AJ White’s art and media design portfolio
AJ White grew up in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park as one of the only Black students in his classes. This meant that at a young age, AJ had to learn how to survive in spaces that consistently reminded him that he was an outsider and actively excluded him. In exploring this fear of being an outsider and contention, AJ creates his art.
He harnessed these skills in capturing fear and anxiety through his courses as a USC student, where his horror scripts were shortlisted for USC’s 2025 Senior Thesis project. He worked to create pitch decks for the various projects he wrote over the years.
He further refined these skills in storytelling and design as an intern at companies including Dark Castle Entertainment, Media Res Studios, and Monkeypaw Productions
Currently, AJ works in education, teaching young people in marginalized communities and incarcerated individuals how to harness their voices through poetry and filmmaking via presentations and educational graphics.
Legacies of American Slavery
AJ White’s largest graphic design project has been through his work as a creative consultant for Lewis University’s (Beyond) the Confines of Place: Race, Place, and Migration and Mass Incarceration as Legacies of American Slavery research project.
The project explores the ways that Black people and Black places have been subjected to processes of segregation through redlining and other forms of discrimination and marginalization, and the consequences of the hyper-segregation these create.
His work highlights this marginalization, explores the prison-industrial complex, and is used to educate students in Fairmont, IL, as well as incarcerated individuals at Sheridan Correctional Center.
Projects
Presentations
AJ has design experience, not just in developing pitch decks for his story concepts, but in creating several presentations for educational purposes as a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., and in his role as creative consultant for Lewis University’s Legacies of American Slavery project.
Why AJ?
AJ White is a multi-talented artist commited to meanigful representation. As a storyteller, he brings creativity, precision, and adaptability to any project. As an independent yet highly communicative artist, AJ would make a welcome addition to any team.