First bus in the program
This was the first Digital Equity Bus for Evergreen Goodwill. The program later expanded into three identical DEBs, with a fourth reportedly in progress.
Environmental Design
Digital Equity Bus
A mobile classroom and environmental brand experience designed to bring digital access, workforce development, and computer literacy training to underserved communities.
- Environmental
- Brand Systems
- Campaigns
- Role
- Creative Services Manager / Environmental Brand Designer
- Client
- Evergreen Goodwill of Northwest Washington
- Year
- 2021
- Timeline
- 2022–2023
- Deliverables
- Vehicle graphics, Exterior branding system, Interior classroom environment, Environmental messaging, Launch materials, Partnership rollout support, Community outreach visuals, Production-ready design files
- Tools
- Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, Print production, Vendor collaboration, Environmental graphics
- 2023 Edison Award Gold
- Education & Communications
- Social & Cultural Impact: Bridging the Gap
- Developed with Black & Veatch
My role focused on brand application, environmental graphics, visual consistency, and launch-support materials for a mobile learning program developed in partnership with Black & Veatch.
Challenge
Evergreen Goodwill and Black & Veatch were building the first Digital Equity Bus: a mobile classroom that could bring high-speed internet access, digital skills training, and job education resources into rural and historically under-resourced communities across Northwest Washington.
I stepped into the project during a department leadership gap, with no creative director in place, and produced the first concept round quickly after a short kickoff. The vehicle needed to feel approachable, trustworthy, and clearly connected to Evergreen Goodwill's mission, and the visual system had to hold up across the exterior wrap, the interior learning environment, launch and event materials, printed collateral, and supporting communications.
Approach
I treated the bus as a full environmental brand system, not a vehicle wrap. The exterior needed to announce the mission at a distance in public spaces. The interior needed to feel like a real classroom rather than a converted vehicle. The launch and supporting materials needed to help the program feel credible to community members, internal leadership, and partner organizations from the first reveal onward.
Working directly with leadership at Evergreen Goodwill and Black & Veatch, I built the visual system using Evergreen Goodwill's brand language, Pacific Northwest-inspired trees and landscape cues, large-scale typography, and a simple mission phrase: "Powered by Digital Equity." From the first overnight concepts through final production, the goal was to make the bus feel useful, visible, and human.
A mobile classroom, not just a vehicle wrap.
The exterior wrap needed to work at multiple speeds and distances: readable on the road, recognizable at events, and clear enough for people walking up to the bus for help. Large mission-focused typography, Evergreen Goodwill branding, and layered forest graphics helped turn the vehicle into a moving invitation for digital access and job training.
Interior learning environment
Inside the bus, the visual system shifted from public visibility to learning support. Branded interior graphics, classroom surfaces, screens, and environmental details helped make the space feel organized, welcoming, and connected to the larger mission.
From concept to build-out
A short process reel shown inside the bus during the launch event highlighted the build-out, exterior graphics, interior setup, and digital equity mission behind the program.
Launch system and supporting materials
The DEB launch needed more than a vehicle wrap. I extended the visual system across event signage, guest materials, printed handouts, social teasers, and branded touchpoints so the reveal felt cohesive from invitation to on-site experience.
From launch event to working program
The bus launched as a community-facing program, not a one-time design object. Launch materials, banners, flyers, emails, event graphics, and partner-facing creative helped support the rollout and gave internal and external teams a consistent way to talk about the work.
Recognition and partnership
The Digital Equity Bus became part of a broader partnership story between Evergreen Goodwill and Black & Veatch, later receiving a 2023 Edison Awards Gold honor for Social & Cultural Impact. The program continued beyond launch and expanded into additional buses, turning the original concept into a repeatable mobile learning model.
External proof
What I owned
- Stepped into the project during a department leadership gap and produced the first concept round quickly after a short kickoff.
- Designed the exterior bus wrap and vehicle graphic system, including side and rear graphics, window-area considerations, typography, hierarchy, and environmental visuals.
- Created the "Powered by Digital Equity" language used in the original concept and carried through the final public-facing system.
- Designed the interior learning environment and environmental graphics so the classroom space felt intentional and welcoming.
- Created launch and event materials including signage, guest touchpoints, printed handouts and brochures, name tags, and custom chocolate giveaways with digital equity facts.
- Produced printed collateral and supporting communications, plus social and promotional launch assets across email, web, and social channels.
- Collaborated directly with leadership at Black & Veatch and Evergreen Goodwill throughout concepting, review, and production.
Why it mattered
The Digital Equity Bus gave Evergreen Goodwill a visible, mobile way to bring internet access, digital literacy, and job-training support directly into rural and historically under-resourced communities across Northwest Washington.
This was the first DEB, and it helped prove the model. The program later expanded into three identical Digital Equity Buses, with a fourth reportedly in progress, and the work supports a real, functioning outreach program rather than a one-time launch. The project also received a 2023 Edison Award Gold with Black & Veatch for Social & Cultural Impact / Bridging the Gap.
It became one of the clearest examples of design doing what it is supposed to do: help people recognize, trust, and use something that exists to serve them.
Outcomes
What the work made possible
Service to real communities
The bus brings internet access, digital skills training, and job education resources into rural and historically under-resourced communities across Northwest Washington.
A functioning program, not just a launch
The visual system supports an ongoing outreach program, with a consistent identity across the vehicle, interior classroom, launch event, and partner communications.
Award-recognized partnership
The Digital Equity Bus received a 2023 Edison Award Gold with Black & Veatch for Social & Cultural Impact / Bridging the Gap.