Innovative Design at USC

Making creative learning accessible to all and redefining what design education looks like on campus.

ROLE
Co-Founder & Co-President

SKILLS
Organizational design, community building, and leadership — supported by service design and brand strategy

TIMELINE
Feb 2020 -> May 2021

TEAM
Gary Wu

Building a creative community

Innovative Design (InnoD) is USC’s first interdisciplinary creative agency, created to build an inclusive community where students from all backgrounds can explore and develop their creativity. As Co-Founder and President, I built the organization’s foundation, helping to shape its structure and culture into a creative ecosystem that continues to grow today.

CONTEXT

Limited pathways to grow creatively

Design education at USC is largely shaped by formal programs within the art school. Outside of those structures, clear pathways to explore creativity, build skills, or gain experience are limited. As a result, access to creative growth is often determined by background and prior exposure, rather than interest or potential.

The Painpoints

Students want to grow creatively, but lack clear entry points

For students outside design programs, there are few welcoming ways to begin. This leaves many who are curious about creativity excluded before they start.

For creative majors, coursework
doesn’t translate into practice

Coursework provides foundations, but even within art and design programs, opportunities to gain real-world experience or build meaningful portfolios are limited.

WHY THIS MATTERS

These gaps limit who gets to explore creativity and how far they grow

When creative education is siloed, access begins to shape who gets to participate and practice creatively, rather than individual interest or potential. Over time, this limits who is able to grow and develop through creative work within the university.

The Solution — Innovative Design

Innovative Design (InnoD) is an interdisciplinary creative agency at USC that brings creative learning, mentorship, and real client work together in one place for students across campus.

Within InnoD, students have a space to develop creative interest, learn alongside others, and build real-world experience.

Building a Creative Ecosystem

Rather than creating just another design club, we designed InnoD as a creative ecosystem that supports students at different points in their creative journey.

As Co-Founder and President, I shaped the organization’s structure, systems, and culture to make entry, participation, and growth clear over time.This approach was guided by three principles:

01. Accessibility

Lowering barriers to entry so anyone could participate.

02. Hands-on Experience

Providing real-world experience through client work.

03. Creative Education

Building skills and knowledge beyond client projects.

Accessibility

Ensure that students of all backgrounds and skill levels feel welcome.

Recruitment was imagined to feel open and unintimidating, with applications centered on curiosity rather than prior experience. Portfolios were welcomed in any format, from polished websites to informal collections of work.

Free introductory workshops were also offered so students could learn basic skills before applying.

Hands-on Experience

InnoD operated as a creative agency with project teams across multiple disciplines.

Students gained professional experience in graphic design, photography, and web by working with real clients.

Members developed portfolios while learning collaboration, project ownership, and client communication in a professional context.

Creative Education

A culture of mentorship and shared learning.

Working within an interdisciplinary agency created space for peer learning, where members developed new tools, techniques, and perspectives through collaboration.

Creative education was further supported through workshops and designations, which connected students with practicing designers and broader creative communities.

Outcome & Impact

InnoD changed how students discovered and practiced creativity at USC.

It created a visible and legitimate entry point for students who had previously felt excluded from creative spaces, while giving creative majors a way to apply their skills beyond coursework. And over time, participation gave way to mentorship and leadership. What began as a student initiative became a self-sustaining culture of creative learning across cohorts.

InnoD has since grown into USC’s leading creative agency and community, bringing together 300+ members across 12 cohorts and completing 120+ projects.

Reflection

Designing Experiences

Shaping InnoD changed the way I approached design by shifting my attention toward the systems, structures, and human experiences that shape how people participate. I learned that accessibility isn’t only about the products we design, but about the spaces we create.

A Service Design Lens

In hindsight, InnoD revealed itself as a service design challenge. Designing the conditions around the work clarified my interest in human-centered systems, and it continues to shape how I approach my work as a service designer.