Designing a National Legacy Experience

Overview

The celebration of life for Reverend Jesse Jackson, Sr. was a nationally recognized, multi-day event honoring one of the most influential civil rights leaders in American history. The experience required a unified visual system that could carry emotional weight and cultural significance across live audiences, national broadcast, and printed materials.

Serving as both Creative Director and Lead Designer, I led the vision and executed key design elements ensuring a seamless translation from concept through final delivery. The work extended across environmental visuals, broadcast graphics, and editorial design, all unified under a cohesive creative direction.

strategic approach

I approached the project as a narrative-driven system rather than a collection of individual assets. The creative direction centered on legacy, movement, and impact, establishing a visual language that felt both timeless and contemporary.

A scalable design framework was developed to ensure consistency across all touchpoints, from large-scale stage visuals to printed materials. By combining creative direction with hands-on execution, I was able to maintain a high level of craft while navigating evolving stakeholder input, tight timelines, and an expanding scope of work.

Every decision was made with the audience experience in mind—ensuring clarity, emotional resonance, and visual cohesion across both in-person and broadcast environments.