Amanda Choong ’24 ravamps YWCA Lancaster’s Race Against Racism branding

It would be any designer’s dream to see thousands of people wearing their work — and for Amanda Choong ’24, that opportunity came true in April. 

Choong, a Graphic Design major, was commissioned by YWCA Lancaster to update the look of Lancaster’s Race Against Racism logo and branding. And that’s no small order: YWCA Lancaster’s event, in its 26th year, is the nation’s longest consecutively run Race Against Racism, with more than 3,000 community members turning out to support the organization’s Center for Racial and Gender Equality. 

“It was really fun to take an existing logo that has been known for many years, and then give it a new refreshed look!” Choong said. She was enlisted to provide several options for the community to vote on, said YWCA Lancaster Director of Communications Aaron Spangler — the first, an update to the classic logo and another that took the design in a new direction. 

“I loved creating the logos, giving each one its own mood and theme,” Choong said. In the end, the community vote selected the “refreshed” version, Spangler said, with 51 percent of the votes. 

“For such an iconic logo, it was important to us to let folks in the community choose,” Spangler added. 

Keep an eye out for shirts bearing Choong’s new design: With so many race participants each year, “it’s one of those shirts you see all across Lancaster County, which really speaks to the universal draw of this cause,” Spangler said. “We were so excited to partner with PCA&D to find a talented, emerging artist to helm the brand refresh.”

Newly refreshed YWCA Lancaster Race Against Racism branding, by Amanda Choong ’24, Graphic Design.

Top photo: Participants in the 2024 Race Against Racism in Lancaster wear shirts with branding designed by Amanda Choong ’24, Graphic Design. Photo courtesy Michelle Johnsen Photography