Mirella Arapian
Founder & Executive Creative Director at MEK
Mirella Arapian is an Armenian-Australian design leader and activist. She’s the founder and Executive Creative Director at MEK, an impact-led design partner for brands shaping the future of environment, culture, and technology. With over 20 years’ experience building purpose-led brands, she’s worked with global organisations, national institutions, and mission-driven startups, including WWF Australia, RMIT University, PETA Australia, Sea Shepherd, Revival Projects, and Mavens.
Mirella’s planet-first approach integrates sustainability principles with inclusive and accessible design practices, including pioneering work in low-carbon web design, recognised in the Victorian Premier's Design Awards for Digital Design.
She’s a D&AD Awards judge for New Brand Identity and a Good Design Awards judge for Communication Design; board member of Design Declares Australia: a global movement of designers declaring a climate emergency; founder of CLIMATES: a monthly mixer for the climate-conscious creative community; founder of Womentor: a mentorship program for women in design; and a mentor at EnergyLab: Australia’s leading climate tech accelerator.
Mirella regularly speaks at industry events and contributes to design discourse on sustainability and design ethics. She’s committed to challenging conventions and the systems that prioritise profit over people, animals, and the planet.
Career & Background
Could you tell us a bit about your professional background?
My career in design spans over 20 years across many pathways, countries, and iterations. After graduating design school it all began in newspaper and ad agencies before moving into freelance work in Australia and North America — with clients ranging from national mastheads to Microsoft, ANZ, Audi, and Hieroglyphics Records. In 2013 I founded Vertigo, an award-winning branding studio, which I rebranded to MEK in 2020 to more fully reflect my activism, values, and the kind of work I wanted to create. I also spent time as a copywriter and co-hosted Australian Design Radio, which gave me an early grounding in design discourse and industry commentary. That breadth of commercial experience across advertising, identity, editorial, and digital underpins the strategic and creative rigour I bring to MEK today.
Your favourite food for thought
Books
- Meditations — Marcus Aurelius
- SWITCH: Special Edition COMME des GARÇONS
- Three Apples Fell from the Sky — Narine Abgaryan
Podcasts / Thought Leaders
- The NDA Podcast
- Atmos
- We Used to be Journos
What drives and inspires you
What are your core values?
- Authenticity
- Courage
- Creativity
- Gratitude
- Integrity
- Justice
- Kindness
- Making a difference
- Self-respect
- Vision
Who is your biggest inspiration and why?
Rei Kawakubo, founder of COMME des GARÇONS. She’s built an entire body of work by questioning what design is supposed to be. She rejects convention, beauty standards, and commercial expectations, and has reshaped global culture in the process. She proves that radical ideas can exist within capitalism without compromise. What I love most is her refusal to explain or dilute her vision. She creates worlds and new ways of seeing beyond just fashion. Her work reminds me that the best ideas come from having a strong conviction and following it without asking for permission. This is what I do at MEK.
You as a Mentor
Why have you decided to become a mentor?
When I was starting out I didn’t have any mentors, role models or anyone to look up to or go to for advice. I want to give others what I didn’t have when I needed it, which was part of what led me to create Womentor, a mentorship program for women in design. I love mentoring and it’s extremely important to me to nurture emerging designers and empower them with the support and confidence to realise their full potential and make their dreams a reality.
What are the top 3-5 skills or qualities you bring to mentoring?
- Asks powerful questions
- Direct and honest
- Sees potential in others
- Nurturing
- Supportive
Ready to apply?
The best time is right now. Take a chance – you never know where an Assisterhood mentor can take you.