Pantea Amin Tofangchi's portfolio

Work samples

Glazed With War

Pantea Amin Tofangchi grew up in poetry, war, death, conflict, beauty, hatred, love and censorship all at the same time. She was eight when the Iran‑Iraq War started and in senior high when it ended. Glazed With War is her story, her life, written from her childhood’s perspective

Available for Purchase

GLAZED WITH WAR can be purchased from Mason Jar Press here.
Doodle Me Not

Am I a writer who designs, or a designer who writes? I’m not sure—and I don’t think it matters. What I do know is that, for me, graphic design is like poetry: it’s about saying a lot with very few words. It’s not just what you include but also what you leave out. The white space on a page is what gives a poster its charm and impact.

In my mind, I’m always crafting the first line of a poem or developing ideas for a story. At the same time, I’m constantly doodling—drawn to repetitive patterns and the interplay of mixed media. These photographs generously serve as homes for some of my drawings, bringing my ideas to life.
once upon a midnight dreary

My love for typography, painting, and poetry inspired the design of this poster, created in honor of National Poetry Month. Back then, while teaching typography and graphic design at the University of Baltimore, I explored ways to merge visual and written expression. The poster quickly became a favorite, resonating deeply with the UB community.
Historic Ellicott City, Maryland

Historic Ellicott City, Maryland is an award-winning magazine designed to celebrate the town's 250th anniversary. The publication beautifully blends the town's rich history with original photographs and captivating stories about local businesses. Its vibrant design, featuring a striking color palette and exceptional typesetting, enhances the reading experience, making it both visually stunning and narratively engaging. Click here to see the full magazine.

About Pantea

2024 OTW Artist Howard County

Pantea Amin Tofangchi is an Iranian-American poet, writer, graphic designer, and art director. She writes poetry in English and essays, stories, and plays primarily in Persian, capturing in all of her literature themes of war, beauty, love, and censorship. Her literary work has been published in Ploughshares, Little Patuxent Review, Welter, Atlanta Review, and other journals, She won the International Merit Award from the Atlanta Review in 2018 and was named a finalist for both The National… more

Glazed With War

Pantea Amin Tofangchi grew up in poetry, war, death, conflict, beauty, hatred, love and censorship all at the same time. She was eight when the Iran‑Iraq War started and in senior high when it ended. Glazed With War is her story, her life, written from her childhood’s perspective.

Glazed With War

For the cover of my book, Glazed with War, I created a collage that reflects the layered complexities of its themes. I started with scraps of paper, their torn edges lending a raw, unpolished feel to the piece. Bold strokes of paint and soft washes added depth, while a torn Rial bill brought in a cultural and historical dimension, its faded patterns telling a story of its own. I included delicate napkins to introduce a fragile, almost ephemeral quality, balancing the intensity of the other elements. Mono screen prints tied everything together with bold, repetitive patterns, giving the composition a sense of rhythm and structure. Each piece I chose felt like a memory, a fragment of a larger narrative, coming together to represent the heart of the book.
Glazed With War

Pantea Amin Tofangchi grew up in poetry, war, death, conflict, beauty, hatred, love and censorship all at the same time. She was eight when the Iran‑Iraq War started and in senior high when it ended. Glazed With War is her story, her life, written from her childhood’s perspective.
War sometimes casual

From the collection Glazed With War, this poem won the international Merit Award from the Atlanta Review, Fall/Winter 2018, Vol XXV, No. 1
International Book Award

Glazed With War was the 2024 International Book Award Finalist.

'Thin Us" - Featured in "Ploughshares"

"Thin Us" - featured in "Ploughshares"

"Thin Us" from Tofangchi's collection Glazed With War was featured in Ploughshares in Winter 2013-14, vol. 39. No. 4

Award Winning Graphic Designer

I am a Graphic Designer and Art Director with extensive experience leading teams to create publications, books, and motivational designs. For over a decade, I had the privilege of teaching graphic design to graduate students at the University of Baltimore.

I am honored to be recognized as an award-winning graphic designer and art director, though I remain humbled by the acknowledgment of my hard work. Every project I’ve undertaken has carried a piece of my heart—whether designing a logo for a church, creating an ad for a local business, crafting a school brochure, or bringing a book of poetry, a memoir, or cover art to life. Each was a labor of love, a creative process I approached with meticulous attention to every millimeter. For me, every project is art.

MDDC Press Association Awards

Recognized by MDDC Press Association with multiple awards, including Best Ad Design, Best Layout, Best of Show, Best Typography and more; my work reflects a dedication to excellence in design and visual storytelling.
Catholic Press Award

Honored by the Catholic Press Awards in multiple categories, my work has been recognized for its excellence in design and storytelling.
Passager

Logo redesign for Passager and Passager Books—this crane has become a beloved symbol within the Passager community and among its friends!
Newspaper ad promo

Full Page ad design for Advertising Media Plus.
Ad Design

A client requested an astronaut for her insurance agency ad, and thus, this ad was born. Part of a series in various sizes, it went on to win an award.
MLK

One of my favorite early works, created from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s iconic 'I Have a Dream' speech.
Central Maryland Chamber

An award-winning directory and magazine, designed, typeset, and created for the Central Maryland Chamber.
Meetings Matter

This was logo requested by Howard County Tourism.

From the Pandemic Collection, What not to see

Desperate, worried, exhausted, and anxious, we clung to our uncertainties the way trees hold on to their dead branches—disconnected, yet unable to let go. And still, the air seemed cleaner, the birds sang louder, and some of us emerged from it all with a little more kindness in our hearts. We learned to appreciate a smile, the small things we once took for granted, and even the muffled voices behind masks. But behind those masks, was that person smiling, or were they angry? Who knew how much lips mattered until they were hidden from view?

As I calmed myself through doodling, I noticed how I began to choose which words to see—or perhaps I was only picking the ones I wanted to hold on to.

These are some of the works I created during the pandemic.

Connected

Connected
Gods and human

Gods and human form

these early goddesses

of birth, children, and

goddess of the next generation,

and lover.

fertility, and maternity

and the scale of justice, with

righteous life...
Jars of olive oil

Beginning

heavily until an idea

or action

forms within.

make sense.

jars of olive oil constitute a noun.

thus necessity

within a century conquest.

soon, variations of justice, destiny and truth.
More Light-Hearted

More light-hearted . . .
Multiplying in a corral

and goddess

believed.

and

appeared.

and tended,

they

spread,

already

multiplying in a corral.
Rose Masala

. . .
Sun Word

Only a few

rods and cones.

days of birth

months later.

only truly

holistic contemplation held.
The Ancient World

and embrace with

the ancient world

contention that nearly

applies to all forms of

writing.
The Obvious Step

Although

this step

did not advance

to the next obvious step.
Random

Among this

conjunction

function

never completely

before this

as the prince

proportionately

gestures

"let us draw

some time"

Pomegranate Skin

Pomegranate Skin, a limited edition of 40 handmade copies, was my graduation thesis and a deeply personal project. It was more than just a book; it was a reflection of my evolving understanding of white space—not just in design but in its literal and metaphorical sense. The way pauses, line breaks, and the delicate balance between text and silence create meaning was central to this work. In the spaces between words, I explored what could not always be said but was still meant to be felt, and how those pauses resonate across languages and beliefs. It became a meditation on what lingers in the spaces we create, and how meaning often lives between what is spoken and what is left unsaid.

Here is a poem from this collection:

Apple Trance

I should ponder
two steps more—
before I linger
on the serendipitous dazes
my eyes often smell:
The round fruit
on the oak table
with thin green skin,
never falls
far from the tree,
and sits next to
bright orange
oranges.

How much happier
I could be,
had I been able to touch
God’s many decisions
with my lips.
Where was Adam?
Eve was too short perhaps,
I imagined her.
Had I been her
I would pick all the apples.

Pomegranate Skin

Cover Art

Designing original cover art has always been a passion for me, where I find the perfect intersection of typography, collage art, and mixed media. Typography allows me to convey a message through form and structure, while collage art offers the opportunity to experiment with layering, texture, and visual storytelling. I often integrate watercolor and acrylic painting into my designs to add depth and emotion, using the fluidity of watercolors and the boldness of acrylics to create a sense of energy and movement. Each piece becomes a unique expression, blending traditional and contemporary techniques, and providing a visual experience that goes beyond just the surface of the design. The combination of these elements allows me to craft covers that speak to both the content and the feeling behind it. follow this link to see some of my cover arts.

Finding Mr. Rightstein
Never the Loss of Wing
cover art
cover art
book art
book cover
cover art
cover art
Cover Art

Art Becoming Book

These are some of my paintings that became book covers. Each piece is unique in size and shape, custom-made for a specific book. I read the manuscript, spoke with the author, and then created the artwork to bring the story to life.

Beyond Lowu Bridge

Acrylic collage on rice paper
Wild Poppies Dance

Acrylic
The Solitude of Memory

Watercolor
Ox Horn Bend

Acrylic and watercolor collage
Taproot

Acrylic mixed media collage
The Uncorrected Eye

Mixed media collage
Finding Mr. Rightstein

Ink drawing, marker and watercolor
Prayers of the Consequence

Acrylic
Fragments Familiar

Kaleidoscope photographs in a collage

Projects in Bloom

Work in Progress

Currently, I am engaged in three distinct book projects that explore different intersections of language, design, and storytelling.

Utterly Loverly: A collection of poems about animals, created with children in mind. This project blends my love for animals, writing, drawing, and typography, with each poem coming to life through playful text that mirrors the movement and spirit of the animals themselves.
Letters Adrift: A visual exploration of language and typography, this project features a series of postcards, each dedicated to a letter shared by both Persian and English alphabets. Through the interplay of overlapping letters and accompanying poems, the project celebrates the harmony between languages and cultures.
Ink and Absence: A collection of poems derived from erasure, this project transforms released classified government documents into poetry. By stripping away layers of secrecy, these poems reimagine hidden truths and fragments of history, reshaping them into something new and resonant.

Utterly Loverly

Utterly Loverly is a collection of poems about animals, created with children in mind. It stems from my deep love for animals and the sheer joy they bring me—so much so that I often find myself more excited than my children during our trips to the zoo. This collection is a work in progress, evolving as I continue to blend my passions: the delight of observing animals, the joy of writing, the love of drawing, and my fascination with typography. Each poem is being carefully crafted, not only in words but also in how the text comes alive on the page, using playful typography to mirror the movement and spirit of the animals themselves. Together, these elements are gradually coming together to create a whimsical celebration of the animal kingdom, designed to spark wonder and imagination in young readers.
Letters Adrift

LettersAadrift is an exploration of language, typography, and poetry. A series of postcards, each dedicated to a letter shared by both Persian and English alphabets, creates a unique visual experience. The letters, sometimes interwoven or overlapping, visually represent the harmony between the two languages. Accompanying each letter are words starting with the same sound in both languages, alongside a mini poem, which captures the essence of the letter and its symbolic significance. Rooted in the creator's deep passion for typography, design, and poetry, this project becomes a celebration of the written word in all its forms, blending languages and cultures seamlessly.
Ink and Absence

Wouldn't you want this to have a better life?

Ink And Absence is a collection of poems created through the act of erasure, where words are carefully removed—or rather selected—from released classified government documents. In doing so, the official, often dark and concealed "truths" once hidden from the public are transformed into poems, offering them new life and meaning. By stripping away the layers of secrecy, these poems reimagine fragments of history, giving voice to the silenced and revealing the weight of what was once left unsaid. Through erasure, a fresh perspective emerges, reshaping the shadows of the past into something new and resonant.

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