Client
It Gets Better
It Gets Better
Role
Social Media Designer
Social Media Designer
Duration
January 2024
January 2024
Background
Every year, the Cal Poly Pomona chapter of the AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Artists) hosts their annual Design for Good / Design Marathon, where a non-profit organization partners with a select group of student designers. This year's partnership is with It Gets Better, an international non-profit organization that serves the LGTBQ+ community through education, support, community, and empowerment.
Within a 24-hour timeframe, students collaborate in cross-functional teams of 4 to create various deliverables, including social media content, collateral, trade show booths, motion graphics, activation spaces, and digital assets. These deliverables are intended for use on social media platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, Twitch, and TikTok.
Objective
As part of the Instagram team, alongside Jennifer Avila, Jade Krystle Campos, Berenice Ramos, and Jannett Tobon Santamaria, our task was to create captivating digital assets that refreshed the brand's image while amplifying its message of empowerment and support for the LGBTQ+ community. Throughout the project, we successfully delivered over 30 assets, each designed to deeply resonate with It Gets Better's followers.
✦ Process
Meeting with
It Gets Better
It Gets Better
To kick off the 24-hour design marathon, our group of 31 designers convened with the It Gets Better team, consisting of Jay Taylor, the Graphic Designer, Jimmy Ancheta-Tilley Jr, the Director of Development, and Ross von Metzke, the Senior Director of Communications and PR.
During the meeting, the It Gets Better team outlined the purpose and objectives of their organization. It provided us with the opportunity to gather insights to effectively fulfill our assigned tasks and seek any clarification if needed. It also was shared that It Gets Better was undergoing a brand refresh, aiming for a more whimsical and lighter visual identity, which they wanted us to align with.
Planning as
a Team
a Team
After the meeting, our group split off into assigned teams to begin planning and delegating responsibilities. My team's focus was on developing content for the It Gets Better Instagram account, including GIPHY stickers for Instagram stories, frame templates for Instagram Reels, and social media posts.
My specific task involved crafting the Instagram Reel frame templates. Given the organization often posts short educational content on Instagram Reel, maintaining consistency in visual presentation on their feed was crucial. I began by sketching out frame concepts, ensuring to adhere to brand guidelines, and incorporating space for headers, links, @mentions, and subtitles.
Group Critiques
Throughout this time, we actively engaged in the processes of ideation, collaboration, and critique, both within individual teams and as a collective group.
Within my Instagram team, we maintained open lines of communication to regularly update each other on our design process. We shared drafts of our designs to provide feedback and ensure consistency in our work.
At the midpoint of the design marathon, each team, including Instagram, Collateral, Booth, and Youtube/Twitch, presented their work via Figma boards. This process allowed us to gather critiques from a broader perspective. Additionally, our department chair and alumni visited to provide valuable feedback based on their experience and knowledge, contributing to the overall improvement of our work and ensuring consistency across all teams.
✦ Outcome
Final Deliverables &
the Poly Post
the Poly Post
Below are the mockups showcasing the work completed by the Instagram team during the 24-hour Design-a-thon event.
To dive deeper into the behind-the-scenes process for the event, click on the link to visit the Poly Post, Cal Poly Pomona’s student-run newspaper, for more details.
