How do you design a visual identity for the world's largest hackathon for underrepresented genders?
Strategy
I pitched a fantasy campaign world, "Techniria," where typical software roles were turned into playable character classes. I mapped out a complete visual toolkit (spanning color systems, custom character sheets, and typography layouts) to turn the event into an immersive adventure.
Solution
After winning the pitch with "Create Your Reality" chosen as the official theme, I launched the marketing assets, designed the official event badging, and styled the venue to bring the world to life.
To win the theme pitch, I built the deck itself: moodboard, color and type system, character drafts, and world-building.
The proposal
The full deck below is what I presented, including style guidance for how the illustration would flex across hero images, marketing posts, and merch, plus early thinking on venue and swag.
The full "Create Your Reality" theme proposal.
Brainstorm and branding guide.
Once my proposal was selected, the design team and I moved from pitch to production.
Instagram Posts
After my proposal was selected, the design team worked together to actually build Create Your Reality. Images marked with ⭐ are ones I made myself.
My proposal's world-building became character designs, illustrated by the team for each of Techniria's classes.
Character Designs
I designed the web ad announcing the 2023 theme to applicants, which carried through to the live event site.
Web Advertisement
Website
Create Your Reality carried all the way through to the official Technica website, still live at 2023.gotechnica.org.
I carried the theme into the physical venue.
Venue & Day-Of Event
Sticker designs.
900
Attendees
800 in-person + 100 virtual
9th
Annual edition
Technica launched in 2015
29
Sponsors
backing the event
42
Workshops
offered that year
yay technica! 🎉
The following year, I was selected as Director of Diversity & Inclusion. I helped make that year's theme real by making the website and physical space accessible for all hackers. Pictured here: all of the directors from that next year's hackathon.
Pitching a whole invented world to 200 people, and watching them vote for it, validated my commitment to my creativity.
Reflection
Going all in on world-building.
Pitching the theme for Technica during my freshman year was one of the first times I realized what I was capable of when I just let my imagination run wild; I spent hours in my dorm common room sketching characters, building mood boards, and mapping out named lands and lore while everyone wondered why I was grinding so hard. It was ambitious, and not every single detail made it into the final branding, but having that deep foundation of world-building allowed us to create a universe people could genuinely immerse themselves in.
Validation for bringing visions to life.
Pitching to a room of 200 people and seeing them get excited validated that people actually wanted to step into the creative experiences I was designing. It gave me the confidence to keep going all-out and pouring my brainpower into the things that brought me joy, because at the end of the day, that level of care is what elevates a decent experience into something unforgettable.
