Hi, I'm Samia—a Texas-based Graphic Designer specializing in typography, illustrative layout, and visual identity for children’s media and editorial brands. Holding a BFA in Communication Design, I blend academic design principles with real-world publishing experience. Over the past three years, I have served as the lead Layout Designer for Honest History, autonomously designing comprehensive spreads for their 64-page themed issues with meticulous attention to detail. My freelance studio partnerships also include layout design, custom typography, and art direction for brands like Tween Magazine and The Journal of Nonsense. I love dynamic visual storytelling and am passionate about creating engaging educational materials that keep kids excited to learn. 📬 Available for remote contracts, freelance sprints, and production design roles.…

Samia

Hi, I'm Samia—a Texas-based Graphic Designer specializing in typography, illustrative layout, and visual identity for children’s media and editorial brands. Holding a BFA in Communication Design, I blend academic design principles with real-world publishing experience. Over the past three years, I have served as the lead Layout Designer for Honest History, autonomously designing comprehensive spreads for their 64-page themed issues with meticulous attention to detail. My freelance studio partnerships also include layout design, custom typography, and art direction for brands like Tween Magazine and The Journal of Nonsense. I love dynamic visual storytelling and am passionate about creating engaging educational materials that keep kids excited to learn. 📬 Available for remote contracts, freelance sprints, and production design roles.…

Available to hire

Hi, I’m Samia—a Texas-based Graphic Designer specializing in typography, illustrative layout, and visual identity for children’s media and editorial brands.

Holding a BFA in Communication Design, I blend academic design principles with real-world publishing experience. Over the past three years, I have served as the lead Layout Designer for Honest History, autonomously designing comprehensive spreads for their 64-page themed issues with meticulous attention to detail.
My freelance studio partnerships also include layout design, custom typography, and art direction for brands like Tween Magazine and The Journal of Nonsense. I love dynamic visual storytelling and am passionate about creating engaging educational materials that keep kids excited to learn.

📬 Available for remote contracts, freelance sprints, and production design roles.

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Work Experience

Freelance Designer at Samia Abu-Shawish Design
May 31, 2023 - Present
Developed custom layouts for 4 prominent children’s magazines, including a 3+ year partnership with Honest History as their sole layout designer, ensuring age-appropriate visual standards and strict deadline compliance. Collaborated closely with editors to translate creative briefs into playful, cohesive designs while maintaining visual identity across recurring issues. Created custom word art, illustrated supporting graphics, sourced assets, and built production templates to streamline formatting.
Expediter & Office Staff at Dynamic Reprographics
May 1, 2018 - March 1, 2020
Supported print production workflows by advising clients on file setup, resolution, and print readiness. Served as liaison between design teams, production staff, and clients to ensure accurate execution of creative files. Performed quality control on proofs including color accuracy and consistency. Coordinated production timelines and communicated technical requirements between multiple departments.
Licensed Realtor & Assistant at Realty Austin
February 1, 2015 - May 1, 2018
Created marketing materials including social media graphics, listing presentations, and promotional collateral. Maintained consistent visual communication across digital and print channels supporting brand identity and client engagement. Collaborated with clients and internal teams to develop and execute marketing strategies. Managed scheduling, client communications, and administrative workflows across multiple concurrent projects.
Facilities Coordinator at Sunpower Corporation
February 28, 2013 - January 31, 2015
Designed internal communications including signage, emails, and informational materials for company-wide distribution. Coordinated large-scale office relocation, managing logistics, space planning, vendor communication, and timeline execution with minimal oversight. Collaborated with executive leadership to coordinate scheduling, communications, and operational priorities across departments. Planned and executed internal events requiring logistical coordination and environmental setup to support organizational goals. Managed daily office operations and cross-functional coordination to ensure workflow efficiency across teams.

Education

BFA in Communication Design at Texas State University
January 11, 2030 - January 1, 2025
Associates in Studio Art at Austin Community College
January 11, 2030 - January 1, 2023

Qualifications

Add your qualifications or awards here.

Industry Experience

Media & Entertainment, Professional Services, Education
    Honest History Magazine
    Each issue centers around a unique theme, spanning historical eras, geographical places, or specific cultural subjects. My process begins by analyzing the editorial copy and custom illustrations to establish curated typefaces, distinct color palettes, and bespoke visual directions for each individual article. I believe every issue has its own narrative to tell, so I am deeply intentional with my design selections. As the lead layout designer, I develop the comprehensive 64-page layout for each quarterly release. I collaborate cross-functionally with the Editor-in-Chief, copywriters, and the publisher to safeguard brand integrity while engineering dynamic, playful layouts with strong visual hierarchy that actively engage children in learning history.…
    Tween Magazine
    My work with Tween Magazine is vibrant, energetic, and precisely tailored to their brand ecosystem. Tween focuses on creating real-world content for young girls, encouraging them to explore, learn, and embrace their youth. When designing layouts and custom typography for the magazine, I lean into tactile, warm, and analog aesthetics. By intentionally incorporating playful doodles, hand-crafted typefaces, and curated color palettes, I create visual spreads that feel youthful, authentic, and effortlessly cool to an contemporary tween audience.…
    Tween Magazine
    My work with Tween Magazine is vibrant, energetic, and precisely tailored to their brand ecosystem. Tween focuses on creating real-world content for young girls, encouraging them to explore, learn, and embrace their youth. When designing layouts and custom typography for the magazine, I lean into tactile, warm, and analog aesthetics. By intentionally incorporating playful doodles, hand-crafted typefaces, and curated color palettes, I create visual spreads that feel youthful, authentic, and effortlessly cool to an contemporary tween audience.…
    The Funday Press
    Developed as a comprehensive design proposal for The Funday Press, this project showcases an original front cover and its accompanying interior layout spread. I spearheaded the creative direction, executing a custom vector illustration tailored precisely to their existing brand style for the front cover. Alongside the illustration, I engineered a fluid, reader-friendly interior layout system.…
    The Journal of Nonsense
    To bring a fictional, overly complex smoothie recipe to life, I utilized Photoshop to build custom digital composite images of the "mega-sandwiches." I paired these surreal visuals with playful iconography and a punchy, vibrant color palette designed to match the magazine's high-energy, whimsical tone.…