A Brief Intro;

Emma Laraby is an Iraqi American graphic designer, multidisciplinary artist, writer, art critic, author, advisor, and lecturer at the Grossmont-Cuyamaca College District in the San Diego area. She is based in San Diego and brings over eight years of professional experience in editorial design, print and publication media, identity systems, and cultural rebranding. Her creative and critical practice is rooted in visual storytelling, research, and cultural preservation, exploring themes of mythology, memory, and heritage.

​

Laraby is the founder of DARAN, a Middle Eastern arts and culture magazine in diaspora, where she works as an editor, writer, and critic. The platform spotlights underrepresented voices, particularly Iraqi and Arab artists, while fostering cross-cultural dialogue and creative exchange through critical writing, interviews, and archival research. This work reflects her broader vision of design and criticism as forms of cultural stewardship and social engagement.

​

She has collaborated with institutions and organizations, developing media campaigns for higher education and conducting interviews and critical research with leading Middle Eastern typographers and artists, integrating regional perspectives into her design and writing practice. Laraby holds a BA in Graphic Design from San Diego State University and professional certificates from accredited CSU campuses, with formal training in art history, architectural history, and academic criticism.

​

As an active member of AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts), she has served as an educator, speaker, and event organizer within the San Diego–Tijuana Chapter, bridging academic, professional, and cultural design communities. Her work has been exhibited in galleries across the San Diego region and Los Angeles, and continues to evolve at the intersection of narrative, identity, contemporary design, and critical art discourse.