Over 300 students from the University of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom, CUNY, and Nagoya Zokei University of Art and Design in Japan put their creativity to the test virtually January 16-20, 2023, in the Design Sprint International 2023.

Through the Blackstone LaunchPad grant, Joshua Rivera was one of over 300 participants. 

Joshua Rivera, Digital Arts at BCC

Joshua is majoring in Digital Arts at BCC. He shared, “It was very new and exciting for me. This was the quickest way to immerse oneself in a co-creative troubleshooting experience while collaborating internationally with other students. It has challenged me to think in more engaging ways and understand the practical visuals that one can use to pitch such an idea which I think are now collaboration and notability despite whatever creative field you are from.”

If you are looking for ways to utilize your strengths and learn new skills along the way, create a StartupTree account to stay up to date on opportunities provided by the BCC Blackstone LaunchPad by visiting https://bcc.startuptree.co/.

That is why we created No Logo, No Problem! This opportunity helps Blackstone LaunchPad participants by creating a logo for their business idea free of charge.

Why is having a logo an essential part of creating a successful business?
A logo is the foundation of your brand Identity.
A logo is an attention grabber for current and potential customers.
A logo is a symbol of commitment to all customers.
A logo separates you from the competition.

Thanks to the No Logo, No Problem! program, we are able to remove the stress of logo design.

If you are a current BCC student and want to take your business to the next level, apply to work with our graphic designer on the BCC Blackstone LaunchPad Team!

Once students received the challenge, they were split into teams with 90 minutes to come up with a pitch. Students defined company culture, shared why it is important, and gave the company ideas on changes they could implement. After pitching their ideas, they received feedback from the judges and a winner was announced. Joshua Rivera won the Workplace Challenge. 

Participants stated that the event ‘slayed’ and described it as motivational, fulfilling, and inspiring. A participant even shared with the staff that participating in the challenge has motivated her to become more engaged in her studies, as she was having second thoughts about continuing her educational journey.

The Workplace Challenge provided students with the opportunity to develop important skills such as accountability, teamwork, problem-solving, communication, leadership, and time management. The challenge was a unique opportunity for participants to think about what an inclusive company culture looks like, in hopes of inspiring them to learn more about the importance of company culture as they apply for jobs. 

Blackstone LaunchPad, ASAP, FYP, and the Office of Career Development will host another Workplace Challenge in the Fall to offer another opportunity for you to come together as a community and work towards solving problems companies have identified.

Students present first drafts of the logos for customer feedback and make changes for the final presentation which includes the logo, letterhead, envelopes, and business cards. The chosen logo comes with a $500 prize. 

Fall 2022 Winner

Eddy Candelier
Eddy Candelier finished his last semester at BCC studying Digital Design in December 2022. He characterizes himself as a simple person. He enjoys video games and art. Studying Digital Design gives him the ability to combine the two things he really enjoys.

Spring 2023 Winner

Sandra Rivera
Sandra Rivera is a Digital Design student excited to graduate in June 2023. Her passion for the arts came long before she decided to study it. She can be caught at a museum or gallery looking at art or on her laptop creating digital art about whatever idea pops up for her that day. She is excited to be an intern at the Design Studio at BCC! She plans to further her academics in Digital Design and study advertising after her internship is over. 

Art 91 students shared reflections on what it was like working on this project:

Elijah shared, “This is an extremely good lesson for myself as well as everybody else that we got a little taste of what to expect in reality. So thank you very much for this.”

Brian shared, “After seeing everybody’s work and seeing how it reflected off of everyone’s own personal creation and personality, it made me want to go a little bit beyond and push past what I can do.”

Eddy shared, “It did feel like a touch of the real world…You are not just doing the work for the professor. You are doing the work for someone outside of the school. I think that is really helpful and is really great.”

LaunchPad participants were asked how the experience has shifted their thinking as business owners: 

Kiran stated, “How I describe my business will never be the same. I can’t describe it the way I used to technically because now it actually has a face. I have to take more time and consideration in how I explain it. I feel like it made me more aware.”

Aissata stated, “Being able to express what you want to people who don’t know your company, its values, and seeing how it translates to each individual is a beautiful thing. It is a privilege to get the opportunity as a business owner to have this experience for free and created less stress for me. Having a brand identity accelerates the whole process. It now has a face to it. With that, I am more comfortable creating my website and business cards now that it has a face.” 

In conclusion, Professor Amowitz stated, “For you guys to know you’ve been able to do this is such a big thing, and for the class to see what they are able to do has been so rewarding. Look what they can do! I get excited to see how different, how incredibly different each one is. It’s like limitless!”