Hi, I'm Aryssa

Passionate about designing accessible and memorable human experiences.

Mockup of Immune Deficiency Foundation branding redesign process book.

Mock Branding Redesign

Motivation

I used to donate plasma, but I never understood how big of an impact those donations had before I discovered that a content creator I enjoyed heavily relied on them to survive. Learning about her story introduced me to the Immune Deficiency Foundation and helped me discover my passion for nonprofits.

Research

  • Organization & Current Branding

  • Empathy Map

  • Mind Map

Design

  • Primary Mark

  • Secondary Logo

  • Motion Design

Compile

  • 60+ page process book

Logo Design

01 What is PI?

Primary immunodeficiencies (PIs) are a group of more than 550 rare, chronic conditions where a part of the body’s immune system is missing or does not function correctly.All primary immunodeficiencies are different, but they all disrupt the body’s immune system. They are also known as inborn errors of immunity (IEI).PI conditions prevent the immune system from working as it should, so the body has a hard time protecting itself against infection. This increased susceptibility can lead to infections.

02 Why Zebras?

The PI community often identifies with zebras. This is based on an old saying. In medical school, many doctors learn the saying, “when you hear hoof beats, think horses, not zebras” and are taught to focus on the likeliest possibilities when making a diagnosis, not the unusual ones. However, sometimes physicians need to look for a zebra. People with PI are the zebras of the medical world and this became my main inspiration.

03 Empathy Map

Image of initial research about the Immune Deficiency Foundation. Medical professionals will see unfamiliar symptoms, need to look at symptoms as a whole, and provide supports and answers. Family members of individuals with a PI might see

04 Mind Map

Image of initial research of the Immune Deficiency Foundation who provides information, improves the diagnosis and treatment, and connects with the Primary Immunodeficiency (PI) community. Their audience includes individuals living with a PI, family member

05 Sketches

06 Final Logo

This was designed to capture fluid, bright shapes that depict images of plasma , a heart, and the sun. All these symbols serve as references to the organization and offer hope.

Mockup of new logo on a piece of paper.

Motion Design

06 Sketches

This was designed to capture fluid, bright shapes that depict images of plasma , a heart, and the sun. All these symbols serve as references to the organization and offer hope.

Initial Sketches of motion design ideas.

07 Frames

This was designed to capture fluid, bright shapes that depict images of plasma , a heart, and the sun. All these symbols serve as references to the organization and offer hope.

08 Final Motion Design

Yellow swirls form a heart which beats sunlight and transforms into the new mock logo for the Immune Deficiency Foundation.
Mockup of Marshmayo Art's shop on a laptop.

Marshmayo Art

Motivation

Art has always been a very important part of my life. It allows me to cherish the smallest of moments, and then engrave them into my memory through my illustrations. In a way, my art is my journal and a proof of my existence.

Commissions

  • Illustrated original art through Clip Studio Paint for 6 unique clients in 2024

  • Collaborated closely with clients ensuring high quality customer satisfaction, growing new client acquisition by 200% and sales by 88%

Shop

  • Built high quality and memorable user unboxing experience where 30% of customers note their positive experience in reviews

Events

  • Networked and sold at 5 events across California and Utah, with an accumulated 25,500+ attendees

Gallery

Commissions

01 Paper Perjury

Illustration of a girl wearing a green suit leaning over a railing looking towards the sunset with papers swirling in the air.

Original Game Soundtrack

02 Season of Gremlins

Illustration of two girls holding instruments staring at each other smiling.

Ironmouse BGM Vol. 2

03 "Starting Soon"

Velkim Streaming Background

Process

Illustration of a girl reaching into a mirror and holding her face while gazing lifelessly.

Events

2023Pride FestivalLogan, UT
2024Studio Ghibli CupsleeveAnaheim, CA
2024Anime PasadenaPasadena, CA
2025AnimarketplaceLittle Tokyo, CA
Photo of Aryssa's tabling setup for selling art prints and stickers at in-person events.

Skills

  • Figma, AdobeXD, Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, Lightroom, Photoshop, Clip Studio Paint, Procreate

  • Instagram, X, Tiktok, Cara, Bluesky, Youtube, Twitch, Pixiv, Patreon

  • Big Commerce, Shopify, WordPress, Etsy

  • Tableau, Qualtrics

  • HTML5, CSS

Project Experience

A mockup of a branding redesign process book open to a page with the text, "The Design Process" on the left and sketches of logo redesigns on the right.

Nonprofit Mock Branding Redesign

Graphic and Motion Designer creating full branding redesign through Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. Conducted extensive research to identify organization's audience, goals, and needs. Compiled entire design and research process into a 64-page document.

Mockup of home screen for Heart & Sole.

Fitness App “Heart & Sole”

Team lead and project manager for team of 5 designers to create an app that gamifies the exercise experience. Wireframed 20 initial screens that were further developed with interactions through Adobe XD.

Photo of a tutorial on how to draw eyes digitally created as mock resource available within Only Fools and Silly Lil Guys Art Studio.

Business Design "Only Fools and Silly Lil Guys Art Studio"

Market Researcher and Technical Writer investigating opportunities to develop a business that facilitates community and co-working habitats for residential artists. Generated 22 pages of documents to further develop business model.

Photo of Gaia Buddy's interview documents.

Language Learning App “Gaia Buddy”

UX Researcher and UI designer for language learning app, interviewing 3 individuals throughout the entire process. Identifying pain points initially and later conducting card sorts, tree tests, and a/b tests as designs were developed.

Work Experience

Independent Artist "Marshmayo Art"

Illustrator creating thoughtful original paintings, collaborating closely with clients ensuring high quality customer satisfaction. Artwork sold as prints through online shop focusing on creating high quality and memorable user unboxing experience where 30% of customers note their positive experience in reviews.

Utah State University, Technology Transfer Services

UX/UI Designer restructuring ~50 pages, optimizing usability for hundreds of inventors and investors. Graphic Designer creating materials for various intellectual property (IP), promoting the inventions to potential investors.

Market Analyst researching IP disclosures to test patentability and present research to team. Sales representative managing daily communications and sales.

Spring Creek Middle School

Teaching Assistant mentoring 100+ children aged 11-14 about algebra and statistics, including after school activities. Translated English/Japanese for 2 students during Math and English classes, roughly ~720 hours.

Education

Utah State University

Human Experience Design and Interaction, B.S.

  • 3.86 GPA, Culturally Responsive Design & Multimedia Emphasis’

  • Huntsman Scholar | Highly Selective Business Honors

  • Dean’s List

Photo of Aryssa Mahnken.

Hello!

I’m Aryssa, a user-centered designer that is a strong advocate for creating versatile and accessible designs.I have gained significant experience as a designer by creating a variety of materials for 5 unique businesses including branding designs, marketing graphics, instructional materials, and website/mobile designs.Every day I get mesmerized by the beauty of the mundane and when I get stumped creatively I love to go outside and take photos. The gallery below is a small look into the world that I see.

Inspiration