Hey Designers,
Welcome back! It's been a while since our last update. We hope you had a fantastic Memorial Day weekend. Ours was certainly eventful, as Design@UCR hosted its Design-a-thon three weeks ago 🎊
DesignVerse 2024 was full of thrilling activities, challenges, and workshops. Let's delve into the highlights of our very first Design-a-thon together!
🛠️ Workshop Recap 🛠️
From mastering new techniques to exploring cutting-edge technology, our workshops were designed to ignite creativity and drive innovation. This year's workshops were hosted by clubs at UCR as well as campus ambassadors and were truly unforgettable.
Design Express by Adobe
Immerse yourself in the fast-paced world of digital design with our "Design Express" workshop, led by Adobe. Adobe Ambassadors, Joaquin Gonzalez, Fiona Nguyen, Victor Nguyen, Kaitlyn Tran, and Erica Xie, empowered participants with the skills to create stunning social media graphics, flyers, and other digital content with Adobe Express. Take a look at the link to discover key techniques and tools that will boost your design efficiency and creativity.
Creating Case Studies by Design@UCR
Dive into the world of practical design application with our "Creating Case Studies" workshop by Design@UCR. This workshop was hosted by our lovely board members: Ashley Tsai and Josalyn Chow. From structuring your narrative to showcasing your process, this session equipped designers with the tools to effectively communicate their design journey and captivate audiences. Explore the slideshow to uncover essential tips and tricks that will elevate your portfolio to new heights.
Pitch Your Product by Notion
Participants gained knowledge of effective product pitching mastery with the "Pitch Your Product" workshop by Notion. Led by Notion ambassador, Tara Wu, this session delved deep into the strategies and techniques crucial for presenting your product with conviction and clarity. Check out the presentation for a comprehensive overview of the workshop's main points and objectives.
Front-End Development by ACM
Discover the insights shared in ACM's “Front End Development” workshop. ACM members, Divyank Shah, Andrew Khadder, and Stanley Lew, delved into essential aspects of frontend development, covering topics such as responsive design, CSS frameworks, and JavaScript libraries. Participants were equipped with practical knowledge and resources to enhance their frontend skills and tackle real-world design challenges. Dive into the workshop slides to uncover the concepts discussed.
🏆 Now Let’s Announce the Winners 🏆
DesignVerse 2024 showcased the incredible talents of nearly 20 teams, each bringing innovative ideas and projects to the table. The creativity and dedication of all participants were truly inspiring. At the end of the day, four teams stood out and captured the judges' attention. Drumroll, please 🥁...
The winners of Beginner’s Track: Design 101 are Hopper!
Vidhi Tapde, Sahana Anand, and Osanna Deng created Hopper to increase the use of sustainable transportation by providing a convenient platform to utilize accessible, eco-friendly transportation alternatives to personal gas-powered vehicles.
The winners of Visionary’s Challenge are Scurry!
Nic Loyola, Edward Yu, and Kaitlin Ching designed Scurry to help non-locals better utilize their time during the day, allowing users to select how long they will be in a specific area and generate a curated schedule based on their preferences.
The winners of Deep Dive Into Prototyping are GreenGrid!
Andrew Shim, Haocheng Mai, Amina Penafiel, and Gency Dela Torre developed GreenGrid to provide awareness and resources to people interested in composting, teaching others about its environmental importance and how to do it at home.
And last but not least, the winners of Global Impact Design are FreshEats!
Soumya Agarwal, Angelina Tran, Vaneesha Singh, Harini Srinivasan crafted FreshEats to redirect the surplus food from school and universities to individuals in the community at an affordable cost.
🎁 PC Giveaway 🎁
Speaking of winners, DesignVerse teamed up with AVGPC for an exciting PC giveaway. Thanks to their generosity, one lucky participant had the chance to win a brand-new PC, and the fortunate recipient was none other than Joaquin Gonzalez 🥳Congratulations, Joaquin, and a big thank you to AVGPC for their generous contribution!
💌 Special Thank You 💌
As we conclude this newsletter, we want to extend a thank you to everyone who made DesignVerse possible.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the directors, Rania Saber and Tiana Nguyen, whose leadership laid the foundation for DesignVerse's success. Their dedication and guidance paved the way for an unforgettable experience 💞
To our leads, your commitment to excellence and tireless efforts in coordinating every detail ensure smooth execution and meaningful engagement throughout the event: Josalyn Chow, Betty Hoang, Raidah Fairooz, Menthy Wu, Divyank Shak, Ashley Tsai, Stephanie Duarte, Natalie Jung, Reanna Alam, Sarah Sha, Falak Tulsi, Anjali Vaddepaty, and Ashna Pradham.
A special thank you is to our esteemed judges and speakers, whose expertise and discernment brought insight and integrity to our competitions: Naheel Jawid, Robin Staley, Antonio Flamenco, Amanda Lo, Evelyn Sakura Brokering, Jerry Sinocruz, and Jake Dessau.
To all of the workshop speakers, we express sincere appreciation for sharing your expertise and insights with our participants: Joaquin Gonzalez, Fiona Nguyen, Victor Nguyen, Kaitlyn Tran, Erica Xie, Ashley Tsai, Josalyn Chow, Tara Wu, Divyank Shah, Andrew Khadder, and Stanley Lew.
We are deeply grateful to our volunteers: Angeline Tran, Emiko Naepflin, Winnie Lin, Shenonaa Jenitth Kumar, Peter Lu, and Andrew Khaddar, as well as our mentors/alumni: Trinah Maulion, Gabriela Alvarez, Robert Lerias, Siraaj Kudtarkar, and Andrew Khadder.
We also extend our gratitude to our sponsors and partner companies for their generous support, playing a vital role in making DesignVerse a resounding success: AVGPC, Notion, Chick-fil-A, Glico, Red Bull, Design@UCR, ACM@UCR, Figma, and Adobe.
Last but certainly not least, we want to thank every participant who contributed to the vibrancy and diversity of DesignVerse. Your enthusiasm, creativity, and collaborative spirit made this event truly exceptional.
From our directors to our participants, everyone’s contributions made this inaugural Design-a-thon an unforgettable milestone for our Design@UCR. While it may be tough to top the greatness of this event, we're excited for the journey ahead. Thank you for joining us, and here's to the endless pursuit of innovation and creativity! 🪐✨
To ensure that next year’s event is even more successful, we would greatly appreciate it if any participants could fill out the feedback form. Additionally, here is the Google Drive to access the photos taken during our fantastic event!
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.