When the original designer had a family emergency just weeks before a major symposium, the College of Charleston’s Avery Research Center needed someone who could move fast — and get it right the first time. I stepped in to build a complete set of event materials, from a 52-page program book to six environmental posters to attendee notebooks, in around two weeks.

The stakes weren’t small. The symposium, “Those Who Have Must Turn Around and Give,” marked the Avery Research Center for African American History’s 40th anniversary — three days bringing together esteemed scholars, educators, archivists, community leaders, and advocates to explore the preservation of Black history and the future of Black education.

The visual concept centered on one image: a photograph of a young girl reaching for a book in a 1950s library. That single image became the anchor, carried consistently across the program, the posters, and the notebook, with additional archival photography reinforcing the event’s themes of preservation, scholarship, and collective memory.

The six venue posters combined wayfinding with event schedules and session highlights. Each one included a QR code linking to a digital program. Together, they helped attendees navigate multiple locations and concurrent sessions without losing the visual integrity of the system underneath it.

Fast turnaround, complex content, and a genuinely meaningful anniversary all came together to support a landmark event — and to help the Avery Research Center honor its mission: preserving, sharing, and celebrating African American history and culture.