Overview
Portfolio / Institutional Campaign
The challenge: honor fifty years of program history and celebrate a beloved retiring director, for an audience of major donors, alumni, and faculty, on a university budget.
The 48-page program book was the foundation of the entire campaign, establishing the typography, layout, and visual identity that carried through every piece.
Interior layouts integrated archival photography and historical content, unified by the pomegranate, a symbol of abundance and significance in Jewish tradition.
The invitation introduced the campaign’s visual identity to guests before the event began, setting the tone for everything that followed.
The RSVP and donation cards carried the campaign identity into every guest interaction. Donation amounts were set at 18, 54, 180, and 360, reflecting the tradition of giving in multiples of chai.
Donor ads were individually designed from written messages, keeping each one distinct, yet visually consistent within the larger identity system.
The illustration created for the silent auction featured pomegranates alongside the Star of David and other culturally significant symbols, extending the campaign’s visual language into a collectible artwork.
Approach
The visual system needed to carry two purposes at once: a milestone anniversary and a tribute to the retiring director. Donors and alumni had to feel the weight and significance of the occasion, while the design had to function practically as a fundraising tool.
Every piece was built from the same foundation so the event felt unified whether a guest was holding an invitation, flipping through the program book, or seeing the slideshow. Cultural specificity was central to the design decisions, from the pomegranate imagery to the donation amounts.
Outcome
The event was covered by the Columbus Jewish News and Kent State News, drawing more than 150 guests and raising over $60,000. The program director praised the work.