Fall 2024 Reading Day
SCD Reading Day at the University of Illinois is the day before finals begin. All classes are over and students are meant to use this time to study before finals begin the next day. Each semester, SCD hosts an event to help students unwind, with a host of activities and free goodies.
Role
Graphic Designer
Tools
Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop
Timeline
November 2024
Team
Graphic Design & Marketing
My Role & Direction
For Fall 2024, I was tasked with designing a flyer and sticker to promote the event. Additionally, this project gave me a lot of creative freedom, with only two constraints. First, I needed to include at least one SCD brand color. Second, I needed to incorporate the tagline “Cozy Up & Unwind With SCD.” With that flexibility, I leaned into an illustration-forward direction, hoping to create something that was visually distinct from the usual campus flyers.
Sketching It Out
I started by exploring three different illustration concepts for the flyer. Each one incorporated winter elements, as we wanted to reflect the cold November weather and the anticipation of Winter Break. With input from my design manager, we narrowed it down to the concept that best captured the cozy feel of the event, the penguins embracing.
Final Designs
Flyer
The final flyer design features two baby emperor penguins embracing together with a blanket, floating on a small piece of ice in the ocean. The illustration highlights the feeling of coziness at the heart of the event, directly tying back to the tagline “Cozy Up & Unwind With SCD.” I incorporated SCD’s Illini Blue into the blanket to meet branding requirements, and kept the overall palette very blue to let the penguins stand out.
Sticker
To complement the flyer, I designed a matching sticker that pulled directly from the illustration. These were handed out during the event as a small takeaway, alongside other stickers fellow graphic design interns created.
Personal Reflections
Not everything comes easy
Even though the penguins came easy to me, I really struggled with the background. However through trial and error, alongside asking other interns for feedback, I was able to land on something that really brought the illustration together.
Creative freedom
I loved getting to lean into illustration and experiment with different brushes, color palettes, and backgrounds. The creative freedom I had made the process especially fun. Best of all, I enjoyed seeing how the final design resonated with both students and SCD staff. It was really rewarding getting to see everyone grab a sticker at the event!
Questions?
If you have any questions or comments about this project, feel free to contact me either via email (angelahukic.design@gmail.com) or LinkedIn.