Meet Darah Haimovitz | MFA Graphic Design Student

We had the good fortune of connecting with Darah Haimovitz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Darah, why did you pursue a creative career?
I chose to pursue graphic design as a career because it bridges all of my creative interests. My background is in English and I have a love for creative writing. In graphic design, I get to incorporate this passion into projects like bookmaking or campaigning, where storytelling and design intersect.

Photography and video are other interests of mine that naturally complement design. These mediums, combined with typography, allow me to create visually compelling and cohesive work. What truly excites me is the constant opportunity for experimentation and play. I never get bored because this field is so dynamic—there’s always new software, techniques, or approaches to explore. For a creative person like me, design offers endless possibilities, and that fuels my passion for it.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Growing up, I was always drawn to the arts and storytelling. In High School, I took free film photography classes at Cal Arts and spent my afternoons printing in dark rooms. I also studied computers, playing around in early Photoshop and SketchUp. Occasionally, I would shoot short films in my backyard with my twin brother. Looking back, those experiences were crucial, giving me the space to explore and develop my creativity. Having a twin brother on the Autism spectrum also played a huge role in shaping who I am and how I see life.

While pursuing my BA in literature at UC Santa Cruz, I fell into graphic design working as an editor on a student publication called Red Wheelbarrow. I had no experience with InDesign before, but I wasn’t afraid to learn. I ended up designing two editions of RW (Issue# 22, 2018, Issue# 23, 2019). My blend of interests naturally led me to want to continue working on creative projects. After graduating, coronavirus happened. I ended up back in Los Angeles, living at my parent’s house and working two serving jobs to save up money. I thought I was going nowhere, but I kept practicing design, taking online courses, and working on personal projects. I ended up doing graphic design for the restaurants I was serving, and to this day work part-time as a server/part-time designer.

I decided to pursue an MFA at Otis College of Art & Design to make design a full-time job. I also wanted support and a creative community around me. Attending grad school was the best decision I could have made and I’m proud of how far I’ve come. So far, my favorite projects have been books and letterpress. I love to play with different structures and mixing materials/mediums. One of my projects is called ‘My Inferno.’ It’s an accordion book that stands at 23 feet long, fully extended. You can check my website, darahlee.com to learn more.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I was born and raised in Los Angeles and currently live downtown, this is my perfect day:

9:00 am: Brunch at Poppy and Rose—A great cafe in the heart of the flower district. There’s also the Bread Lounge in the Arts District, they have amazing sandwiches.
10:30 am: We go plant shopping in the flower market because it’s beautiful to walk around and see all the stalls.
11:30 am: I take you to the Downtown Apple Store because it’s unlike any other, housed in a restored theater. Afterwards, we’ll walk around and look at other cool architecture, there’s tons downtown—the Eastern Building, the Bradbury Building, Bonevature Building (they have outdoor facing elevators you can ride), and the coolest gothic theater inside the Ace Hotel.
1:00 pm: We go to the Last Bookstore, it’s in an old bank, has a wide selection of books/records, and a downtown staple. We can also walk through the Grand Central Market after.
2:00 pm: We go The Broad Art Museum. It’s free but closed on Mondays.
3:00 pm: We hop over to Little Tokyo to grab ramen. We’re going to RAKKAN—they’re noodles are fresh and they have an amazing vegan broth, cooked with umami.
4:30 pm: We shop around Little Tokyo and visit the art supply stores.
8:00 pm: We pick up Picasso Pizza on 8th St. and eat it on the roof.
9:30 pm: We’re going to the Alamo Drafthouse to watch the newest A24 movie. It’s a cool theater with tons of vintage movie posters. You order at your seat (they also recline). If that’s sold out, there’s also the LA Historic Park, which shows outdoor movies at night, or the Regal downtown (fun fact, I used to work there). Either way, we’re going to the movies.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
A current favorite book of mine that’s been a huge inspiration is New Aesthetic: Experimental and Independent Type Design by Sorry Press. Their third edition is an all-pink cover, with matching pink spine and fore-edges. ‘New Aesthetic’ is written vertically in bold across the front. It grabbed my attention. The book structure and layout are beautiful, if you flip through it, you’ll see a collection of typefaces by various independent designers—all amazing fonts I hadn’t seen before. Each one is showcased in a unique, creative way. The back of the book has an index too. I highly recommend and shout out to Draw Down Books! I snagged my copy from them. They are an amazing independent bookseller you should check out.

Website: https://darahlee.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darah.lee.gd?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darah-haimovitz/

Facebook: Darah Haimovitz

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thelastbookchannel/videos

Image Credits
Portrait by https://www.instagram.com/pixbykav/
Project images by https://www.instagram.com/secondlookers/