Dear
friend
,
In August, we introduced you to our collaboration with
Urban Outfitters, Inc. (
URBN)
, a leading lifestyle company comprised of global consumer brands including Anthropologie, Free People, Urban Outfitters, and Nuuly.
Today, we’re proud to announce the recent launch of an innovative, hands-on educational program for middle school students, URBN Graphic Design Academy
.
The curriculum, developed by our national programs team with input from URBN employees, introduces students to career paths and key principles of graphic design and digital marketing.
At the completion of the seven-week course, five of the students’ garment designs will be manufactured and made available for purchase online!
Creative + Technical Skills
Students will be introduced to concepts like “the 4 Ps of marketing” and “the 5 principles of layout design” as they create a logo, lay out a magazine cover, and ultimately design a garment. They’ll learn how to develop their ideas in
Figma, a collaborative design tool used by graphic designers across thousands of companies.
Life + Career Readiness
Graphic Design Academy’s robust curriculum goes beyond technical skills and invites students to self-reflect on questions like, “What matters to me?” and “What do I stand for?” Each of the 14 lessons also features a “career connections” segment that introduces students to relevant jobs in the industry: graphic designer, special effects artist and animator, art director, web designer, and more.
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Graphic Design Academy’s first cohort will run through mid-November and span four ASAS chapters:
New York,
New Jersey,
Philadelphia & Camden, and
Washington, D.C. We plan to launch a total of three cohorts over the next two years, bringing the curriculum to ASAS chapters across the U.S.
This is the latest in URBN’s partnership with After-School All-Stars. Headquartered in Philadelphia, their employees visited local ASAS sites this year to lead art projects that introduced students to upcycling and encouraged creativity and self-expression. Our friends at URBN also invited students to tour their campus at Philadelphia’s historic Navy Yard, where All-Stars enjoyed a mock photo shoot and learned about career path opportunities.
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