Creating bold, energetic branding to inspire youth toward skilled trades
How do you get students curious about careers they've never considered? For the Skilled Trades Career Fair, I created a bold, energetic identity that made engineering, construction, and STEM feel exciting and full of possibility. Using vibrant colors, gritty textures, and engaging illustrations, I helped turn an unfamiliar path into a future worth exploring.
Glorified pixel-pusher and so much more
Design lead, Strategy, Research, Visual design
The challenge
For many students, the path to a fulfilling career feels unclear—especially for those in communities with fewer resources and opportunities. Skilled trades like engineering, construction, and STEM offer incredible careers, but too often, young people don’t see them as an option simply because they haven’t been exposed to them.
That’s where the Skilled Trades Career Fair comes in. This event was designed to connect elementary and high school students with hands-on experiences, mentorship, and direct access to industry professionals. The city prioritized outreach to schools on the south and west sides to ensure students from underrepresented communities had a real chance to explore these career paths.
My challenge? Create a bold, energetic identity that would grab students' attention, spark curiosity, and make skilled trades feel like an exciting future—not just an alternative.
The solution
To make the event truly engaging, I designed a campaign that was bold, dynamic, and full of possibility, featuring vibrant colors, a custom logo, and energetic visuals.
Every design element was intentional:
I brought the campaign to life across posters, brochures, shirts, banners, social media, and a website, ensuring a consistent and inspiring experience across all touchpoints.
Students explore new career pathways at the Skilled Trades Fair video
In collaboration with CPS, city agencies, the Children First Fund, and various labor and corporate partners, more than 3,000 high school students had the chance to explore career paths in architecture, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), the construction trades, and many additional fields at the Skilled Trades Fair.
Designing opportunity
This wasn’t just another career fair—it was an opportunity accelerator. Through thoughtful design, I helped students see that skilled trades aren’t just jobs—they’re careers filled with creativity, stability, and room for growth. By making the event feel welcoming, inspiring, and full of possibility, I helped students take their first steps toward building a future they’re excited about.
