Design | USA
Tahira McFadzean
Junior Design Strategist, Insights and Experience Strategy
What is art and design? Maybe you think of chic galleries in sleek cities, street art murals on the sides of buildings, or high fashion on a runway. Artistic talent comes in many forms, from user design experience for websites and software to book jacket art direction to graphic design for advertisements. When it comes to art and design, if you have a passion, you can find a career where you can channel your talent.
Learn more about Tahira McFadzean, your STEMspiration for design!
“When you enjoy what you do, it doesn’t feel like work.”
Career planning isn’t easy, but if you have a passion for something—anything—you can find a career that will allow you to use those talents. In Tahira McFadzean’s case, she knew she wanted to do something in design as early as kindergarten. Tahira had the support of her mother, who identified and nurtured Tahira’s creative talents and signed her up for extracurricular art and design classes, which also showed her different career opportunities.
Tahira has professional design experience in both the arts and healthcare. Before working at J&J, she curated art at a gallery on the Lower East Side of Manhattan and worked as a design assistant for a textile designer. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Maryland Institute College of Art with a double major in painting and art history. After her undergraduate studies, she participated in a certificate program for web design and digital graphic design at Pace University. She also participated in a pre-college art program at Cooper Union in New York City. J&J wasn’t her first foray into healthcare, either, as she previously managed an infertility clinic in New York City, where she learned about patient, caregiver, and healthcare-provider needs, giving her a solid background for her current job as a Junior Design Strategist.
At Johnson & Johnson Design in New York City, Tahira and her team practice care-centered design to enable better experiences and health outcomes. The team of designers puts people at the center of everything they do. Tahira loves deep diving into research and getting as close as possible to patients and caregivers so she can provide solutions. As a professional in design, she gets to collaborate with creative thought partners who challenge both thinking and processes. And another bonus of her job? She gets to bring her dog Oliver to the office!
Tahira’s STEMspiration: Amy Sherald
Amy Sherald (1973–present), also a Maryland Institute College of Art alumni, is extremely inspiring to me. In 2016, Sherald became the first African American to win the National Portrait Gallery’s Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition and painted Michelle Obama’s iconic portrait for the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in 2018. Her portraits convey messages that promote social justice and showcase the narratives of black families and people. Most recently, Sherald painted Breonna Taylor for the September 2020 cover of Vanity Fair. Learn more about Amy.
“You can do this. Keep going.”
What’s On Tahira’s Desk?
Want a sneak peek into Tahira’s day-to-day worklife? Taking a look at her desk gives you clues as to how she works and what she does! Here’s how she describes her workspace:
Starting from the middle-left and moving counterclockwise:
African sculpture my mother gifted to me years ago
Post-its to write my daily to-do’s and other notes
My computer . . . and although my desk area is typically neat, my screen desktop usually has has multiple tabs open and folders open
My plants that I love to take care of, its therapy for me.
My favorite one-of-a-kind handbound pink notebook with bright blue pages that I bought in 2012 at an art fair in Baltimore
Candle to keep my peace and create ambiance
Water for hydration
Tea to get me going in the morning, coffee makes me jittery!