The Center for Wooden Boats

As intern with CWB I support day-to-day operations, including processing new memberships, serving as a point of contact for donor inquiries and requests, and maintaining accurate donor records using Salesforce. I also worked closely with the leadership to cultivate donor relations by designing a wide range of promotional material from the recent 2025 Giving Tuesday campaign to the upcoming Spring Fling Regatta. In doing so, I have ensured that all communications, graphics, and promotional efforts reflect CWB’s mission and values.

2026 Spring Fling Regatta Poster

The project: Design a poster that ensures the values of the organization shine through and blend maritime culture with Seattle artistry.

Start with a simple sketch. One of the most difficult parts of designing is starting. A blank canvas can stop any artist. The first thing I do is ask myself two questions:

Who is my audience? What story am I telling?

In this case, my audience is the vibrant boating community in Seattle and the greater Seattle Area. I want boaters to feel welcome and join fellow sailors cruise across South Lake Union in the city they know best – Seattle.

Previous work can also point you in the right direction. What message are they conveying? What elements do they share? How can I make mine different?

So I’ve established a setting, a story, and basic elements the poster needs to have. Next, I sketch!

Some details I needed to ensure would not get lost were the date and time. This sketch helped me visualize what I need to look for in local media (recent pictures, videos, social posts, etc.). I found regatta pictures from the previous year and immediately recognized the el toro.

The shapes and colors were distrintive. The red is eye catching and ensures that the viewer has a center point to focus on. What followed was a series of adding and removing, tinkering with the shapes and adding movement.

The final product:

At a glance you’ll notice the sailing ships cruising in front of the Space Needle and the vibrant Seattle skyline. Overall, it ensures that The Center for Wooden Boat’s mission and values are reflected and tell a story.