The opening of the Tenderloin Center was an important milestone for 826 Valencia, as it would provide much-needed services for the neighborhood families, teachers, and schools. The 826 community came together to turn this vision into a reality and celebrate the inauguration of this beautiful learning center.

When crafting the visual identity for the event, our goal was to create a look and feel that reflected the storefront theme of exploring the world while conveying the whimsical personality of the new center. In terms of the visitor experience, we wanted our guests to take the time to explore our new center and mingle with each other.

My Role
As 826 creative leader, I worked closely with our designer, writer, and event coordinator on the concept, design, execution, and production of all the materials. I assembled the team, delivered the design presentations, created the schedule, and oversaw the workflow to ensure we met our deadline and stayed within our budget.

Responsible for creative direction, art direction, and project management

Skills
Creative Direction, Art Direction, Project Management, Brand Development & Implementation, Visual Design, UX Design

Tools
Adobe Creative Cloud, Google Suite

Deliverables
Digital Invitation
Event Collateral
Signage
Event Decoration

Setting
The opening of the Tenderloin Center marked a significant milestone for 826 Valencia, offering essential services to neighborhood families, teachers, and schools. The event was an opportunity to celebrate the community’s collective effort in bringing this beautiful learning space to life and showcase its whimsical, welcoming atmosphere.

Challenge
Our challenge was to craft a cohesive visual identity and in-person experience that reflected the playful and exploratory theme of the new center. We needed to ensure that the event’s look and feel would engage visitors of all ages while conveying the mission and personality of 826 Valencia. Additionally, the in-person experience needed to encourage guests to explore the center, interact with each other, and immerse themselves in its offerings.

Approach
We established a bold and colorful look and feel and used a fun and warm writing tone to go along with it. We created the King Carl’s Emporium Passport for our visitors to use as a guide to explore the center and discover all its cool features. We made “love note cards” for our visitors to write messages and share them on a wall display we designed. We decorated the interior of the center with candles, garlands, and our publications.

Impact
The event successfully brought 826 Valencia’s Tenderloin Center to life, creating a memorable and engaging experience for visitors. The cohesive visual identity and interactive elements encouraged guests to connect with the space, each other, and the organization’s mission. The opening not only celebrated the center’s launch but also solidified 826 Valencia’s role as a vital resource for the community, leaving a lasting impression on all who attended.