Scottylabs — CMU Student Organization
Tartan Hacks 2025: Branding for Pittsburgh’s largest Hackathon
Role
Role
Brand Design, Merch Design
Brand Design, Merch Design
Timeline
Timeline
Fall 2024 — Spring 2025
Fall 2024 — Spring 2025
Tools
Tools
Figma, Adobe After Effect, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop
Team
Team
Stacy Chen, Joanna Ni, Jean Chen, Arunima Das, Emma Deng, Emma Gelman, Michele Hratko, Swetha Joseph, Chori Jun, Emily Lau, Elin Zhou
Context
For TartanHacks 2025 (Pittsburgh’s largest annual hackathon) hosted by CMU organization ScottyLabs, I was a member of the Brand Team, a small but dedicated group of under 10 designers. Together, we developed the branding and visual identity for this year’s theme, Changing Tides, and carried it through a wide range of applications—merchandise, banners, event signage, website design, social media, stationery, and more. I learned so much throughout the process under the guidance of our Director of Design, Chloe Sun, and Brand Heads Stacey Chen and Joanna Ni (special thanks to them!).
Developing Brand System
The identity for Changing Tides was built around the interplay of maps, flowing waterforms, and organic shapes; these elements are chosen through rounds of iterations to capture the motifs of movement, transformation, and exploration. The goal was to create components that resemble modern tech aesthetic, creating a balance between whimsy and precision. From there, we developed a flexible system of visual elements, including shapes, layouts, colors, and graphic treatments, that could scale across merchandise, signage, digital platforms, and print materials.
The identity for Changing Tides was built around the interplay of maps, flowing waterforms, and organic shapes; these elements are chosen through rounds of iterations to capture the motifs of movement, transformation, and exploration. The goal was to create components that resemble modern tech aesthetic, creating a balance between whimsy and precision. From there, we developed a flexible system of visual elements, including shapes, layouts, colors, and graphic treatments, that could scale across merchandise, signage, digital platforms, and print materials.
Scalable Logotype
Scalable Logotype
Typefaces
Typefaces
Colours
Colours
Assets
Assets
Final Reflection
Final Reflection
Working on TartanHacks 2025 was my first experience contributing to a large-scale branding project, and it became an incredible learning opportunity. Being part of ScottyLabs’ brand team gave me a front-row seat to how branding unfolds; it showed me how an entire system can shape the event experience. I learned to think about branding holistically, making sure our designs could scale seamlessly across merchandise, signage, web, and social media, while still keeping the theme Changing Tides consistent and recognizable.
Seeing the event come alive under the brand we built was especially rewarding. Especially after the weeks of meetings and iterations, seeing the final result tangible was so fulfilling. From the moment participants walked in and were greeted by the banners to the way the digital presence tied everything together, I realized how much design can set the tone, energy, and atmosphere of an event.
I’m super thankful to ScottyLabs, because I really learned the process of branding here—organization, iteration, and collaboration—and now I feel confident applying those lessons to my own personal projects. This experience not only gave me a foundation in brand design at scale, but also showed me how powerful design can be in shaping shared experiences.
Working on TartanHacks 2025 was my first experience contributing to a large-scale branding project, and it became an incredible learning opportunity. Being part of ScottyLabs’ brand team gave me a front-row seat to how branding unfolds; it showed me how an entire system can shape the event experience. I learned to think about branding holistically, making sure our designs could scale seamlessly across merchandise, signage, web, and social media, while still keeping the theme Changing Tides consistent and recognizable.
Seeing the event come alive under the brand we built was especially rewarding. Especially after the weeks of meetings and iterations, seeing the final result tangible was so fulfilling. From the moment participants walked in and were greeted by the banners to the way the digital presence tied everything together, I realized how much design can set the tone, energy, and atmosphere of an event.
I’m super thankful to ScottyLabs, because I really learned the process of branding here—organization, iteration, and collaboration—and now I feel confident applying those lessons to my own personal projects. This experience not only gave me a foundation in brand design at scale, but also showed me how powerful design can be in shaping shared experiences.
Scottylabs — CMU Student Organization
Tartan Hacks 2025: Branding for Pittsburgh’s largest Hackathon
Role
Brand Design, Merch Design
Timeline
Fall 2024 — Spring 2025
Tools
Figma, Adobe After Effect, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop
Team
Stacy Chen, Joanna Ni, Jean Chen, Arunima Das, Emma Deng, Emma Gelman, Michele Hratko, Swetha Joseph, Chori Jun, Emily Lau, Elin Zhou
Context
For TartanHacks 2025 (Pittsburgh’s largest annual hackathon) hosted by CMU organization ScottyLabs, I was a member of the Brand Team, a small but dedicated group of under 10 designers. Together, we developed the branding and visual identity for this year’s theme, Changing Tides, and carried it through a wide range of applications—merchandise, banners, event signage, website design, social media, stationery, and more. I learned so much throughout the process under the guidance of our Director of Design, Chloe Sun, and Brand Heads Stacey Chen and Joanna Ni (special thanks to them!).
