senior year experience — Gabby Harris Design

EVENT BRANDING & ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN

WHAT IS THE SENIOR YEAR EXPERIENCE?

Senior Year Experience is a series of events throughout the academic year that honor upcoming graduates — whether they’re graduating in the spring, summer, or fall.

For each graduating class, programming begins in January with 100 Days ’Til Graduation, followed by Senior Week in April for spring graduates. We then host the August Graduation Pop-Up for summer graduates and Hintz-Warming in December for fall graduates.

Each event is built around three pillars:

Educate students about the Alumni Association
Prepare them for life after Penn State
Celebrate their achievement

Throughout the program, we intentionally create opportunities that support each pillar, including:

Tabling for PSAA departments at each event, such as Career Services, Affiliate Alumni Groups, Travel, Membership, and more
The Penn State Bookstore bringing gowns for students to try on before ordering
Jostens sending a representative to promote class rings
Activities and refreshments that keep students engaged
Staff actively connecting with students throughout the event
Creating lasting brand impressions so the PSAA presence stays with students long after they leave

GOALS & SOLUTION

The branding system extends beyond a single event. I designed a visual system that carries across digital, promotional, and print deliverables. The SYE event branding balances school spirit with a fresh, student-focused feel—ensuring the experience feels relevant and relatable.

Deliverables include:

Social media graphics across multiple platforms
Email graphics and layouts
Web assets for event promotion and landing pages
Digital screens for campus promotion
Environmental design elements, including screen dresses and motion graphics
Print materials such as springboard signage, tabletop signage, candy bar labels, and more

To ensure the program’s identity remains prominent across every event, typography, textures, and motifs stay consistent throughout each activation. In preparation for Senior Week, I created a moodboard to share with the client before moving into execution.

Across each event and its deliverables, you’ll see consistent use of the class button, personalized doodles, the Lion Shrine sticker, and signature typography—all while adhering to PSAA brand standards.

HINTZ-WARMING

A graduation celebration for December graduates that introduces them to the Alumni Association and their new home away from home—the Hintz Family Alumni Center. The event features a hot cocoa bar, candy bar, cap decorating, and more—creating a warm, welcoming send-off before December commencement.

100 DAYS ’TIL GRADUATION

A kickoff to graduation season for May graduates—celebrating the start of their final semester and connecting with students as they begin the student-to-alum transition. The event included a hot cocoa bar, candy bar, DIY charm bar, and activation touchpoints that create excitement for the months ahead.