Role
Timeline
Team
Graphic Designer
2023 - Present
TMC Design Interns
Marketing & Design at
Thurgood Marshall College
Creating compelling graphics and merchandise to enhance brand visibility
and engagement at UC San Diego, driving increased student outreach and
participation.
Senior Memos
Marshall Week Stickers
Dream Forget Return
Miscellaneous Projects
Overview
Projects
As I'm entering my 3rd year of working on the Design Team for Thurgood Marshall College, my responsibilities include building branding style guides, creating merchandise, and producing impactful graphics. This case study includes my proudest work!
My time at Thurgood Marshall College has allowed me to learn and practice what I love most while staying connected with my college community. Initially hired as a Marketing Intern, I primarily focused on content creating and managing the social media accounts. Overtime, I started picking up graphic design skills from my co-workers, who were Design Interns, and began creating graphics as well.
01. Senior Memos
Project Brief
Brainstorming
It was brought to our attention that students had previously missed important emails regarding graduation and commencement because they were buried among other university communications. In order to highlight these important emails, we decided to implement Senior Memos, an email newsletter sent out periodically where seniors can find all things graduation and commencement! My supervisors at TMC specifically mentioned how they wanted these newsletters to stand out from their regular announcements, so that seniors could access them easier. To address this, I created a clear and engaging set of graphics and a consistent style guide to help the newsletter stand out in students’ inboxes, making key information more accessible and visually appealing.
I knew that I wanted this project to have a cleaner style, so I limited myself on the colors and fonts I used when creating the style guide. My goal was to stick as close to the TMC brand identity while implementing my own creative styles!
Final Product!
The final product consists of six total graphics, with some made with the intention of posting on Instagram, while others in the email newsletter. This project easily became one of my best as I felt like I was able to see the improvements I've made since I started creating graphics. Through this project, I gained valuable experience in visual storytelling, branding, and audience engagement. I learned how to translate ideas into designs that not only capture attention but also inspire action.
02. Marshall Week Stickers
Project Brief
As I've had previous experience in designing merchandise, I was ecstatic when I was asked to create stickers for Marshall Week, our annual spirit week. I was given full creative control over the stickers as long they correlated with the event. I initially created designs that were pretty Marshall forward—our standard red and white color scheme in different design styles. I received feedback from my manager and co-workers, mainly about how the designs didn't feel specific to Marshall Week, so it was back to the drawing board. Since the main event of the spirit week was the basketball game at the end, I felt like it was fitting to incorporate it into my designs somehow…
Final Product!
What's better than one cute mascot cheering for Marshall? Two mascots cheering for Marshall! As I was reconsidering my creative direction, I came across a video of a capybara and was somehow immediately inspired. While there is no direct correlation between capybaras and Marshall, I knew I wanted to create something trendy that students would enjoy. It was extremely rewarding to see the joy on everyone's faces as they picked up stickers at the merchandise booth. This experience showed me how design can foster connection and community through something as simple as a sticker.
03. Dream Forget Return
Project Brief
I had the opportunity to work with Kelsey O. Daniels, who was our Artist in Residence to promote her show and events on campus. Dream forget return is a live experiment that incorporates poetry, music, and improv, encouraging students to dream fearlessly. With this mission in mind, I knew I had to help assist her in reaching her goal through my designs.
Final Product!
Kelsey voiced to me that she wanted something fun and doodle-like, representing students' own drafting boards when thinking of their dreams and aspirations. I created just that for her while still keeping Marshall's colors and branding in mind. I took a lot away from this project as it was my first time working with our Artist in Residence, learning the journey of designing for an improv show and working 1:1 with a client. Communication is key when working with others and in making sure that perspective views are aligned.
04. Miscellaneous Projects
See My Work!
A collection of (the majority) of graphics I've made during my time at Thurgood Marshall College! Starting from when I began learning Figma and Adobe Illustrator all the way to now. I love seeing my progress as a designer and reflecting on each project. I present to you, the fruits of my labor!
