Prompt
Building on one of your American Democracy Project posters, create a concept-driven music, art, or relevant festival that raises awareness and funds for the cause connected to the specific poster’s issue. Develop a cohesive visual identity inspired by the original poster and its historical style, including a festival logo, event poster, wayfinding signage, tickets and VIP pass, and one additional promotional piece such as merchandise, a tote bag, app, stage loop, album, commercial, or website.
Then, create a professional presentation that highlights the social problem, supporting statistics, target audience, proposed solution(s), original poster, visual identity, and design applications. Use both digital rendering and physical execution for the presentation.
Adobe Illustrator & Adobe Photoshop
Tools Utilized
People facing financial hardships
Target Audience
Problem
Global poverty remains one of the most urgent challenges of our time, with millions of people surviving on $2.15 or less per day (the international poverty line). This level of income leaves individuals and families without reliable access to food, housing, healthcare, and basic security. Income disparity continues to widen as the cost of living rises faster than wages, creating deep inequalities in opportunity and well-being.
Today, almost 700 million people (8.5 percent of the global population) live in extreme poverty. Leaving people to navigate daily instability, limited resources, and systemic barriers that make it difficult to break the cycle of poverty.
Solution
Solutions to reduce poverty are struggling to keep up with the rising costs of living and widening income inequality. This has left millions surviving on extremely low incomes. >TWO15 events are designed for anyone facing financial hardship, including, but not limited to, young adults, families, veterans, and older adults who may need support, resources, or a path toward greater stability.
Idea
Pronounced “Greater than two-fifteen”, >TWO15 is born from the “Crushed by the 1%” concept from the American Democracy Project’s 18th Annual Poster Competition, transforming its message about billionaire wealth and unaffordable housing into meaningful action.
The initiative offers a practical, community-based response to poverty through its travelling events, providing essentials and removing everyday barriers that can prevent people from working, interviewing, or maintaining dignity. >TWO15 focuses on long-term empowerment through workshops, job-readiness programs, and skills training that help participants build confidence and expand economic opportunities.
Wayfinder Signage
This poster is intended to empower those in need while also informing them of the resources and help that >TWO15 has to offer.
Everyone deserves compassion, dignity, opportunity, and stability. And everyone is greater than $2.15.
Inspiration Poster & Event Poster
The event’s advertising poster features each event location’s skyline, arguably one of the most recognizable details of a city. It intentionally features the schedule for both days of the event and what each one offers (Day One: Community Care Festival and Day Two: Opportunity & Skills Expo). Last but definitely not least, the tear-away tickets at the bottom provide an incentive for those hesitant to attend.
Prompt
As a group, conceptualize and design a unique aquarium experience that transforms a traditional aquarium into an immersive, memorable destination. Develop a cohesive concept that includes the aquarium’s overall identity and atmosphere, environmental design, a signature event or attraction, wayfinder signage, gift shop merchandise, and additional experiences that support your concept.
Your group should develop a complete, cohesive design system that brings the aquarium experience to life through thoughtful research, conceptual development, branding, environmental graphics, and physical or digital applications. Focus on originality, creativity, collaboration, and portfolio-quality execution throughout the final presentation.
Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop & Keynote
Tools Utilized
Exhibit Signage
The exhibit wall signage uses semi-transparent acrylic to reflect the glowing, ethereal quality of bioluminescent life. The translucent material allows light to pass through the signage, creating a subtle illuminated effect that reinforces the immersive atmosphere.
*The images with people are AI-generated to show the accurate scale of the signage.
Aquarium Lovers & Families
Target Audiences
Idea
Calderwood Marine Institute is a conceptual aquarium located near the San Juan Islands in Washington, designed to celebrate the extraordinary life that exists beneath the ocean’s surface.
At the heart of the institute is Luminara, an immersive exhibition inspired by the bioluminescent creatures and organisms often overlooked because of their small size. Centered around the belief that no animal is too small, the experience uses magnified exhibits and immersive environments to reveal the beauty, importance, and wonder of the ocean’s smallest life forms.
