Role
1 of 4 designers for the CreateAthon event.
TIMELINE
24-hour CreateAthon
Organization
AIGA DC
Scope of work
Graphic Design
Brand Design & Identity
Design System
Motion Graphics
Social Media
Digital Marketing
“At CHACC, we are dedicated to fostering a sense of community, promoting artistic expression, and empowering individuals to embrace their cultural heritage.”
ABOUT Chacc
Congress Heights Arts & Culture Center (CHACC) builds community wealth through arts, culture, and creative entrepreneurship, empowering local artists, elders, and youth to express and sustain themselves through art.
MISSION
Expose, inspire, and educate both youth and adults about the abundant arts and cultural opportunities available in Wards 7 and 8. We aim to provide a comprehensive perspective that encompasses both the historical and modern aspects of these communities.
GOALS
Strengthens donor engagement through storytelling and design consistency
Builds trust and visibility for fundraising campaigns
Positions CHACC as both a neighborhood anchor and regional creative powerhouse
Honors the authenticity, emotion, and pride of Southeast DC
MY ROLE
I served as one of five designers, focusing on:
Logo & Color System Development rooted in community symbolism
Typography & Layout Strategy for visual cohesion
Designing Donor Collateral for both print and digital formats
Motion Design Support for an animated logo used in video storytelling
our CHALLENGE
THE PROBLEM
When we joined CHACC through AIGA DC’s CreateAthon, the organization had strong recognition but no cohesive brand. Their Soufside Strong campaign often blended with their merchandise brand (SoufSide Creative), and visuals across platforms lacked unity in color, typography, and storytelling.
tARGET AUDIENCE
Donors & Sponsors: individuals and organizations supporting creative entrepreneurship
Local Residents & Families: artists, educators, and youth benefiting from CHACC’s programs
Foundations & Partners: groups investing in sustainable community arts initiatives
Constraints & Context
Tight 24-hour CreateAthon timeline
No web design scope (digital assets only)
Pre-existing visuals to reference but not replicate
Need for structure without losing cultural authenticity
They needed a visual identity that could preserve their grassroots energy while elevating their professionalism—something soulful, scalable, and unmistakably CHACC.
RESEARCH & INSIGHTS
CONTENT AUDIT
CHACC’s voice was powerful but fragmented
Their strength lay in authenticity and visual boldness
Photography of real people told their story best
Founder Keyonna Jones’s personal voice was central to the brand
KEY INSIGHTS
CHACC’s voice was powerful but fragmented
Their strength lay in authenticity and visual boldness
Photography of real people told their story best
Founder Keyonna Jones’s personal voice was central to the brand
NEW BRAND IDENTITY & viSUAL DESIGN SYSTEM
We decided to lean into CHACC’s colorful, creative, and bold character, building on what already made their visuals so vibrant and community-driven. Rather than reinventing everything, we refined what was there—giving it structure, clarity, and meaning.
LOGO SYSTEM
The kaleidoscope flower was originally designed to capture CHACC’s spirit of growth, its garden motif, and its mission to empower youth through the arts. Its overlapping petals represent the individuals who bring CHACC to life, including artists, youth, and elders, coming together to create something greater. Later, we discovered that CHACC’s original mark was the Nyansapo, a West African Adinkra symbol meaning “wisdom knot.” By layering the two, we connected the organization’s story of growth with the symbol’s deeper meaning of wisdom and ingenuity. The result is a unified logo system that celebrates both heritage and forward movement, reflecting CHACC’s role as a place where culture and creativity continue to bloom.
New, updated logomarks
Using these logomarks, we developed horizontal, vertical, and abbreviated formats for use across print and digital platforms.
COLOR PALETTE
CHACC’s palette is intentionally vibrant and expansive, reflecting its identity as an arts-based organization that thrives on expression. The colors span a warm, balanced spectrum inspired by painting, music, and fashion within Southeast DC’s creative scene. This range allows flexibility while maintaining harmony across materials.
TYPOGRAPHY
We selected Montserrat for headings and Lato for body text. Both are modern, approachable, and easy to read. Their simplicity creates balance against CHACC’s rich imagery, ensuring that photography and video remain the visual focus while the text adds consistency and rhythm.
ICONOGRAPHY & MOTIFS
To support the Soufside Strong campaign, we extended the brand system with custom icons inspired by CHACC’s donor tiers—Seed Sower, Culture Keeper, and Soufside Sustainer. These friendly, organic icons reinforce the idea of growth and community cultivation, connecting visual design with the organization’s mission.
COLLATERAL TOOLKIT
We delivered:
Full Soufside Strong brand identity kit (logo, color, type, and system)
Donor toolkit with flyers, email headers, and social templates
Brochure and impact one-pager for events and fundraising
Branded QR codes for CHACC and Soufside Strong
Animated logo for motion and social media use
Designs centered real photography—kids painting, artists performing, families celebrating—to visually connect viewers to CHACC’s heartbeat: its people.
SOCIAL MEDIA DESIGN
CHACC’s Instagram serves as a living archive of Southside DC’s creativity, connecting the organization with its community through stories of art, culture, and local impact. Building on this strength, we designed a set of social media templates that let real people and moments take center stage, using CHACC’s existing library of vibrant photos and videos. The layouts spotlight artists, youth, families, and elders who embody CHACC’s mission, while bold typography and bright colors bring a sense of confidence and celebration. Each post feels alive, reflecting the joy and creative spirit that define Southeast DC’s arts community.
Motion Graphics
With video at the heart of CHACC’s storytelling, we created a motion identity system centered on an animated logo that brings the kaleidoscope flower to life. The mark unfolds and rotates in color, symbolizing collective growth and creative energy, while providing a flexible asset for both short and long-form reels. This motion element adds vibrancy, consistency, and emotion to CHACC’s digital presence, transforming everyday posts into cohesive, branded moments that feel alive and purposeful.
RESULTS & IMPACT
Within 24 hours, CHACC’s scattered visuals became a cohesive and flexible identity system.
When we presented the final assets, founder Keyonna Jones was visibly emotional. For years, she had handled all the creative work herself. Seeing CHACC’s story come to life through design gave her relief, pride, and new confidence.
The rebrand now supports CHACC’s ongoing fundraising and donor outreach, helping build sustainable creative opportunities for the Southeast DC community.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The most meaningful part of this project was seeing how emotional and relieved Keyonna was when she saw the final designs. She had been handling everything herself, and being able to take some of that pressure off reminded me that design can really care for people, not just represent them. Even though the lack of structure felt messy at first, it gave our team space to explore and find clarity through creativity. I realized that community stories will always connect more deeply than trends, and that some of the best ideas come from trusting empathy and instinct. In the end, knowing our work could help CHACC keep uplifting Southside DC made every challenge worth it.
This project reflects how design can both express and strengthen a community’s voice, turning local stories into lasting visibility.
CREDITS
Jeff Bade - Team Lead
Aubree Minakami - Designer
Nia Anderson - Designer
Nolan Harrington - Designer
Keyonna Jones - CHACC Founder/Client
