Better Make Room & College Signing Day
CLIENT: MICHELLE OBAMA/THE WHITE HOUSE
During her time as First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS), Michelle Obama and her team wanted a way to encourage traditionally marginalized Generation Z students to apply for and attend college.
I penned the tagline “Saying things out loud makes them happen,” and engagement for the campaign centered around making sure that students knew they were heard. We put their dreams for the future on digital billboards across the country, on posters and t-shirts through artist collaborations, on a website, in a PSA and, most notably, on the American Eagle building in Times Square as part of an interactive installation.
College Signing Day is an annual celebrity-filled event (part of the Better Make Room campaign) that celebrates students who have made the commitment to attend college.
As you might imagine, the data is impressive:
2.96 BILLION #BetterMakeRoom hashtag impressions
5,500+ press hits
58,000+ @BetterMakeRoom Instagram followers
100+ celebrity influencers
1,500+ College Signing Day events held every year
700,000+ students celebrated annually during College Signing Day
~1 BILLION #CollegeSigningDay hashtag impressions each year
165,000+ students signed up for UpNext text platform
2.1 million UpNext text messages sent
My role:
Art direction, design, copywriting, engagement and partnerships ideation for Better Make Room
Creative direction and design for College Signing Day
Additional credits:
Copywriting by Sarah Gabbart
Video production by Ell Creative
Produced while employed by The Black Sheep Agency as part of the Reach Higher initiative
Better Make Room Celebrity Reaction Video
We chose real student statements with real student names to put in front of various celebrities, who read them and then responded authentically on video. Additionally, many celebrities retweeted or reposted similar “student statements” hashtagged with #BetterMakeRoom.
Video and art direction by Ell Creative, concept by me
Interactive Times Square Billboard for College Signing Day
For College Signing Day’s fifth anniversary, we broadcast student statements in Times Square. Instagram images and Twitter posts as well as statements submitted through the website replaced the large “5” on the right. User generated content is a tricky beast, but worth it when a student discovers their photo in Times Square!
The “OO” in the logo is customizable. It’s a Venn diagram of who you are and who you’re becoming — and the intersection of both, the college experience.
#DesignForGood Partnership
I ideated and implemented a White House/designer partnership in which designers, letterers and artists made artwork from student quotes. I wanted students to feel an added layer of accountability to finish college based on the visibility of their statements and their new connections to these creative professionals.
Left to right: Paula Scher of Pentagram, Terence Tang of Tinlun Studio, Jo Skillman
Chalk mural at the White House, also seen in the College Humor video "Go to College" with Jay Pharoah of Saturday Night Live fame.
Snapchat filter and buttons, as worn by Tim Gunn during the launch event.
The campaign received nearly THREE BILLION impressions and climbing.
The Black Sheep team on launch day at the White House: Jo Skillman, Aimee Woodall (owner), Michelle Obama, Jess Craft and Sarah Gabbart (copywriter)
Student statements and uploaded images were used to create several types of digital billboards and installations.
A digest for celebrities participating in College Signing Day
Usher speaking at College Signing Day 2019
A digital billboard partnership allowed us to showcase student statements across the nation.
The Better Make Room website, showcasing student photos and statements beneath the "Saying things out loud makes them happen" headline
Footage from Times Square the day of College Signing Day
College Signing Day buttons and stationery
Justin Baldoni with a t-shirt cannon at College Signing Day 2019
College Signing Day 2016, cohosted by MTV
College Signing Day tshirt