Project Overview

Project: Juneteenth Community Awareness Campaign
Partners: KEXP, ACLU of Washington
Role: Graphic Designer / Visual Strategist
Mediums: Poster, digital graphics, social assets
Audience: Multiracial, intergenerational public audiences across Washington State

Challenge (Public-Sector Framing)

Juneteenth commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans, yet public understanding of its history, significance, and contemporary relevance varies widely across communities.

The challenge was to design a visual system that:

• Honors the cultural and historical weight of Juneteenth

• Feels celebratory without being commercialized

• Communicates clearly across diverse audiences

• Is immediately legible in public, high-traffic environments

• Aligns with equity, inclusion, and accessibility values

Goals & Desired Outcomes

• Increase awareness and recognition of Juneteenth as a historic and living holiday

• Create an inclusive visual language that resonates beyond a single demographic

• Provide partners with flexible assets adaptable across platforms

• Encourage reflection, participation, and cultural respect

Strategy (How Design Solves the Problem)

Rather than relying on literal imagery, the strategy centered on symbolic abstraction—using color, geometry, and rhythm to communicate meaning.

Key strategic decisions:

• Use of Pan-African color palette (red, black, green, gold) to ground the work culturally

• Modular geometric forms to reflect collective history and continuity

• Strong typographic hierarchy for immediate recognition

• High contrast compositions to support accessibility and distance viewing

This approach allows the work to feel timeless, civic-minded, and scalable—qualities essential for public-sector communications.

Design Solution

Visual Language

• Geometry: Circles, half-circles, and blocks symbolize unity, cycles, and progress

• Pattern System: Repeating forms reference collective movement and shared history

• Composition: Dense patterning framed by open space to balance energy and clarity

Typography

• Bold, sans-serif letterforms for clarity and authority

• Custom typographic arrangement of “Juneteenth” to feel celebratory yet grounded

• Clear reading order to support fast comprehension in public spaces

Color & Accessibility

• High-contrast color combinations for visibility

• Limited palette for consistency across print and digital

• Color choices rooted in cultural meaning while meeting legibility standards

Equity & Inclusion Lens

This project was developed with an intentional equity framework:

• Avoided stereotypes or literal depictions of people

• Designed for cultural respect rather than spectacle

• Ensured visual clarity regardless of language proficiency

• Created assets adaptable for multiple communities and contexts

The abstraction allows viewers from different backgrounds to engage without exclusion, while still centering Black history and liberation.

Collaboration

• Worked within partner brand systems (KEXP, ACLU)

• Balanced multiple organizational identities while maintaining visual cohesion

• Designed assets flexible enough for reuse across campaigns and years

Outcomes & Impact

• Created a recognizable, shareable Juneteenth visual identity

• Supported community education and cultural acknowledgment

• Provided partners with a durable system adaptable across mediums

While specific metrics were not available, the campaign functioned as a public-facing cultural signal—visibility, recognition, and respect.

Reflection (What This Shows)

This project demonstrates my ability to:

• Translate complex cultural history into clear visual systems

• Design for public audiences with equity at the center

• Balance symbolism, accessibility, and institutional needs

• Create work that supports awareness and behavioral reflection, not just aesthetics

This approach aligns closely with public-sector and transit-agency creative work, where clarity, inclusivity, and trust are essential.