Last weekend I went to Design For Good, which was hosted by AIGA West Michigan at Grid 70. The basis of the event was this: For one weekend, designers and copywriters and web developers get together and use their skills to help out a local nonprofit. Seems great, right?
I worked with the Greater Grand Rapids Bicycle Coalition, as a copywriter. The GGRBC needed a website for their initiative to get the city of Grand Rapids to put 100 miles of bile lanes in roads before the end of 2014. Other projects included the Creative Youth Center, Kitchen Sage, Fashion Has Heart, Build a Better Block, and the Well House. Each of them had a website made, and depending on the needs of the nonprofit, the group working with them might have made an ad campaign with posters and ad graphics, or come up with other ways for the organization to improve their communications.
I feel like students can get so much out of events like Design for Good. Personally, I think of it as a mini internship. Think about it – in an internship you get the chance to use your skills in a work environment, meet professionals in your field, and see what it’s like to work with other people who come from a different background. Events like Design For Good do the same thing, and they I’m not a graphic designer, so it was a new experience for me to work with a lot of graphic designers and web developers.
I’d like to thank the AIGA and Grid 70 for hosting this event. It was a great experience, and I’ll be sure to come to the next one!