Keep Austin Fed
Graphic Design Internship/ Course ProjectCompany: Keep Austin Fed
Year: 2025
Collaborator: Adrian González
Tools used: Adobe Illustrator, Canva, Adobe InDesign.
As a Graphic Design and Service Design Intern at Keep Austin Fed, I supported the organization's mission of reducing food waste and increasing food access across Central Texas through clear, accessible, and community-focused design. My work combined visual communication with service design, helping volunteers, staff, and community partners better understand and engage with the organization's food rescue network.
I designed a wide range of communication materials, including social media graphics, educational resources, volunteer guides, printed pamphlets, presentation materials, and outreach content. These assets promoted volunteer opportunities, highlighted the impact of food rescue initiatives, and communicated important operational information in formats that were easy to understand and visually engaging. Because many materials served diverse audiences, I also contributed to bilingual English and Spanish communications to improve accessibility within the communities Keep Austin Fed serves.
In addition to graphic design, I participated in service design projects focused on improving the volunteer experience. Through research, mapping workflows, and visualizing operational processes, I helped identify opportunities to make onboarding, training, and day-to-day volunteer interactions more intuitive. This work involved translating complex systems into clear diagrams, guides, and communication tools that supported both new and returning volunteers.
Working in a mission-driven nonprofit environment strengthened my ability to design for clarity, accessibility, and real-world impact. Rather than creating visuals solely for promotion, each project aimed to solve a communication challenge, whether encouraging community participation, simplifying internal processes, or helping volunteers navigate the food rescue system more effectively.
By supporting the organization's communication efforts, my work contributed to a larger network that rescues surplus food from local businesses and redistributes it to neighbors experiencing food insecurity throughout the Austin area. This experience reinforced the role of design as a tool for public service, demonstrating how thoughtful visual communication and service design can improve accessibility, strengthen community engagement, and help nonprofit organizations maximize their impact.
Service Design Research (Course Project)
Professor: Jon Freach
Collaborators: Carla Garcia Leija, Zoe Pelton, Nadine Permana, Zachary Robison, Raaga Srimadh Bhagavatam, David Webber, Florence Hu
Before beginning my internship, I worked with Keep Austin Fed through a civic service design course, where my team researched the organization’s operations and developed ideations for growth and improved volunteer engagement. As a class, we collaborated on service design initiatives aimed at improving the volunteer experience, translating operational workflows into accessible visual materials.
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