WHAT IS EUREKA?
EUREKA! is an annual interdisciplinary workshop experience open to all RIT students. Characterized by community outreach with a local organization, EUREKA promotes social good through a 48-hour design thinking charrette.
Each year, EUREKA spawns a mini brand that embodies the spirit of the moment. This year, students worked with Greentopia to promote and plan Rochester's new High Falls State Park.
OBJECTIVE
Plan and execute EUREKA 2024, from original branding to planning and organization.
MY ROLE
As Co-Event Director with Michael Grippo and Jennifer Zhang, there were plenty of responsibilities to go around. I handled the typography, worked on graphics with Mike, photographed the event, and patched leaks as they arose.
INSPIRATION
Illustrations by Benjamin Karis for New York State Parks in a modern style based on National Park posters of yore. Since this year's EUREKA event centers around a new NY State park, we wanted to continue this tradition of colorful illustrative representations.
LOGOTYPE PROCESS
I created a custom wordmark, inspired by funky Art Deco type associated with the first National Parks.
A preliminary version of the wordmark before we ironed out the concept.
A concept typeface developed from the concept logotype.
Endless vectorization and 85 iterations later. . .
Final logo and crest
TYPOGRAPHY
I was responsible for the typography, settling on Latino Gothic Variable for its slight similarity to the wordmark.
POSTER
Mike created the illustration of the falls, then I added coloring and text. The true back-and-forth wasn't this simple, but the general idea is that I fiddled with Mike's stuff and he helped me fix it. Our color palette is derived from this illustration.
STICKERS
SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS
MOTION
Mike animated the water, trees and clouds and I added the text and transitions.
Animation played on RIT's SHED jumbotron screen.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Photos taken by myself during the event.
PHOTOS
Photos taken of me during the event. Credits to Jennifer Zhang, Michael Grippo, Jolie Greco, and Lyle Lewis.
These photos inspired me to get a haircut.
