Visual Communication

Jessica Arkins

Jessica Arkins is a visual strategist, now with a BA Honours in Visual Communications from TU Dubin and a previous certification in Graphic Design. I have a passion for building engaging narratives and strive to create meaningful engaging narratives. Growing up in Dublin, I often garner inspiration from the space around her, producing projects that are timely and significant in today's fast-changing world. Throughout my course, I’ve been drawn to how strategic thinking can elevate design, often working with typography, brand identity, campaigns, print & digital media and so much more. Throughout my academic and professional development i have learned how to collaborate and communicate ideas efficiently, working with my lecturers and peers to curate impactful projects. I can't wait to progress my professional career and thank all that aided me along the way so far. 

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Built to Fall

Built to Fall is a visual and narrative exploration of environmental degradation in Portrane & Donabate peninsula I’ve called home all my life. The towns are surrounded by water, shaped by natural and human forces. The landscape is now rapidly deteriorating due to erosion, climate change and unsustainable overdevelopment. The project documents the irreversible changes caused by human impact, from disappearing shorelines and ecosystems to displaced communities.

Presented through a 20-page, double-sided leporello, the work combines personal photography, sourced imagery, graphs and extensive research. Three typographic timelines of human settlement, geological change, and local narratives run parallel, with overlapping, distorted text symbolising the human impact and collapse of order since 1947. A neon yellow, sealed cover urges interaction while hinting at environmental urgency. Metaphors and historical context, preserve what remains and highlight what’s been lost. This project is for my community, environmental advocates and policymakers, dedicated to those directly affected.  

Smile More

"Smile More" is a two-minute live-action short film confronting the everyday reality of sexual harassment in public. Based on personal experience, this project uses visual storytelling and symbolism to critique the social norms that allow harassment to continue, unnoticed or excused. The narrative is seen entirely through static, surveillance-style footage aboard a Dublin bus, contrasting the emotional intensity of women's experiences with the detached overlook of society. Targeting a male audience, aiming to shift perception and deepen understanding of what women endure. Through chilling voiceovers and silent visuals, the viewer becomes both a bystander and a witness forced to acknowledge the fear and objectification women face.

The use of distorted perspectives, subdued colour palettes and absence intervention reflects how harassment is normalised and dismissed in plain sight. It challenges the idea that harassment is harmless or flattering, urging viewers to recognise complicity in silence. The storyboard emphasises the invisibility of female trauma and the failures of societal systems, like surveillance or public protection. This short-film proposal calls on audiences to look deeper and reflect on their role in building change.