Gisell Mello, graphic design major, developed an interest in art by teaching herself.

Mello learned the basics of drawing by watching YouTube videos.

“Before I came to De Anza, I took many outside art classes at the community center,” said Mello. “But YouTube played a major role in improving my drawing skills.

Mello chose her major to help produce products like business cards that can be used in daily life.

Her designs “Hands to Yourself” and “Touch,” which use T-shirts to express a message about consent, are exhibited at the Euphrat Museum.

“For a stranger, touching hands or shoulder can give you unpleasant feelings. It is personal space. You need to get one’s consent.”

The back side of the T-shirt asks the viewer, “Touch?” Mello said a person’s back side is exposed to unwanted touching.   

The front side of the T-shirt carries the answer: “No.”

“I agonized a lot about which color can deliver the message of ‘No’ vividly and I decided to show two versions.”

One version is expressed in red as a warning, while the other uses various colors to mimic the perspective of a thermal camera.

Mello said she is open to various future opportunities, but that she wants to find a fulfilling job similar to what she does now at school.