stickersheet

adobe indesign

Researcher:Alice Roeper

Copywriter: Alice Roeper
Art Director: Alice Roeper

Company: James Madison University, Better Conversations Program
Product: Better Conversations Sticker Series

My target audience was college students participating in the Better Conversations program.
I aimed to create sticker designs that felt relatable, visually appealing, and rewarding for students.
I needed to overcome the challenge of making civic dialogue feel engaging and approachable rather than academic or overwhelming.

The unique value of this project rested in creating stickers that not only rewarded participation but also reinforced the program’s mission:

Encouraging thoughtful, intentional conversations in a creative and visually compelling way.

For the brainstorming phase, I created 15 simple sketches, each incorporating the character I designed, a globe with a friendly face. These early concepts helped shape the direction of my final selections, allowing me to explore different visual approaches while keeping the program’s message at the center. From there, I narrowed down the sketches to the designs that best aligned with the goals of the Better Conversations program and felt the most meaningful and engaging for students.

As I transitioned from sketches to digital drafts, I initially struggled with Adobe InDesign since it was completely new to me. The learning curve required patience, experimentation, and a lot of trial and error. My first two rough drafts were far from where I wanted them to be, but they were an important part of understanding the tools and refining my approach. Eventually, I created a draft that felt closer to my vision, though I knew I still needed to continue improving the copy, layout, and overall clarity. This stage challenged me to push through the discomfort of learning new software and ultimately strengthened both my technical skills and design decision-making.

After several rounds of refining the design, copy, and layout, I produced the final sticker sheet: my most polished and intentional version of the concept. The finished product successfully captured the spirit of the Better Conversations program, combining a friendly, approachable character with clear, meaningful messaging. My design was ultimately selected to be printed and distributed during Better Conversations Day on campus.