The design, by experience

Each year I design a new identity for the workshop, while the Pixels & Print logo stays the same. Undergraduates often take part for all four years, and we want each one to feel like its own experience. A look that changes annually turns the merch into something students collect — seniors arrive at their final workshop wearing all four name tags. The Pixels & Print wordmark holds the system and identity together each year.

Picking a client

Each fall we put out an open call to local nonprofits, who apply by describing their design needs. Students and faculty review the applications and vote on whose need is most urgent or best timed — a new location opening, a program launch — and best matched to what the workshop can actually deliver.

Getting it right

Designing the full experience for the workshop is continuous work. Each year we take feedback and notes on what went well and what could be improved overall to apply to the next workshop. Over twelve years we have changed the timing, the number of coaches, how coaches are assigned to teams, how to run it hybrid, and how to pivot under pressure. The question I am asked most is why 48 hours. The first year we gave the designers 72 and they finished early, so I cut it to 48 — and we have made that deadline every year since. With the workshop running Thursday evening to Saturday evening, this gives everyone Sunday to catch up on some sleep before another week begins.

Organizations we have helped

Twelve workshops since 2014, one organization per year. We have worked with refugee and immigrant communities, grieving children, people living with chronic illness, disability or mental illness, people experiencing chronic homelessness, and underserved city youth.

The first workshop ran in October; it moved to the spring semester after that, which is why there is no 2015.

The work shown was made by students in Visual Communications at Newhouse, directed by their coaches and faculty as part of Pixels & Print each year.