About Create
Annually, the Tyler School of Art and Architecture's Graphic & Interactive Design (GAID) department hosts 'Create,' a prestigious portfolio review event for graduating seniors. Over the past three years, in response to the challenges posed by COVID-19, the event has seamlessly transitioned to an online format. This shift has not only ensured the safety and accessibility of all participants but has also enhanced the event's reach. By going digital, 'Create' can now connect with a broader audience of professional designers and reviewers nationwide. This expanded reach adds to the event's prestige and provides graduating Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) and Master of Fine Arts (MFA) students with an unparalleled opportunity to showcase their work and receive invaluable feedback from seasoned industry professionals.
This year, I was excited and honored to be part of the design team for Create 24. Throughout the semester, I worked with a team of six designers to successfully create Create! Each year, the brand undergoes a total makeover to capture the essence of the graduating class and act as a way to look back at how design looked when we were in our final year of university. Pretty cool if you ask me! Due to the ebb and flow of design trends, we had the opportunity to push the boundaries and incorporate current design trends into this year's branding.
Instructor: Abby Guido
Institution: Tyler School of Art & Architecture - Temple University
c. 2024
Branding
Social Media
UI/UX Design
Dani Goldman-Project Manager: Ensures timely project completion within budget. Collaborates with Design and Production Managers to schedule deliverables and track designer time. Implements a time tracking system and recommends workload balance adjustments. Works with the Production Manager on the project budget. Monitors project progress, making schedule and budget adjustments as needed.
Brianna Friend-Production Manager: Ensures accurate production of event deliverables. Obtains pricing and collaborates with the Project Manager on budget. Collaborates in Art direction to maintain a strong brand system. Manages mailing lists and reviews files for accuracy. Maintains organized job files and establishes naming conventions. Coordinates photoshoots of graduating BFA and MFA students for the Create team.
Laney Plimpton- Design Manager: Oversees event design, sets up brainstorming sessions, decides on design concepts, ensures thorough exploration of each concept, and collaborates with the Project Manager to divide work appropriately. Also works with the Design Manager from the Connect Alumni Networking Event team to ensure brand synergy.
Emily McSorley-Client Manager: Oversees client communication, ensuring satisfaction and alignment with project goals. Takes meeting notes and consolidates feedback for team implementation. Acts as a copywriter, assisting with project content. Collaborates with the Design Manager and Lead Strategist on creative briefs. Works with the Client Manager of Connect to create a SharePoint site documenting Event Design course details for future reference.
Tyler Fauvelle-Technologist: Researches emerging AI tools, provides demos and support, and collaborates with the technologist on the other team. Responsible for motion design and aided with headshots for the seniors.
Xiamari Osorio-Lead Strategist: Leads research efforts, brainstorms, and produces emails for the event and user experience. Handles event logistics, researches comparable events, plans the event, and creates the review schedule.
Style Guide
Brand Exploration
After reviewing the research on past 'Create' events, our team encountered diverse perspectives on approaching the upcoming initiative. While I advocated for "illuminating new perspectives" to inject fresh energy into the event, another teammate favored a more traditional "sending off" approach. We conducted two separate design sprints, each dedicated to exploring one of these approaches. Our first step in this process was to design logos for both concepts, aiming to capture each approach's essence visually. Throughout the exploration of both identities, the imagery of sending off was a bit cliche, and I wanted to use this opportunity of the rebrand to push the idea of life after Tyler. Ultimately, we landed on "illuminating new perspectives". Illuminating each student's work will provide a new perspective on design and upcoming trends. The tagline was inspiring and did exactly what it needed to do to help us start this brand identity.
With AI on the rise, utilizing it in the design process is important. We entered the tagline 'illuminating new perspectives' into Adobe Generate to see what would happen. The results were a mix of a techno feel and emphasizing light. We went about another design sprint to brainstorm logo concepts and two strong approaches. Designing based on a brand's name can limit what imagery can come about. One-half of the team focused on hyper techno-y2k typography, while the rest of the team and I played with the idea of alternating letterforms. We decided to land on the alternating letter forms because that design trend has yet to be over-polluted. Lany and I then took charge of the logo development processes while the rest of the team worked on other preliminary work. Each letter went through a series of critiques before finalizing the logo, developing a primary logo, a secondary, and a letter-mark. The 'C' was the most crucial letter to nail on the head due to the many uses it would have for social media. Each letterform is a nod representing each graduating classmate's unique design perspective. We did end up integrating techno-looking '24' to symbolize AI and how we can use it as a tool in design and not be threatened by it.
Headshots
Website
The website serves as the heartbeat of Create, where students take center stage, showcasing snapshots of their work for reviewers to explore. Undoubtedly, one of the cornerstone deliverables for CREATE was its website, acting as the nerve center for crucial event information. It offered comprehensive details about the event and served as a platform for reviewers to register. It displays individual pages for each student, featuring insightful bios, captivating work displays, and links to their portfolio websites. Additionally, the website included a dedicated section spotlighting Connect, Tyler GAID’s dynamic networking platform, along with a convenient RSVP form.
Feel free to browse the site! clink the button below to explore the graduating class of GAID 2024.
