OVERVIEW
The Center for Regional Change (CRC) is a national leader in community-engaged research with a focus on social justice and sustainable development.
As the only graphic designer, I was responsible for collaborating with CRC researchers and partners to lead all visual design projects and brainstorm marketing strategies. I also contributed to the web and layout design of Community Futures, Community Lore, which is a free online resource dedicated to making culturally-rooted, youth participatory action research. Notable projects include creating logos, flyers, slide decks, toolkits, reports and social media graphics.
ROLE
Graphic Designer
Brand Strategist
Marketing Strategist
TOOLS
Adobe InDesign
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Photoshop
DURATION
May 2019 - September 2021
THE PROBLEM
How can we effectively share and present the CRC's work in a way that is memorable, visually appealing, and easy to digest for all target audiences?
The CRC has led successful community-engaged initiatives and environmental projects since its launch in 2007, but the center's work lacked branding consistency and struggled to reach audiences outside its internal network. In addition, its lengthy research reports overwhelmed readers with information.
Rebranding
When I was brought onto the team, the CRC was missing a branding system. I was tasked with designing a brand new logo that represents the variety of regions that we work with, including rural and urban communities, as well as natural and built environments.
THE PROCESS
PRODUCTS
Bradshaw Scholars
The Ted Bradshaw Student Engaged Scholars Program is housed in the CRC and offers one-on-one internship experience for UC Davis students interested in environmental issues and social justice. The following marketing materials were designed to not only recruit for the 2022 cohort, but enhance the CRC's impact on-campus.
By implementing the CRC's branding system into Bradshaw products, our Instagram gained 150+ followers who identified as UC Davis students interested in getting more involved.
Simplifying Research
To make the CRC's research easily accessible, I worked directly with the researchers of each report to translate their key findings into a series of social media posts. These graphics visually conveyed the information in a way that was easier for audiences of all backgrounds to understand.
Utilizing the trend of infographic carousels to promote our research articles increased website traffic by 250%.
Selected Work
In addition to strengthening the CRC's branding, I was also tasked with developing visual identities for individual projects and events that the center has been involved with. I met with external stakeholders to conceptualize design systems representing its content in a way that was clean, bold and tell a story behind the research.
