AIGA Central PA to aid with Designathon

For the first time in Designathon’s eight year history, members from Central PA chapter of AIGA will be assisting with PCA&D’s annual Designathon.

26 PCA&D students have signed up to help nine nonprofit organizations by creating graphic design and marketing materials at PCA&D’s 8^th Annual Designathon, to be held 6 p.m. Friday February 19 to 6 p.m. Saturday February 20. They will be assisted by nine faculty members and six professional designers who belong to Central PA AIGA. Excited by the opportunity to work with PCA&D students and give back to the community, these AIGA members, seasoned professional designers, are:

•  Bri Piccari is a Developer and Designer at the Infantree. Bri graduated from Millersville University with a degree in art, with a concentration in Graphic & Interactive Design. During her time on the board, Bri has held the Communications chair & Vice President positions before becoming President in November 2015. As Vice President, Bri brought the AIGA Women’s Leadership Initiative to life locally, with an inaugural panel event, reCharge.
•  Desiree Tomichi is an in-house Retail Graphic Designer at Hershey’s Chocolate World. Very passionate about graphic design and discovering creative ways to solve a problem. Has a Bachelor of Science in Graphic Design from California University of Pennsylvania and currently serves as AIGA Membership Chair.
•  Ryaan Beck is an UX/UI Designer and Developer at Williams Forrest, where he builds & designs interactive web experiences. He graduated from Millersville University with a degree in Graphic + Interactive Design. He serves as AIGA’s Web and Interactive Chair.
•  Jared Adams is a Designer at Maga Design. He graduated from Millersville with a degree in Graphic & Interactive Design. He is AIGA’s Communications Chair.
•  Matt Blaisdell is an eCommerce Webmaster at The Hershey Company and a recent graduate from Edinboro University with a degree in graphic design. He has a strong background in non-profit organizational planning, and is currently AIGA’s Community Relations Chair.
• Joshua Buckwalter is a senior designer for San Francisco-based company, Lucidworks.and a graduate Bradley Academy for the Visual Arts. Graphic Design. Joshua, a Past President of AIGA, served the Central Pennsylvania chapter for over 5 years in various leadership positions, ranging from Programming Chair to President to Design for Good.

Designathon provides real-world experience for students by matching them with non-profits in need of professional-quality design work. For 24 hours straight, dedicated students and faculty from PCA&D’s graphic design and illustration departments create marketing pieces, such as logos, websites, and brochures. The 24-hour Designathon is an annual event held by the college’s American Institute of Graphic Arts Student Chapter (AIGA) that provides professional-quality design services at no charge to area non-profits and to the community-at-large.

Students at PCA&D who participate in the Designathon gain real-world experience in creating projects for clients under a tight, 24-hour deadline. They learn that non-profits have very real marketing needs in order to be successful, and strong graphic design on well-organized collateral pieces are vital components in successful communications and marketing plans. More importantly, students experience the value of giving back to the community.