Non-profits: Challenge PCA&D designers with your Designathon 2019 project
Monday, September 10th, 2018
Every year for ten years, right before spring break, PCA&D students shut themselves in to give back to the community. At the annual Designathon, PCA&D’s Graphic Design Department and the student chapter of AIGA (The American Institute of Graphic Arts) coordinate the event, a 24-hour marathon to design quality graphic materials for local non-profit organizations.
Applications are currently available for any non-profit who would like their project considered for the 11th annual 2019 Designathon. Eight to ten non-profits will be selected for the event where PCA&D students, aided by faculty and alumni (and countless gallons of coffee) work overnight, February 22 & 23, 2019, beginning at 6 p.m. February 22.
Over the ten years, student teams have designed brochures, logos, posters, websites and more for more than 70 area non-profits that reads like a list of the who’s who of local non-profits, including:
- 2nd Chance 4 Life Rescue
- Aaron’s Acres
- Ambassadors for Hope
- Anchorage Breakfast program
- Beat the Streets
- LancasterBig 33 Scholarships
- Bench Mark Program
- Bright Side Opportunities Center
- Bureau of Public Art, Lancaster City
- Caring Hearts Pet Therapy
- Central Market Trust
- Central PA Ataxia Support Group
- Compass Mark
- Fulton Theatre
- Girls on the Run
- Grace United Church of Christ
- Jewish Family Service of Lancaster
- Junior Achievement of Central PA
- KPets (Keystone Pet Enhanced Therapy Services)
- La Academia The Partnership Charter School
- Lancaster County’s Community Action Partnership
- Lancaster Creative Reuse
- Lancaster Recreation Commission
- Laurel Dance Company
- Leadership Lancaster
- Lumina
- Men of Iron
- Mental Health America of Lancaster County
- Milagro House
- Occupational Development Center
- Phoenix Assistance Dogs of Central PA
- Power Packs Project
- Special Olympics of Lancaster County
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.