Pin and Win
The ideation, designing, and production of a university-wide collectible pin campaign that engaged students with local vendors, combining branded illustration, print assets, and social graphics.
The ideation, designing, and production of a university-wide collectible pin campaign that engaged students with local vendors, combining branded illustration, print assets, and social graphics.
Visual Branding
Advertising
Illustration
Project Overview
Type: Professional
Industry: Character Design, Marketing
Pin&Win is a university-wide campaign designed to increase engagement with the businesses inside UC San Diego's Price Center through a collectible pin experience. Each participating vendor was represented by a custom mascot, rewarding students with an exclusive enamel pin after every purchase.
I refreshed characters from a previous campaign, illustrated a few new vendor mascots, and designed promotional materials that unified the experience across print and digital touchpoints.
Mood Boarding 🎨
To kick off the project, the Marketing team provided a Pinterest board with inspiration that captured the campaign's intended mood, color palette, and overall direction!
Meet the Characters 🌟
Each participating vendor was represented by a custom mascot, making every pin feel unique and collectible. Building on the previous campaign, I refreshed some of the existing characters with cleaner illustrations, more expressive personalities, and a cohesive visual style.
Refreshing the Brand 🍋
Following the campaign's initial run during the 2024-25 academic year, Pin&Win returned for the 2025–26 year with an expanded vendor lineup, including the newly opened Taco Bell! To accommodate a larger pin size while staying within budget, we simplified to a three-color palette of navy, white, and yellow.
Design Process & Iterations 💡
Before the campaign officially launched, the Marketing team wanted to build anticipation by teasing each character on Instagram. They proposed a reveal inspired by Pokémon's iconic "Who's That Pokémon?". With that in mind I designed a series of stories that gradually introduced each character while maintaining the playful personality of the campaign.
After the character teasers, I designed an Instagram carousel post to officially launch the campaign! Through several iterations, I refined the typography, hierarchy, and composition to create a bold introduction to the full collection.
Launching the Event 🚀
With all the materials ready to go, we started by releasing the finalized Instagram story promos daily!
The launch carousel was designed to guide students through the experience, from introducing showcasing the collection to explaining how to participate, using a clear, step-by-step approach.
The Final Collection 🎁
One for the Books 🌱
This project marked an important milestone in my growth as a designer. It was my first experience working on such a large-scale campaign. From early concepts to final production, this project taught me how to collaborate with stakeholders, adapt to feedback, and design within real-world constraints.
Getting to see my friends collecting the pins and the promotional material up all around campus was so surreal and incredibly rewarding. It reinforced my appreciation for creating work that people can genuinely interact with and enjoy!
Project Overview
Type: Professional
Industry: Character Design, Marketing
Pin&Win is a university-wide campaign designed to increase engagement with the businesses inside UC San Diego's Price Center through a collectible pin experience. Each participating vendor was represented by a custom mascot, rewarding students with an exclusive enamel pin after every purchase.
I refreshed characters from a previous campaign, illustrated a few new vendor mascots, and designed promotional materials that unified the experience across print and digital touchpoints.
Mood Boarding 🎨
To kick off the project, the Marketing team provided a Pinterest board with inspiration that captured the campaign's intended mood, color palette, and overall direction!
Meet the Characters 🌟
Each participating vendor was represented by a custom mascot, making every pin feel unique and collectible. Building on the previous campaign, I refreshed some of the existing characters with cleaner illustrations, more expressive personalities, and a cohesive visual style.
Refreshing the Brand 🍋
Following the campaign's initial run during the 2024-25 academic year, Pin&Win returned for the 2025–26 year with an expanded vendor lineup, including the newly opened Taco Bell! To accommodate a larger pin size while staying within budget, we simplified to a three-color palette of navy, white, and yellow.
Design Process & Iterations 💡
Before the campaign officially launched, the Marketing team wanted to build anticipation by teasing each character on Instagram. They proposed a reveal inspired by Pokémon's iconic "Who's That Pokémon?". With that in mind I designed a series of stories that gradually introduced each character while maintaining the playful personality of the campaign.
After the character teasers, I designed an Instagram carousel post to officially launch the campaign! Through several iterations, I refined the typography, hierarchy, and composition to create a bold introduction to the full collection.
Launching the Event 🚀
With all the materials ready to go, we started by releasing the finalized Instagram story promos daily!
The launch carousel was designed to guide students through the experience, from introducing showcasing the collection to explaining how to participate, using a clear, step-by-step approach.
The Final Collection 🎁
One for the Books 🌱
This project marked an important milestone in my growth as a designer. It was my first experience working on such a large-scale campaign. From early concepts to final production, this project taught me how to collaborate with stakeholders, adapt to feedback, and design within real-world constraints.
Getting to see my friends collecting the pins and the promotional material up all around campus was so surreal and incredibly rewarding. It reinforced my appreciation for creating work that people can genuinely interact with and enjoy!
