My Role: Creative + Art Direction
Graphic Designer + Art Director: Sarah Allison
What does it take to build community? Who do you declare yourself to be? What qualities do you uphold?
In an orientation session led by the Equity Education and Student Affairs teams, those questions were posed to the incoming class of 2026. The new students participated in a visioning exercise about cultivating community throughout their academic and medical careers and created a list of qualities, expressions, and values they want to uphold during their tenure at the School and beyond.
Here's where I come in.
Shortly following the session, I was approached with the request to convert the class of 2026's list of values into a creative mural— something that the new students would see as a reminder of their commitments to themselves and each other. After receiving budgetary approvals that would cover the design, print, and installation for this initiative, I set out to start brainstorming the creative concept and goals to relay to the designer I would select for this project.
The first order of business was creating a central theme by reviewing the list of values to provide a high-level approach to the design. After pulling some of the shared values from the class's long list, I began ideating (and pulling imagery) to display this in an engaging way, and I relayed the concept to the designer, Sarah, who took it beyond my wildest imagination! That's the beauty of collaboration.
As mentioned earlier, the mural provides a high-level look into what the class values in their community. By scanning the QR code in the corner, the viewer will be led to a webpage housing the entire list of the class's commitments and values. The mural is set to be displayed on a five-panel wall in a large hallway frequented by the class, and will be printed on vinyl.
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This initiative was created in partnership with Leona Hess, PhD.