Publication Design, Social Creative, Branding + Motion Content
What It Is
A selection of brand creative made while Brand Manager for the Jim McKelvey-founded non-profit code academy — focused on historically underinvested in and marginalized communities — headquartered in St. Louis.
At top is a desktop graphic mashup of the LaunchCode Icon and a public domain NASA image. Be sure to zoom in on the water tower.
Why It’s Here
I was the caretaker and trailblazer for this mission-driven organization during a period of disruption, transition, and growth.
I was empowered to explore the boundaries — across print and digital applications — of this organization’s well-conceived brand identity.
So What?
Professionally, it was an exhilarating opportunity to work with low-to-no budgets in an agile, startup-like work environment and still produce results.
Personally, it was an experience I cherish for the sincerity of the mission that was embodied by everyone there and the culture of inclusion that was a state of being, not an afterthought.
Mission? Control. (Of LaunchCode’s Future)
In my final month at LaunchCode, I crafted this framework for a publication conceived to support fundraising for the upcoming renovations to what has become LaunchCode HQ’s “forever home” in St. Louis. The print piece's audience was state and local grants and corporate and individual donations.
I drew on legacy LaunchCode brand assets to develop the style, graphics, and voice for this original piece of brand content.
Writing: Myself and others.
Click to play full video.
#STLTechforce200
In the summer of 2019, STL.works held its inaugural rally to invigorate the St. Louis workforce and excite hirers. This is the digital :60 that LaunchCode used to promote the two hundred St. Louis LaunchCode graduates ready to be hired at the time.
With no time or money to shoot anything or anyone, I landed on a concept that could feature all two hundred of the graduates by name (a small bit of recognition that greatly enhanced its sharability by those featured, their friends, and their families) and had it crafted in time to put it on blast as the rally kicked off.
LnchCde ld Drve
Concept, branding, and animated social graphic (produced in platform-specific configurations) to promote the first in-house LaunchCode Blood Drive.
Geek Gala 2019 Branding
A fresh take on the annual event. The concept and creative promoted the event with an upbeat emotional message in an integrated campaign across social, email, and traditional mail.
The work contributed to a year-over-year attendance boost generating a significant increase in funds raised.
Click to enlarge.
“Thank you, LaunchCode.”
In an effort to stretch the carefully managed creative and marketing budget of this non-profit code academy, I began exploring how to repurpose the recordings of the testimonial speeches many of the graduates would give at their graduation ceremonies. They are indeed moving, powerful testaments to the power of LaunchCode to propel its students into up-to-then unimagined opportunities.
As compelling as the speeches can be, I wondered what might happen if we took the voices of the graduates and crafted dynamic videos around them using kinetic type and public domain, vintage NASA footage (as a nod to LaunchCode's name, mission, and, well, rocket.)
