Branding & Campaigns

Challenge

Develop a new signature alumni and donor event in Denver that brings CSU’s energy and innovation to life through a place-based experience. CSU needed a new signature alumni and donor event in Denver – one that could authentically represent the university's energy and innovation through place-based experience, while connecting meaningfully to the city's creative culture.

Role

Lead Designer, creative direction – concept through implementation.

Approach

Drove the full creative process from discovery to execution, starting with original research and stakeholder interviews to ground the concept in authentic institutional and community insights. Synthesized findings to develop a compelling event identity that bridged CSU's agricultural heritage and CSU Spur’s neighboring RiNo arts district and Globeville’s creative spirit.

Pitched the concept directly to President Parsons, presenting the name, wordmark, and full visual identity system, and making the case for a bold, place-based approach to alumni and donor engagement. Worked iteratively with the President’s office and our event team through multiple rounds of feedback, refining the visual strategy to align with institutional priorities while preserving creative integrity.

Designed and directed all environmental, print, and digital deliverables for the inaugural event at CSU Spur – translating the identity system into a cohesive visitor experience across every touchpoint.

Impact

The event was adopted as an annual university tradition. President Parsons lauded it as a model of engagement and storytelling in action – validating both the depth of the research-driven concept process and the strength of the environmental design execution. (This event was suspended in 2026 due to budget considerations.)