18 TOWER | FALL 2024 It’s 9 a.m. on a Friday. Sketch pads are out. Pencils are scribbling. And students are gearing up for an intense 12 hours of creative collaboration in Kutztown University’s Sharadin Arts Building. Known as the biggest design extravaganza on campus, Designathon is an annual graphic design event that gives students the opportunity to produce outstanding pro bono work for local nonprofit organizations. While it’s no easy feat designing and delivering press-ready artwork in less than a day, Designathon is a volunteer-based event, where students come together and create designs based on a client’s project request. “There’s a sort of magic that happens where the students are under pressure in a shorter time frame and just produce amazing work,” says Vicki Meloney ’93, communication design professor and longstanding Designathon cohost. ’This is like our prom’ Meloney says that the true moment of excitement begins right before the event starts, when students find out what they’re designing, who they’re designing for and which teams they’re on. Designathon gives students real-world experience working with local nonprofits BY ASH NAVE ’17 FEATURE
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