School: Career Innovation Center
Class: Business Accelerator Program (Graphic Design / Business Principles / Fundamentals of Marketing)
Instructor: Stephanie Lower
Client: Suit Up for Success Professional Clothing Closet
Problem:
How can we create, manage, and maintain a sustainable professional clothing closet that ensures equitable access and supports student success in real-world opportunities?
Summary
Students at the Blue Springs Career Innovation Center (CIC) partnered with the CIC counselor to develop and implement the Suit Up for Success Professional Clothing Closet. Using the design thinking process, students collaborated with school counselors and district personnel to organize donated professional attire and create an inventory and tracking system for student use. The closet serves students from all five sending districts and supports professional opportunities such as interviews, competitions, and client meetings. Students also developed promotional strategies to raise awareness of the resource. The project continues to evolve as operations expand and marketing efforts grow.
Takeaways
Throughout this project students were able to grow these essential skills: critical thinking, problem solving, effective communication, professional conduct, resilience and reliability, interpersonal relationships, collaboration, organization, planning, prioritizing, and accountability.
In the future it is important for better communicated deadlines between myself (teacher) and the client, as well as the CCP team.
Advice
Get comfortable with letting the students fail forward, work with your clients to develop clear expectations and deadlines, and define roles for students
Standards/Learning Targets
- I can conduct research to understand my client’s needs and incorporate those into my design.
- I can apply design concepts (white space, color, typography, focal points, movement, balance, symmetry) to visually communicate information to the desired audience.
- I can utilize Adobe Creative Suite design software (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign) to create eye-catching publications that effectively communicate information to the desired audience.
- I can listen to criticism on my initial designs and incorporate the feedback into a revised design. I can properly prepare my final design for print publication.
- I can conduct market research to identify a target audience and customer wants/needs.
- I can apply the marketing mix (product, price, place, and promotion) to effectively market a product or service to meet business goals.
- I can apply the design thinking process to solve a business problem.
- I can communicate effectively with peers, instructors, and community partners using the appropriate communication channel for the audience, task, and purpose.
- I can present to an audience with a clear, audible voice and consistent eye contact.