Design Club collaborates with on-campus organizations, teaches design principles

November 18, 2022 — by Sanjoli Gupta
Photo by Sanjoli Gupta
Presidents senior Kasie Yang and junior Angela Zhao design an example logo for the branding design project. 
The Club introduced a new “Design Your own Brand” project to help members learn new skills.

Design Club embodies the motto “two minds are better than one” as it works to collaborate with other school organizations to design posters and magazines. Co-presidents senior Kasie Yang and junior Angela Zhao started the Club with the mission to expand student engagement with digital design. Originally applying as two separate clubs, Design Club and Poster Club merged during the ASB club application process to create a single club focused on design.

“I just really liked graphic design, so I started a club where we can collaborate with other organizations and clubs on campus to make posters and have fun,” Zhao said. 

Most meetings begin with the officers presenting slides on a given topic. For example, the most recent meeting was focused on brand identity design, so officers explained what it entails and showed some examples. Then, members have individual time to work on projects, such as the “Design Your Own Brand” project the Club has recently introduced to its members, where members learn what goes into creating a brand poster, brochure, website, logo or business card. Members come up with a brand concept, make marketing materials and showcase their work on social media.  

According to Zhao, having a well thought out brand design is essential to producing a product, such as a poster, that is appealing. 

“When I see a poster that is well designed, it’s so satisfying to look at, and when I come across cute packaging at a store, I really want to buy it even if I don’t need the product,” Zhao said. “I guess that’s why I like design as much as I do.”

Last year, Design Club worked with Astronomy Club to create a magazine called “Nova Spatia.” Astronomy Club members conducted research and wrote articles on astronomy-related topics, and Design Club members created layouts.

Around March, Astronomy Club reached out to Design Club about their proposed magazine. Design Club quickly got to work, dividing tasks between members based on their strengths to create a cover, table of contents and inside-page layouts. Their finished product was a 20-page layout with graphics, pictures and articles. 

Currently, Design Club is wrapping up a project with Green Team to create recycling and climate change awareness posters, and Zhao said she is excited for future collaboration opportunities. The Club also educates members on different design careers and teaches about the principles of design when not working on collaborations. Meetings are grouped into units dedicated to different design fields, which are then explored one at a time. Right now, the Club is focusing on graphic design. Future units will be architecture, UI/UX and more. 

“I just like looking at things that look aesthetically pleasing. For example, I do the graphic design and outreach for the music department, and getting the chance to make our concert programs look pretty is satisfying for me,” Zhao said.

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