Cal Poly Pomona kicked off their 5th annual Design for Good Marathon, with their largest non-profit organization to date, It Gets Better. In 24 hours, these students made activations that elevate the social, physical and experiential organization, with a mission to empower LGBTQ+ youth.

It Gets Better is a globally recognized non-profit organization that provides opportunities to learn, discover and better understand the queer experience. The non-profit empowers youth with opportunities to connect with other like-minded individuals and provides programming and grants to form projects that make public schools more inclusive.

Students organized themselves into five teams to create various improvements to the It Gets Better experience. This work spans the gamut of content design, social templates, trade show booths, motion graphics, activation spaces, collateral and digital assets that allow for a fuller range of expression. You may find the work they did on platforms such as Youtube, Instagram, Twitch and TIkTok.

We are incredibly proud of the work they have accomplished in a short amount of time. This work was made possible by the help of the Los Angeles Design Community, AIGA LA, AIGA Cal Poly Pomona leadership team, Jennifer Avila, Jasmine Jeanine Guevara, Jade Krystle Campos, Dom Almario, Tyrell Keon Malonzo, Taz Alamillo, Lauren Ussery, Cal Poly Pomona’s Associate Professor, Anthony Acock, and all the student designers that made this happen.

Design for Good is a growing AIGA LA initiative that focuses on social change through the lens of design. In past years, we have supported programs that seek to enhance the life of immigrants (Creative Jam 2019) to groups like Project Sister (Crisis and Family Counseling Organization), and Undocumented Student Services (Cal Poly Pomona). We hope to continue this work in coming years with more non-profits and programs.

Historically, Cal Poly Pomona’s 24 hour design marathon was modeled closely after the AIGA student group’s similar annual event, Creative Engine, hosted each year at the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg Missouri (UCMO). By working closely off of UCMO’s precedent the team was able to put together an event that not only created a large body of portfolio worthy work in a short amount of time, but also was achievable and for good causes near and dear to the student population.