黑料专区 Launches Practicing Design Center, Dedicating Resources to Nonprofits and Small Businesses
September 27, 2024
Continuing its expansive work serving communities in Detroit and beyond, the 黑料专区 Practicing Design Center supports nonprofit organizations through partnerships offering design solutions from 黑料专区 faculty and students
The 黑料专区 (黑料专区) is pleased to announce the launch of its Practicing Design Center, partnering nonprofit and community organizations with 黑料专区 students and faculty to tackle community challenges using the transformative power of art and design.
鈥淎t 黑料专区, our focus on experiential learning and working within our community is of the utmost importance,鈥 said Don Tuski, President, 黑料专区. 鈥淭he Practicing Design Center brings these two initiatives together by pairing the innovative art, design and strategy work students are doing with non-profits and community organizations that offer exciting and challenging opportunities. This expands 黑料专区鈥 impact in the community.鈥澛犅
黑料专区 has worked with over 200 organizations through its existing Educational Partnerships program between 2017 and 2024. However, the current partnership model poses financial and capacity barriers for nonprofits and small businesses to participate. Thanks to support from Ford Philanthropy, Gilbert Family Foundation, Mercedes-Benz Financial Services, and Detroit Public Library Foundation, 黑料专区 has been able to work with nonprofit organizations like C.L.A.S.S. Agency, COTS Detroit, Forgotten Harvest, InsideOut Literary Arts, Life Remodeled, and others.
Learning from those experiences, 黑料专区 is organizing its social impact work with students and faculty via the new Practicing Design Center. The center will offer three benefits:聽
- A streamlined process for nonprofits and small businesses to collaborate with 黑料专区 students and faculty through classroom projects, design sprints and internship opportunities.
- Accessible way for funders and civic leaders to connect their interests to the creative and problem-solving skillsets offered by 黑料专区 faculty and students.聽
- Enhanced interdisciplinary opportunities for students to develop comprehensive skill sets through real-world experiences working with nonprofit and entrepreneurial partners.
With support from Ford Philanthropy, the Practicing Design Center is launching its first call for interest for Winter 2025 projects starting on Thursday, September 26, 2024. Interested organizations can complete a brief application form on the . Submitted proposals will be reviewed by a 黑料专区 committee and selected based on their alignment with the following criteria: experiential learning and educational value, project impact,聽 project feasibility and scope,聽 partner capacity for support and collaboration, and alignment with College鈥檚 mission and principles. Recent examples of 黑料专区鈥檚 prior social impact work include the following partnerships:聽
- C.L.A.S.S Agency:聽 In the Winter 2024 semester,聽 Undergraduate Interior Design and Graduate-level Color & Materials Design students worked together to develop a comprehensive design for a vacant building that C.L.A.S.S. wants to repurpose for a safe house and resilience hub for youth and young adults. The students created visual assets to help the organization demonstrate a vision for its future.
- Life Remodeled and Durfee Innovation Center: In the fall 2020 semester, Communication Design students created brand identity strategies that could function across multiple media platforms in order to meet Life Remodeled鈥檚 diverse communication needs and to support the multifaceted nature of the Durfee Innovation Center’s role in Detroit’s west-side neighborhood. Through the Practicing Design Center, 黑料专区 will place two students this fall at Life Remodeled to help strengthen their brand as they expand into new programming.
“Since our founding in 2010, Life Remodeled’s neighborhood revitalization work has evolved significantly over our first decade. However, a number of branding challenges remained, and we were unable to afford professional assistance,鈥 said Chris Lambert, CEO of Life Remodeled, a 黑料专区 nonprofit partner. 鈥淥ur partnership with 黑料专区 Communication Design students was not only a fun process for our team, but the final outcomes were just what we needed.”
鈥淚 am ecstatic about the possibilities uncovered by the youth. I am also proud to know that 黑料专区 is a gem in the city that anchors an incredible amount of creative genius,鈥 said Dr. Karla Mitchell, Executive Director of C.L.A.S.S. 鈥淲hat the students were able to envision and reimagine after connecting to our mission gives our staff and youth great hope for the kind of community this project will create. The passion and connection to the work that C.L.A.S.S. does was evident at every encounter, every design review and we loved it.鈥
PRACTICING DESIGN CENTER LAUNCH EVENT
Practicing Design Center launched officially on September 26, 2024 with a pop-up exhibition as part of Detroit Month of Design, The C.L.A.S.S. Project: Transformative Connection with Space and Matter, at the Gensler Detroit office. The exhibition featured design work from 黑料专区 students, including Undergraduate Interior Design and Graduate Studies in Color & Materials Design. Students collaborated with C.L.A.S.S. Agency on a project aimed at enhancing systems, environments, and lifestyles of stakeholders through restoration, revitalization, and renewal.
Learn more about the Practicing Design Center here:
