community engagement day: our Haus design festival
The 2024 Our Haüs Design Festival was the inaugural graphic design festival and career fair, at the University of Florida. This event was fully student-orchestrated (with our professor, Marq Mervin, acting as the project manager) and celebrated the power of design to inspire, connect, and transform communities.
I led the design and execution of a community engagement experience centered on design literacy and participation. My role focused on translating graphic design concepts into hands-on, approachable activities that invited the community to experience design as something they already interact with daily.
2024
collaborators listed at the end
my personal contributions
signage
wayfinding
community engagement strategy
participatory typography system
interactive making stations
educational editorial design
creative worksheets
community play & engagement programming
Promotional Video by Max Dotson
I led the concept, design, and execution of the community engagement experience, focusing on translating graphic design principles into hands-on activities for the Gainesville community.
I was responsible for:
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Designing participatory learning systems
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Creating educational and editorial materials
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Facilitating live engagement and production
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Curating activities that supported accessibility and social interaction
Every piece was created with the goal of making design accessible, interactive, and fun for all ages.
Participatory typography
Participants created letterforms using modular worksheets. These drawings were later digitized and refined into functional typefaces, demonstrating how personal expression can scale into a usable design system.
Making → Artifact
Each activity emphasized the transition from idea to output, reinforcing the design process through immediate, tangible results.
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Button Design
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Character Creation
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Coloring Sheets
I wanted to create activities
Educational Artifact — The Zine
The zine acted as both a takeaway and a teaching tool, framing graphic design as something people already interact with daily — through signage, typography, and visual systems.
the human experience
Engaging directly with the community brought the project to life in ways no deliverable could on its own. Participants lingered at tables, asked questions, shared stories, and collaborated through play and making. Design became conversational — something to touch, try, and talk about together.
A highlight of the day was meeting a 12-year-old aspiring graphic designer who discovered the event through our social media advertisements and eagerly convinced her parents to attend. She proudly shared her character design work, reminding us that curiosity and creativity thrive when young designers are welcomed and encouraged. [Photo to the left]
Moments like this underscored the impact of creating accessible, inclusive design experiences — and the role design can play in inspiring future creatives.
the class of 2024
DESIGN
Event Planning
Creative Direction & Branding
Ashley Mayorga & Anna Sansbury
Promo, Advertising & Socials
Emma Schickling, Nikki Ogden, Anna Sansbury, & Ashley Mayorga
Showcase Production
Brooke Burchfield, Manna Robertson, & Paloma Buzzi
Festival Production
Chloe Girod, Cat Paroline, & Amber Townsend
Web & Digital
Bethany Jacobs & Amber Laird
Community & Outreach Engagement
Andrew Medina & Daniela Iturres
Event & Showcase Liaisons
Andrea Glasier & Annie Vardanyan
Logistics & Facilities
Grace Milewski & Liam Gordon
Event Programming
Brittain Rainville & Madison Rassbach
Communications
Zaniab Ali & Anna Lin
Research & Development
Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Accessibility
Anani Blakey & Jackson Olivencia
Education Programming
Hannah Caudill & Lilly Wilhite
Event Registration
Alissa Braxton & Spencer Gregory
Data & Analytics
Harrison Turner
Archival
Catherine Skelly & Max Dotson
Project managers
Marq Mervin, Ella Terran & Paula Mitre
