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design for good course creation — sweet auburn bread company
SCAD SERVE empowers Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) students, faculty and staff to make meaningful contributions through intentional initiatives that improve quality of life for our communities. As Associate Dean of Academics and Senior Executive Director of Design for Good, I developed SCAD’s inaugural multidisciplinary studio Design for Good course offering. Under the supervision of SCAD faculty and alumni mentors, students from all SCAD disciplines generate and apply design solutions and services that aim to advance social, community and environmental good for selected nonprofit organizations who have a particular challenge that they cannot effectively solve themselves. This 10-week studio course incorporates design, business concepts, social entrepreneurship and community collaborations to address essential human needs.
SCAD SERVE concentrates SCAD’s considerable design-for-good actions with purpose and intention. Students engaged in Design for Good courses exemplify verve, design expertise and academic prowess via incredibly meaningful solutions that improve quality of life. The impactful outcomes of the Design for Good courses are notable examples of SCAD’s community-focused design-for-good philosophy in action.
SCAD SERVE aligned with Atlanta’s Sweet Auburn Works, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving, revitalizing and promoting the commercial and cultural legacy of the Sweet Auburn Historic District on the inaugural Design for Good course offering. The featured Design for Good course example, Sweet Auburn Bread Company, is a community entrepreneur, client of Sweet Auburn Works.
my role
- Course concept and development
- Identify community partners and relationship management
- Community ambassador and liaison when defining the creative ask and executing elevated visual communication solutions
- Course media and public relations coordination and promotion
project details
Design for Good Course Client — Sweet Auburn Bread Company
This Design for Good course addressed one of Sweet Auburn Works’ keystone initiatives — supporting business owners such as the beloved Sweet Auburn Bread Company, famed for its sweet potato pies “made with love.”
This designated Design for Good course offered the opportunity for SCAD students to work closely with Sweet Auburn Bread Company owner and pastry chef Sonya Jones. Students shadowed Jones at the bakery, and with her family, thoroughly researched and understood Sweet Auburn Company’s heart and soul.
After conducting a business assessment, SCAD students provided visionary recommendations for a communication strategy, marketing and branding, storefront buildout and interior bakery redesign, all focused on helping Sweet Auburn Bread Company reach new heights. Design for Good pushes beyond design theory into actualization, as demonstrated by Jones successfully applying these solutions to her business.
client quote
Chef Sonya — Owner of Sweet Auburn Breads Company
SCAD students surpassed my imagination. They brought in so much enthusiasm and were immersed in seeing how the beings can move forward. They had the best ideas!
awards
Design for Good course designs for storefront redesign at 234 Auburn Avenue NE, Sweet Auburn Bread Co. received the Award of Excellence for Interior Design of Public Spaces by the City of Atlanta’s Urban Design Commission’s 46th Annual Design Awards 2024
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