Every year the graduating class of the Seattle Central Creative Academy puts on a portfolio show. It is a huge undertaking that involves months of planning and coordination among a large group of emerging graphic designers and photographers.

I was voted by my peers to be one of seven student leaders, each charged with organizing one aspect of the event. My role was to direct the ten-person branding team to create the look and feel of the show, as well as design marketing and collateral pieces to promote event attendance.

I gained invaluable leadership experience during this project, and encountered many of the pitfalls and triumphs of large-scale jobs, such as multiple levels of design and idea approval, budgeting, project management, teammate wrangling, human relations, and, not surprisingly, meetings, meetings, meetings.

Working closely with the production coordinator, the branding committee went through many iterations to create an assortment of event assets. We worked from a mood board provided by the steering committee, and kept in mind the idea of “Unfold” as representing both a metaphorical action and a physical process. We sought to convey intrigue, mystery, dimension, and the excitement of discovery with every piece.

We wanted to stress the collaboration between photography and graphic design students in our work, as the replication of these professional partnerships is a unique aspect of the Seattle Central Creative Academy. Our solutions involved both programs equally as much as possible.