Click image to download

Click image to download

I got the idea to start doing pro-bono (for the public good) work from chatting with someone at a recent AIGA event. He told me to do as much pro-bono work as you can when you’re young. And I agree, the more experience you have under your belt the better. I’ve had some free time on my hands lately, and I thought what a perfect way to volunteer and advertise for free!

I found volunteermatch.org to be a very helpful start. No one was advertising for the need of graphic design services, but I found a few that had a call for newsletter entries, help at events, and various others that I knew would appreciate my services. I picked a few that interested me including: United States Equine Rescue League, Inc. (USERL), Teens against Violence (TAV), Shepherd’s Center East, and National Multiple Sclerosis Society - Mid Atlantic Chapter.

I created this poster and bookmark for USERL, which helps rescue horses in need. If you click the images you can download the PDF’s and please feel free to print the poster and bookmark to post or hand out.

Just like how I would start any design project, I did my research first. After getting engaged, I made sure to get my hands on some wedding magazines and checked out some inspiring websites like theknot.com. I started collecting images of things I liked. I had an on-going theme, I wanted everything to be personal by using photography.

My friend, Lydia Ko, volunteered to take engagement pictures for us, which I absolutely love. I wanted to use them somehow, and I had an idea in the back of my mind that I saw of using a photobooth for “save the dates”. So I made four of my favorite pictures into a strip like you would get out of a photobooth into a bookmark, on the back gave the date and location, and more information.

I didn’t want to send out the traditional plain thank you notes; everyone knows as soon as you read it, it goes on the fridge for awhile because you would feel badly throwing it away or just put it straight in the trash. I wanted to send out something that would make someone smile or think, “Wow, that was a cute idea, how clever” and actually want to hold on to it for awhile. I posed with the gifts I received from my bridal shower and added thought bubbles to make me look like a stupid bride that didn’t know how to do anything. I developed the photos and then printed out the back of the postcards on some index cards and glued them together. I thought it was a cute funny idea on a budget, and I had fun with it.

For my wedding gifts that I received for the wedding, I used a photo of my new husband and I on the back of our getaway vehicle that read “Just Married”, but I changed it to “Thank you”, although I could have left it.