What do you get when you combine 37 talented youth and interns comprising 8 teams across 4 workforce development centers with free food, good vibes, fully-charged laptops, free wi-fi, a panel of esteemed judges, and exactly 6 hours to come up with a brand concept that will shape the future of Digital NEST?
A high-energy, high-impact Digital NEST Brand-A-Thon!
What’s a Brand-A-Thon?
Since our founding, Digital NEST’s look has stayed pretty much the same – same fonts, same colors, same graphic language, and same visual identity.
After 10 amazing years of impact, it was time for brand refresh, and we knew that the best people to help us figure out what Digital NEST’s future should look like are the awesome young people who are part of it.
So a few weeks ago, we hosted our very first Brand-A-Thon across four centers: Watsonville, Salinas, Gilroy, and Modesto. In this dynamic one-day design sprint, youth members were challenged to design brand elements that represent the future of the NEST, including colors, fonts, textures, patterns, and style guides. The only rule? The “bug” couldn’t change – it’s literally tattooed on our founder’s arm!
The Creative Process
Armed with inspiration and passion, our youth members used tools like Figma, Canva, Procreate, and Adobe Illustrator to bring their ideas to life.
For Princess, the time constraint boosted her team’s creative output: “The Brandathon tested my team’s collaboration skills and showed me how a time crunch can actually spark more creativity. I loved seeing our ideas grow so quickly as we built on each other’s input.”
Yadriel added: “The Brandathon was incredibly challenging. My goal of creating original Digital NEST-inspired avatars required making decisions about art direction, references, and color choices with little time for error.”
The Winning Teams
All 8 teams presented their brand concepts on Zoom before a panel of judges, including Rubén Dario Villa, artist, activist, and Digital NEST board member; Sally Gerbo, creative director and principal at Gerbo Designs; and Digital NEST VP, Marketing and Communications, Jillian Ruiz. Winners were chosen for 3 categories: Members’ Choice, Most Original, and Best Overall.
Members’ Choice: Ryan from Gilroy
Most Original: Princess, Yadriel, and Milagros from Gilroy
Best Overall: Victor, Seneca & Mitchell from Modesto
“We wanted to create a futuristic tech aesthetic that preserves the cultural influences that shape Digital NEST,” said Seneca about her team’s winning design.
“We were initially inspired by some of the ideas on the mood board and glow effects that are common in modern design. We started building assets based around these design aspects, building on them and making new ones,” said Mitchell. “Our goal was to update Digital NEST’s brand into something that feels modern and glowing, turning the bug into a firefly of sorts”.
“As a software developer, I mostly followed my team’s lead on design vision, and I created the mood board that shaped the concept and theme of our presentation,” said Victor. “My team was really inclusive and encouraging, which helped me feel less overwhelmed. This experience really opened my eyes to how much talent and skill designers bring to the table.”
What Happens Next?
This is only the beginning! We’re now integrating these fresh, youth-inspired brand guidelines into all our marketing channels across social media, our website, printed collateral, and beyond. Thanks to the creativity and voices of our youth and interns, Digital NEST’s new look will be more vibrant, inclusive, and impactful than ever.
We can’t wait for you to see the exciting transformation and watch this new identity spark even more connection, hope, and opportunity throughout our communities.
