ONSE Healing
Communities Symposium
Design for a violence prevention symposium has to do two things at once: acknowledge the weight of the topic and create space for healing.
Event Visual Identity
Print Collateral
Presentation Design
Custom Illustration Styling
Social Media Assets
WHAT I DID
The Challenge
The Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (ONSE) was hosting their 2nd Annual Healing Communities Symposium — a day-long event bringing together community leaders, survivors, and violence intervention practitioners. The theme was "An Integrated Approach to Violence Interruption," with sessions ranging from panel discussions with parents impacted by gun violence to sound baths and meditation.
The first symposium had been designed in orange, the color associated with gun violence awareness. But for year two, ONSE wanted something different: a visual system rooted in the organization's own brand colors (navy, light blue, red, yellow) that could be reused and built upon for future events. The design needed to feel official enough for a DC government agency while creating an atmosphere of healing rather than heaviness.
The Approach
The visual foundation already existed from the 1st Annual Symposium — a brick wall texture that had been rendered in orange, the color associated with gun violence awareness. For year two, ONSE's Communications Director wanted it toned down and rebranded to the organization's color palette so the design system could be reused for future events. I shifted the brick wall to ONSE blue, which grounded the look while making it ownable long-term.
The bold HEALING and SYMPOSIUM typography is outlined in red — emphasizing what the event actually is — while 2ND ANNUAL and COMMUNITIES in white balance it out. The geometric corner elements in brand colors create visual consistency across all pieces, from the welcome signage to individual session slides.
The key addition was the illustrated characters. I styled a cast of figures representing the symposium's healing-centered activities: people meditating, doing yoga, creating art, gathering in conversation, a person in a wheelchair included naturally in the community. These illustrations do the emotional work that photography couldn't — they represent healing activities abstractly enough to feel welcoming rather than prescriptive, while adding warmth to materials about a difficult subject.
Every speaker got a templated PowerPoint presentation with the same visual language so when external presenters brought their own content, it still felt cohesive.
The Work
Tri-fold program with full schedule, ONSE mission, QR codes for feedback surveys, and breakout session details. Welcome signage for the venue. Session signage for wayfinding.
Digital
Social media collateral adaptable for promotion before and after the event.
The Impact
The symposium launched at Kellogg Conference Hotel with materials that supported both the functional needs (wayfinding, scheduling, speaker introductions) and the emotional experience (a visual environment that felt healing-centered rather than clinical). The design system is now reusable — ONSE can build on it for the 3rd Annual Symposium without starting from scratch.
The Takeaway
Event design isn't just about making things look good — it's about creating an environment. When the subject matter is heavy, the design has to do extra work to make space for something else.
Presentation
Speaker introduction slides, panel slides showing multiple presenters with consistent photo treatments, session title slides, PowerPoint template for external speakers.
