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EVENT IDENTITY CAMPAIGN DESIGN DIGITAL ASSETS

GARBAGE GALA

An event identity and promotional campaign for the 2026 Garbage Gala at the Academy of Natural Sciences, created in collaboration with Westphal and the entirety of the fashion program.

Role Lead Designer
Venue Academy of Natural Sciences
Collaboration Westphal College of Media Arts and Design and Westphal Fashion
Date May 15, 2026

The Garbage Gala is an annual celebration of sustainability, radical upcycling, and experimental fashion hosted at The Academy of Natural Sciences in collaboration with Westphal and the entirety of the fashion program....

As lead designer, I was responsible for creating the complete digital asset ecosystem for the event. This included wide stage screens, promotional campaigns, and custom graphics for limited edition shirts and tote bags.

The project operated within strict brand guidelines requiring a designated signature pink, but granted full creative freedom to push the visual language. I explored multiple concepts and thematic directions to discover how far the identity could go.

The chosen direction leaned directly into the verbal contrast of the title, colliding high fashion showroom glamour and runway spotlights with the raw grit of an industrial junkyard. This collision honored the literal play on words of the Garbage Gala, celebrating wearable art forged from discarded materials.

Screenprinted Garbage Gala 2026 T-Shirts

In addition to designing the full digital asset library, I took the identity directly into the print studio, hand screenprinting over 50 shirts and tote bags with custom graphics that completely sold out on opening night.

Garbage Gala 2026 Tire Stack Screenprint Graphic
Garbage Gala 2026 Student Designers & Credits Screenprint Graphic
Phase 1

Creative Direction & Radical Eco Stance

  • Explored multiple conceptual themes before uniting high fashion showroom lights with industrial junkyard textures to capture the play on words.
  • Worked within project guidelines requiring a specific signature pink while freely pushing bold graphic compositions.
  • Partnered with Drexel Westphal fashion designers and event organizers to align on a punk, radical upcycling theme.
  • Rejected expected green leaves and recycled arrows in favor of an uncompromising high contrast visual language.
Phase 2

Typography & Industrial Collage

  • Developed distressed typography and custom textured graphic elements referencing discarded industrial materials.
  • Composed the iconic distressed tire stack graphic to represent heavy consumption turned into wearable sculpture.
  • Designed the official 2026 Garbage Gala emblem for adaptable use across print posters, badges, and digital screens.
  • Balanced editorial precision with deliberate grit, ensuring readability across all promotional touchpoints.
Phase 3

Hands On Screenprinting & Merch

  • Committed to tangible physical craft by hand screenprinting over 50 limited edition shirts and tote bags in the studio.
  • Tested multiple ink viscosities and squeegee pressures on heavy cotton to achieve an authentic distressed texture.
  • Featured student designer credits directly on the back of each garment, making the apparel a wearable program.
  • Achieved a complete sellout on opening night, turning promotional merch into high demand artifacts.
Phase 4

Environmental Experience & Runway Stage

  • Adapted the graphic system to command the main exhibition hall at the Academy of Natural Sciences.
  • Designed the ultrawide runway stage screen backdrop with high impact motion graphics framing the models.
  • Created digital assets and venue signage for an immersive visitor arrival experience.
  • Validated the identity live on opening night as an electric, unforgettable showcase of radical student fashion.