BRAND
American Technion Society
PROJECT
Reimagining the Next 100 Years: Centennial Branding & Campaign
ROLE
Art Director & Additional Designer
Background
The Technion - Israel Institute of Technology marked its centennial in 2024, celebrating a century of breakthroughs that shaped Israel and the world. To honor this milestone, the American Technion Society launched Reimagining the Next 100 Years, a national campaign designed to commemorate the past while inspiring investment in the future of innovation.
The initial campaign identity was developed by Marshall Haber Creative Group. As the launch approached, it became clear that the creative direction needed further cohesion and production support to meet the campaign’s scope and schedule. I assumed art direction for the remaining campaign and branding deliverables, bringing the design process in-house and guiding our internal team to refine, expand, and finalize the brand across all platforms.
The campaign featured keystone events in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and Miami, bringing together influential voices including former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, author Saul Singer, director Guy Nattiv, Rabbi David Wolpe, and Nobel Laureate Aaron Ciechanover.
When the October 7 attacks occurred during the final planning stages, the campaign’s tone and purpose required immediate reconsideration. What began as a celebration shifted toward a message of resilience and unity. Our team adapted the creative to honor the moment while maintaining optimism and respect for the gravity of the situation.
Need
We needed to align the Centennial’s creative vision across multiple venues, vendors, and formats, while addressing a rapidly changing global context. The original campaign assets lacked flexibility for large-scale rollout and required art direction to translate consistently across event environments, digital channels, and communications.
The team also needed a clear framework for updating visuals and messaging in real time as the war unfolded, ensuring the campaign remained relevant, empathetic, and appropriate for audiences navigating complex emotions.
Impact
Art Direction: Oversaw adaptation and completion of the Centennial brand identity for nation-wide implementation, ensuring consistency across print, digital, and environmental design. Guided internal designers and production vendors through the refinement process, providing creative feedback and visual alignment with the campaign’s overarching theme.
Event Design: Developed cohesive visual systems for flagship events, including historical gallery walls, modular stage environments, and digital displays. Integrated video and VR features to create immersive storytelling experiences.
Digital and Email: Designed microsite and email frameworks that extended the campaign online, linking audiences to event content, stories, and registration.
Video and Motion Graphics: Produced video and motion content for live programming, highlighting the Technion’s people and innovation.
Ethical Strategy: Adjusted campaign tone and messaging to reflect empathy and resilience in response to the war, avoiding crisis-driven fundraising and focusing on shared purpose and community.
Creative Execution
By shifting creative production in-house, we were able to unify design, messaging, and tone under a single art direction framework. This approach allowed us to maintain brand continuity, accelerate turnaround, and respond with agility to new realities on the ground.
The refined campaign reinforced the Technion’s role as a cornerstone of innovation and resilience in Israel — not only looking back on a century of achievement but forward to rebuilding and discovery in the years ahead.
Results
Despite unprecedented circumstances, the campaign successfully launched across multiple cities and platforms.
National events achieved full attendance and strong media engagement.
Donor and alumni communications received positive feedback for authenticity and sensitivity.
The in-house creative team delivered consistent materials across 12 major events and supporting assets.
The campaign became a model for flexible, ethically responsive creative under tight timelines.
Insights
This project underscored the value of art direction as a bridge between vision and execution. Leading the creative through uncertainty required both strategic adaptability and emotional intelligence.
By bringing design in-house, we restored creative control, ensured brand cohesion, and delivered a campaign that reflected the organization’s values through a period of immense challenge. Reimagining the Next 100 Years became not just a centennial celebration but a statement of strength, continuity, and ethical leadership in storytelling.
CREDITS
Campaign Brand Concept: Marshall Haber Creative Group
Design Collaboration: Martha Dao (Technion USA Magazine); Ben Huh
Event Photography: tlkmultimedia, Los Angeles; Guy Shoots, New York
Event Planning: Abby Friedman, Friedman Productions
Major Printing: Rose Press & Sage Graphics