Graphic design students create collateral for statewide holiday recycling campaign

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A design by Michaela Bollinger for STAR’s #BuyRecycled campaign encourages consumers to reduce waste during the holiday season.

Department of Design students in instructor Jan Ballard’s Recognition for Graphic Designers course collaborated this semester with the State of Texas Alliance for Recycling (STAR) to create collateral for the organization’s #BuyRecycled holiday social media campaign.

In partnership with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and Keep Texas Beautiful, STAR’s #BuyRecycled campaign is intended to encourage consumers to reduce waste during the holiday season with measures such as recycling giftwrap and shopping sustainably. According to STAR, a nonprofit that advances recycling through partnerships, education and advocacy, 44 percent of what was thrown away in 2019 could have been recycled.

TCU faculty and STAR stakeholders selected five designs created by senior Michaela Bollinger and junior Abigail Lund for the #BuyRecycled campaign. The graphics are featured on the organization’s website and will be shared on STAR’s affiliates’ social media channels throughout the holiday season.

Bollinger and Lund each researched STAR’s brand before creating their respective designs.

“I made note of how STAR applied its brand colors throughout its social media platforms,” said Lund. “For inspiration, I researched different holiday-themed fonts and infographics…before choosing to go forward with ribbon text and string lights.”

Ballard often facilitates projects with real-world applications for her students, such as the #BuyRecycled campaign, which developed from a professional connection to STAR’s executive director, Brittany Rosenberg.

Abigail Lund researched STAR’s brand colors before creating a holiday-inspired graphic for the organization’s #BuyRecycled social media campaign.

Bollinger says she enjoys assignments like this one because she gets to work with local businesses and organizations.

“This project was specifically enjoyable because it relates to social media, which I find myself loving more and more,” said Bollinger. “A well-curated social media [feed] does a lot to attract a client base and keep them coming back for more.”