viragos !

16/12/2020

One of the best articles I've ever read! Tré Seals is the founder of Vocal Type and uses his experience as a black man and his passion for social justice to use typography as a tool for social change. Highly recommend reading.

Tré Seals, the founder of diversity driven foundry Vocal Type, details how a broader design industry can only lead to a more inclusive field for creativity.

14/11/2020

BlackOut has won a Gold Pin in the Designers Institute of New Zealand's Best Design Awards! The Gold Pin is coveted under each category as best in category. We are so stoked with the judge's comment - woo!

Check it out: https://bestawards.co.nz/digital/student-digital/madison-chan/blackout/

25/09/2020

"You Are How You Isolate", appropriated from Seymour Chwast's "You Are What You Print" (n.d.)

18/09/2020

I am SO excited that BlackOut has been listed as a finalist in the Designers Institute of New Zealand 'Best Design Awards'! Madi and I worked so hard on this, and it means so much that others appreciate it, too. Let's see how we go!

15/08/2020

This morning an exciting blog post has gone live on 'PROBATION', an online showcase of creative work run by Sydney-based Olivia Mullins! I'm thrilled to be featured on the blog with Madi Chan as we discuss our experience participating in 2020's D&AD New Blood program and the concept of our winning entry, 'BlackOut'.

Check it out! ⬇️

blog.oliviamullins.co/Madi-Chan-Rachel-Holt

GRAPHIC DESIGN x D&AD NEW BLOOD Madi Chan & Rachel Holt AUGUST 2020 Madi and Rachel spent their summer break participating in the D&AD New Blood...

11/07/2020

Young Australians feel powerless while they watch their country burn. As we scroll and share videos of the bushfires, we don’t realise that using 1GB of data emits 27kg of Co2 into our atmosphere.

So, we propose a BlackOut.

Connect 4 Climate’s carbon neutral app changes the settings of your phone to produce as few carbon emissions as possible. By tracking your data usage, you can create a sustainable digital lifestyle. BlackOut works in the background, so once you're set up you don't have to do a thing.

We can make our actions count with BlackOut.

Creative Team: Rachel Holt & Madison Chan
Tutor: Nicola Hardcastle

Check it out on the D&AD website! https://www.dandad.org/awards/new-blood/2020/connect4climate/3672/blackout/

09/07/2020

Madi Chan and I spent our summer participating in the Design and Art Direction (D&AD) New Blood program, where we chose between a range of design briefs focused on current pressing issues. Under the guidance of some amazing mentors, we were tasked with identifying the core issue within the brief and designing a solution for it. This took the form of 6 weeks of intensive workshops in design thinking, concept development and the design and creation of our final idea.

In January, Australia was emblazoned by bushfires caused by the horrific climate crisis. We know this crisis exists - but we realised most young Australians don’t know what to do about it, detaching ourselves from the prosperity of real change.

Since we spend 99% of our time on our phones, we propose an unconventional solution. (The term ‘BlackOut’ is now associated with a very different meaning since we conducted this project - so we beg you to bear with us!)

Guess what? 1GB of data transferred over a 3G network produces 27KG of CO2. Yep, you read that right.

What if Connect4Climate introduced a carbon neutral app that optimised the settings of your smartphone to produce as few carbon emissions as possible? Simple things, like: switching your default video preferences from high definition to standard definition, using apps that have a positive CO2 rating, and turning your screen black and white when you’ve used a certain amount of data.

By tracking your data usage, you can create a sustainable digital lifestyle. Once you’re onboard, you don’t have to do a thing - it’s a set and forget!

This app is a message of social cohesion: a call to come together to solve the problem we all caused. Please, when you think that your actions won’t make a difference - they will. There is immense power in individual change. Rather than thinking that it isn’t your responsibility, making you a part of the problem, be a part of the solution!

Tonight it has been announced that this project won a YELLOW PENCIL! We are BEYOND excited!!! We were incredibly hesitant to take this project on - just the two of us, when usually there are 3-5 people per group - but it was SO worth it. THIS FEELS SURREAL. Madi, you’re the best. D&AD, so are you.

09/06/2020

JOHN (7:24)

09/06/2020

Check out my latest conceptual work: a photographic series on intimate vulnerability. "JOHN (7:24)" is a work that explores dramatic lighting and body positioning to express the often stifled emotional range.

In the Gospel of John, Chapter 7 Verse 24, Jesus tells us "Judge not according to the appearance."

When we look at someone, we are quick to presume their qualities. Sometimes we skip straight to the judgment of their character. In this process, we calculate our judgment purely upon a person’s looks. Though when we see somebody, we do not really see them. We see their appearance: not their heart, mind, values or personality.

What characteristics makes somebody ‘male’? Is it the Adam’s apple, the concavity of the chest? Or is it really the squishy, soft parts of the body? I would argue it is none of that.

‘JOHN (7:24)’ invites us to question why these characteristics dictate the emotions somebody is, or is not, allowed to feel. Using dramatic lighting and an emphasised tonal range, ‘JOHN (7:24)’ is an expression of intimate vulnerability. The series captures emotion that men are not permitted to express on their faces by photographing the tenderness of the male form. By not allowing us to view the subject in full, ‘JOHN (7:24)’ challenges us to question the conclusions we so quickly jump to.

Check out the full project on my Behance profile .

Photography,Art Direction,Adobe Photoshop Lightroom,Adobe Photoshop,Nikon D90

06/06/2020

Breonna Taylor and her family have not yet received justice. I created this image to celebrate her 27th birthday - today.
This image is credited to the account I posted it on, which is my side project .your.body 🖤

05/06/2020

To all protestors today - GO GET 'EM. Made these for you. ✊🏿