Working with BASE this year has been different from every other project I have taken on. With companies, design is about solving a problem. With BASE, design is about representing people I care about. It is about building something that feels true to the Black community at Waterloo and giving us visuals and experiences that actually feel like ours.

I joined BASE as the lead brand designer for the rebrand. On paper, that meant logos, colors, typography, digital assets, campaign visuals. In reality, it meant thinking about identity, belonging, and how we want to be seen. Every design choice needed to feel grounded in culture, confidence, and community. Nothing could feel generic. Nothing could feel performative.

What surprised me most is how fulfilling the process has been. When you design for your own community, you feel every decision differently. I wanted everything to feel intentional. The tone. The energy. The visual voice. The way people would experience the brand on campus or online. I wanted Black students to look at BASE and feel a little spark of pride. I wanted new students to feel welcomed before they ever met us in person.

The work has also pushed me to grow as a designer. I learned how to translate emotion into visual language. I learned how to lead a creative direction that had to balance professionalism with personality. I learned how to create assets that feel modern but still rooted in Black culture without leaning on clichés.

The best part has been seeing people react to the work. Seeing students tag BASE. Seeing more Black students show up to events. Seeing the brand start to feel alive on campus. That is a different kind of reward. It is rare to work on something where the impact is immediate and personal.

I have done design work for companies, clubs, and clients. BASE is the one that feels closest to home. It is a reminder that design is not just about products. It is about people. When the people are your own community, the work hits different.