Althier Alianza, an art director and senior designer from Adelaide, South Australia, defies expectations.

Despite growing up in a typical Asian family with high academic expectations, Althier explored various art forms, including painting, graphic design, photography, and music. However, she had to take the practical path due to societal expectations that there was no future in creative pursuits. So, she studied BS Management Accounting at the University of Santo Tomas. While she felt lost in numbers and spreadsheets, she found her way back to her creative roots by contributing as a graphic artist to their college publications.

With grit and determination, Althier made her own creative path after graduating in 2014. Her natural curiosity led her to explore different creative outlets. She expressed herself as a musician, athlete, video editor, social media manager, illustrator, barista, artist, photographer, graphic designer, art director, and creative director. The love for exploring ideas and interests is inherent to her and embracing various roles has shaped her into a multidisciplinary creative. Her work, inspired by pop culture, contemporary art, music, life in the Philippines, and her queer experiences, reflects her fluid artistic identity.

Currently thriving as an art director and graphic designer, Althier has collaborated with advertising agencies, startups, and non-profit organisations across the Philippines, Norway, UAE, United States and Australia, bringing a unique international perspective to her work.

After six years of in-house work in the education and coffee industries, she landed her dream job as an Art Director at BBDO Guerrero. There, she worked with brands like Visa, Lay’s, Frito Lay, and Mitsubishi. In 2022, Althier moved to Australia and worked freelance for various advertising agencies in Adelaide. She also graduated from AWARD School in 2023 where she achieved 2nd place in South Australia with five out of ten briefs up on the National Wall.

Althier continues her journey to be a better creative in advertising and design, aspiring to craft more meaningful work and share thought-provoking stories through effective creative solutions.

She is also a co-founder of Ugnayang Sining at Pamana (USAP) Collective. Nothing excites her more than brewing and talking about coffee, art exhibits, street photography, CrossFit and coming home to her dog.