Coursework
Reimagining Creative Reuse
Team: Eindra Lin, Kevin Lorenzi
Timeline: 4 weeks
Credits
Guidance — Brett Yasko, Caleb Sun
Photography — Kevin Lorenzi, Unsplash, various
Artwork — Monica Cervone McElwain
Artwork — Monica Cervone McElwain
An identity that brings together the little details, intricately capturing the playful, DIY spirit of the store and making creativity as approachable as the items within.
The Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse (PCCR) breathes new life into materials, but its visual identity didn’t reflect its creativity or community spirit. User research revealed a disconnect—while people loved the in-store experience, the branding, website, and exterior lacked the same vibrancy, making it harder to engage with PCCR fully.
Our team developed a design proposal to bridge that gap. We translated creativity and community into rhythmic iconography and dynamic design patterns—making the experience more inviting and playful. By distilling complex ideas into clear, engaging visuals, we created a design system that truly reflects PCCR’s spirit.
Reflection
This project challenged me to think beyond individual assets and approach design as a connected system. Balancing branding, UI, and identity work reinforced how each detail—color, typography, interaction—shapes the larger experience. User research grounded our decisions, ensuring that design wasn’t just visually cohesive but also intuitive and impactful. Working under tight constraints forced me to distill ideas down to their essence, something I see as a form of world-building—where every choice, no matter how small, contributes to the whole.
