Visual Research & Design Practice

Practice

A woman in a yoga pose doing a straddle split on the floor with her chin resting on her hands and elbows on the ground, in black and white, with yellow header text for "Strategy & Creative Direction" and her name, Vanessa Airey, displayed below.
A woman in a yoga pose balancing on her hands with her knees tucked to her chest, in front of a white background. The image is part of a brand identity design presentation for Lemon Juice, featuring logo suite, color palette, and typography, with a s
Black and white advertisement featuring a woman in yoga pose with left leg elevated and arm reaching upward, and a small portrait of Vanessa Airey in a yellow circle at the bottom right. The ad includes text promoting web design services and photogra
A promotional graphic for Lemon Juice branding and design services. The left side features a woman doing a dance pose in black and white, with the text 'BRAND IDENTITY, Visual Design, Full logo suite design...' next to her. The right side has a brigh
A black-and-white photo of a woman lying on her side, supporting her head with one hand and raising the other leg and arm. The photo includes a timeline of creative projects from August to October, featuring research, branding, workshop, photography,

Lemon Juice approaches design as a visual research practice.
The work begins with observation, listening, and context—then moves into structure, form, and use.

Projects may result in brand identities, photography, websites, or graphic systems, but the emphasis is on building visual systems that can be understood, adapted, and sustained over time.

Areas of practice

Visual research

Observation, listening, and contextual study form the foundation of each project. This phase focuses on understanding purpose, constraints, and material before visual decisions are made.

Design as practice

Design work grows from research into systems that can be used, adapted, and maintained. Websites, visual identities, and printed matter emerge as expressions of underlying clarity rather than surface treatments.

Built through collaboration

  • Explanation of visual systems vs. branding

  • Design as a living system, not a marketing product

  • Statement that people and ideas are not brands

  • Art, photography, and teaching as the foundation

  • How the work happens (inquiry → research → making → iteration)

Photography as method

Photography functions as a way of seeing and thinking — not just documenting. Image-making informs how information is edited, sequenced, and communicated across formats.

A stem with multiple dark red and pink flowers, some fully open and others in bud, isolated on white background.

ABOUT The Studio

Black and white photograph of a branch with leaves and flowers.

A creative studio grounded in visual research and practice

Lemon Juice is a creative studio working through visual research, photography, and design as a practice rather than a menu of services.

The studio is shaped by an art and teaching background, where work begins with observation, conversation, and time. Form and structure emerge through understanding, not through templates or trends.

FAQ

Visual Research & Design Practice

How Practice Works

Design as inquiry, not decoration.

    • Visual identity systems

    • Brand and editorial photography

    • Websites and digital structures

    • Typography and layout systems

    • Tools for ongoing use and growth

    These are outcomes, not starting points.

  • Visual systems are the rules beneath the visuals.

    Rather than designing isolated assets, Lemon Juice builds connected structures—type, color, imagery, layout, and behavior—that guide how a brand communicates and evolves.

    A strong system allows new work to be made without starting over.

  • Revealing what already exists.

    Inspired by lemon juice as invisible ink, the practice is rooted in uncovering latent meaning rather than adding excess. Lemon Juice began during the pandemic as a response to cultural disruption—shifting from maximal expression toward clarity, connection, and usefulness.

    The work is designed to make sense of uncertainty, not overwhelm it.

Portfolio

Visual Research & Design Practice
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