Power Up
Design Co twisted tradition to debut our sequel to Level Up. Check out what the Power Uppers worked on below!
Power Up
SUMMER DESIGN PROGRAM
JUNE - SEPTEMBER 2021
What is Power Up?
Power Up is a 10-week summer design program that prepares UCSD students for real-world innovation by pairing student teams with BIPOC-owned and minority-owned businesses seeking to refine their branding, redesign their website, or boost their exposure. Each team will receive guidance from industry mentors as they craft sustainable designs and deliverables that’ll live beyond the scope of the project.
Our program is driven by our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiative, which is intended to support BIPOC communities and give underrepresented design students more opportunities to develop their skills.
Showcase
Blendees
Nicolette Shin, Jodie Li, Tracy Nguyen, Rou Wen, Adrian Rodriguez Valdez
Blendees is a Black-owned smoothie and juice bar. The team redesigned Blendees’ website and marketing strategies to increase new user engagement, improved discoverability of their services, and amplified their voice as a healthy, Black-owned small business.
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Cafe X
Minnie Chau, Fiona Feng, Francesco Medina, Shad Gabrielle Reyes, Nathen Shin, Camille Yabut
Cafe X: By Any Beans Necessary is a Black, women-owned coffee shop. The team worked on a brand refresh: creating new brand style guides, integrating an e-commerce site, and improving customer acquisition / retention strategies.
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Cut & Dry Barbershop
Julie Han, Fernando Reyes Jr, Thuy-An Hoang, Khiem Pham, Lillian Wei
Cut & Dry Barbershop is an Asian American-owned barbershop. The team created a brand new, user-friendly website and revamped their social media content to increase business awareness and build their brand surrounding barber culture.
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Furlicious
Princess Labrador, Autumn Bui, Matthew Chijioke, Hannah Nicole Espejo
Furlicious is a Black-owned pet care and training business. The team’s mission is to create an effective marketing plan and aesthetic social media revamp that invites pet owners to engage with Furlicious’s content and services!
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Kini Koffee
Stella Seki, Rainee Pei, Edward De Leon, Deepika Vuppala, Chynna Tumalad
Kini Koffee is a women-led and run coffee shop. The team is bringing people to the rooftops of Del Mar by creating a customer-centered website and social media marketing strategy for Kini Koffee.
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Blendees
Nicolette Shin, Jodie Li, Tracy Nguyen, Rou Wen, Adrian Rodriguez Valdez
Blendees is a Black-owned smoothie and juice bar. The team redesigned Blendees’ website and marketing strategies to increase new user engagement, improved discoverability of their services, and amplified their voice as a healthy, Black-owned small business.
VIEW MORE
Cafe X
Minnie Chau, Fiona Feng, Francesco Medina, Shad Gabrielle Reyes, Nathen Shin, Camille Yabut
Cafe X: By Any Beans Necessary is a Black, women-owned coffee shop. The team worked on a brand refresh: creating new brand style guides, integrating an e-commerce site, and improving customer acquisition / retention strategies.
VIEW MORE
Cut & Dry Barbershop
Julie Han, Fernando Reyes Jr, Thuy-An Hoang, Khiem Pham, Lillian Wei
Cut & Dry Barbershop is an Asian American-owned barbershop. The team created a brand new, user-friendly website and revamped their social media content to increase business awareness and build their brand surrounding barber culture.
VIEW MORE
Furlicious
Princess Labrador, Autumn Bui, Matthew Chijioke, Hannah Nicole Espejo
Furlicious is a Black-owned pet care and training business. The team’s mission is to create an effective marketing plan and aesthetic social media revamp that invites pet owners to engage with Furlicious’s content and services!
VIEW MORE
Kini Koffee
Stella Seki, Rainee Pei, Edward De Leon, Deepika Vuppala, Chynna Tumalad
Kini Koffee is a women-led and run coffee shop. The team is bringing people to the rooftops of Del Mar by creating a customer-centered website and social media marketing strategy for Kini Koffee.
VIEW MORE
Hear what our Power Uppers, mentors, and small businesses had to say about their experience!
Power Up Cohort Experience (Summer 2021): Part 1
Meet 4 students from Blendees, Cafe X, and Cut & Dry Barbershop
Power Up Cohort Experience (Summer 2021): Part 2
Meet 3 students from Furlicious and Kini Koffee
Power Up Mentor Experience (Summer 2021)
Read what 4 design and marketing mentors have to say about their experience
From Small Business to Big Impact: How Power Up Teams Transformed Blendees & Café X
Highlighting the owners of Blendees and Café X
Thank You
To all the small businesses for partnering with us in our DEI initiative and giving students the chance to make a difference.
To all the mentors for taking the time to guide and uplift a cohort of changemakers.
To all the students for taking part in Power Up and collaborating to make an impact on local BIPOC- and minority-owned small businesses.
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