SHALOM AUSTIN
The Shalom Austin Dell Jewish Community Center is the hub of Jewish life in Central Texas. Their mission is to create community and philanthropy through events, youth and adult programming and fundraising. My role as the Graphic Designer for Member Experience and the Creative Director for the Jewish Outlook Newspaper reach beyond their titles. I assist with marketing, signage and print collateral, photography, video editing, social media, and event planning. Below are some highlighted projects that best show the breath of my work at Shalom Austin.
Check out the publication library here!
The Jewish Outlook Newspaper &
Jewish Austin magazine
The Dell JCC publishes a quarterly newspaper and a yearly magazine. As Creative Director of the newspaper, I oversee the layout and design. I work closely with our editor to ensure all of the editorial is placed and flows throughout imagery and advertisements. I have provided creative direction and design on 8 newspapers and 1 magazine thus far.
Challenge:
We have many articles and advertisements to fit in each year while making each publication informative and easy to digest. This includes images, calendars, crosswords, special advertising segments, etc. Everything has to be accounted for all while being digestible and not going over board with the page count and staying on brand.
Process:
We work along side our Corporate Sponsorship team to ensure that all who have paid to advertise are accounted for, and placed in reasonable positions throughout. Our articles are thoroughly copy edited and thinned if needed to fit more eye catching imagery to accompany it. The teams are in constant communication to guarantee that we make a beautiful paper and magazine each time.
Takeaways:
Having seamless processes in place help majorly with organization across teams. We have meetings and deadlines planned in advance and are always checking in to make sure all is accounted for. Multipage layout has become a huge strength and its exciting to get into each time around!
Playground Panel Design
One of the major phases of my time at the J, was their remodel period. The JCC, now Dell JCC, was under construction. They added on an entire new facility including a Health & Wellness Center, offices for staff, the Kaufman Living Room for members and non-members to hang out, and of course, brand new playgrounds for all families to enjoy.
Challenge:
The playground is an inclusive space for all families to play and make connections. We wanted to show to children and families that this was an inviting space, but also make the connection back to the Jewish community in Austin. I was tasked to design six unique panels that would represent the Jewish community in Austin and beyond. The playground is split into two parts; young and older children. (Based on playground equipment) Our six categories were as follows: 7 Species of Israel, Travel to Israel, Hebrew Alphabet, Austin-Jewish Community, Israeli Flag, and Friendship.
Process:
I always begin with sketches and in this particular type of work that includes a physical product, measurements was a must. I worked closely with the playground company to ensure my measurements and files types were in flux with the final design.
Takeaways:
The best takeaway from this project is seeing this project being used on a daily basis. Getting to see families interact with my work and make a connection through such a simple addition to a fun space is something to be proud of.
Shalom Austin Dell JCC Ribbon Cutting
Once the new building for the J was complete, we had two celebratory events to commence its opening. The first, was a Ribbon Cutting Event, specifically inviting major donors and contributors to its success. We worked closely with a marketing agency, ECPR (they are lovely people), to help us plan this event. We invited many media outlets, photographers (I was one of these!) and videographers to capture this monumental moment.
Challenge:
We are a very small team and were even smaller at the time! My Marketing Director, Wendy, and I really spear headed the marketing for this event (as well as the next) due to this. The target date for the building opening was the real challenge here. We couldn’t set any firm dates for events leading up to the space being open especially since we were to use the space. Once dates were set, we had to hit the ground running!
Process:
We knew that we wanted to have some featured speakers say a few words before the ribbon was cut, but since this was a big deal for the J, we thought having a run-of-show was important. There were many edits as we had lists of names of major donors and past board chairs. We also used this itinerary as an invite for the Grand Opening happening a few weeks later.
Takeaways:
It’s important to celebrate those that contributed to such a huge achievement. The energy at this event was extremely positive and bubbling with excitement for the Grand Opening. Seeing even the tiniest design details make up such an important event was heartwarming.
Shalom Austin Dell JCC Grand Opening
The second of the two major events leading up to the opening was … well the opening! The organization decided to celebrate this moment with a Grand Opening celebration. We opened up the campus to the community and anyone who wanted to come check us out. It was an all hands on deck affair; every department contributed with activities and information booths showcasing their areas of focus. We also had nosh of course.
Challenge:
Due to this being an all hands on deck event, we had to be meticulous planners. Due to this not landing on a specific department, Marketing was in charge of the majority of event planning. This including things like day of event materials (balloons, banners, signage etc.) as well as contacting media and photography.
Process:
Weekly meetings were put in place to check in with departments and check things off of the list. We made a spreadsheet of all of the activities happening during the event and created an itinerary to share with the community in prepartion for a day of activities. This also included a dedicated landing page on our website to learn more and register for the event. We had fun swag giveaways for those we signed up day of the event as well.
Takeaways:
Large event planning is no joke! Due to moving dates, it was especially harder. Having weekly meetings and things organized was a game changer. This event was such a success and we really knocked it out of the park.
JCamps (2022 - 2024)
Every summer, the Dell JCC hosts JCamps; an annual summer camp for young children. JCamps is the epitome of inclusivity and fun. Each year has different program offerings and various daily activities that include pool time (of course!) Maccabi Sports, Song Session and much more.
Challenge:
Registration opens late January every year for camp. Parents are always very eager to get their child(ren) signed up and solidify plans for summer. Our prep to market camp is in full force during the first quarter. Once open and the registrant numbers rise, we pivot our focus to camp operations and what’s needed. Campers and Counselors each get a uniquely designed shirt per year as well as camp swag. That’s where marketing and design comes in.
Process:
Marketing works closely with the Youth & Teen department to decide what swag were ordering/designing as well as the new t-shirt design for the year. Marketing pre-camp is mostly digital (email marketing, social etc), but during camp its purely hands on and ensuring that the camp experience is one for the books.
Takeaways:
The JCamps team is such a joy to work with and we always have such amazing ideas come to life. We love seeing the kids and their families love our work just as much as we do.
Dell JCC Athletics
The Dell J Athletics department always has many activities happening from basketball and soccer to kickball and gymnastics. Though there are some partner programs that are offered on campus (such as Ballet Austin at the Dell J) the JCC also has many of its own. Each program has a unique text treatment for apparel worn during these programs
Challenge:
Each program has to be unique and different from one another while also being associated with the Dell J brand. It could be as simple as including the logo on the piece of apparel but some have to have the logos integrated.
Process:
I work closely with the program directors to get a sense of what they’re looking for. We go through rounds of sketches and drafts until we meet the final product. Determining the material and color of the apparel also plays a big part in the final product.
Takeaways:
It’s very neat to see an idea come to life and others outside of the creative process enjoy the product as well. I love seeing members wearing swag i’ve worked on and how unique each one is.