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.

Background

Limited pathways to grow creatively

Design education at USC is largely confined to the art school, leaving non-majors and beginners without accessible ways to learn, experiment, or gain mentorship in creative disciplines. Even design majors face challenges: while they have coursework, they often lack opportunities to gain professional experience or meaningful portfolio work.

PAIN POINTS

Students want to grow creatively, but lacked accessible entry points.

For non-design majors or beginners, finding a place to learn creative disciplines, collaborate, or simply start feels nearly impossible.

Across all backgrounds, students struggle to gain real-world experience.

Even those with some design training have few opportunities to build a portfolio, work on client projects, or gain experience that would meaningfully prepare them for professional practice.

How might we build a space where anyone—regardless of major, background, or prior experience—can access design education, mentorship, and real-world creative experience?

Our Approach
Building a Creative Ecosystem

We created Innovative Design at USC to support students at every stage of their creative journey. Our structure 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

We want students of all backgrounds and skill levels to feel welcome.

We reimagined recruitment to make joining easy and unintimidating. Applications focused on curiosity, not experience — and we accepted all kinds of portfolios, from Google Drives to thumb drives.

We also hosted free intro workshops so anyone could learn the basics before applying.

Hands-on Experience

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

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

Members developed their portfolios while learning collaboration, project management, and client communication.

Creative Education

Beyond client work, we built a culture of mentorship and shared learning.

Being part of an interdisciplinary agency allowed members to learn directly from peers—picking up new tools, techniques, and creative perspectives through collaboration.

We also extended education beyond our community by hosting open workshops, designathons, and creative summits that featured professionals from Adobe, Notion, and Figma.

Outcome & Impact

InnoD changed the way students discovered and practiced creativity, opening doors for those who had long felt excluded from creative spaces. It gave non-design majors permission to call themselves creatives and offered a structured space for experienced students to lead and mentor others.

InnoD has since grown into USC’s leading creative agency and community, uniting over 300 members across 12 cohorts, completing 120+ projects, and establishing a sustainable model of mentorship and collaboration.

Reflection
Building Belonging

InnoD taught me that designing a community is an act of service design. It’s about shaping how people belong, learn, and grow together. Every choice—from structure to culture—was a design decision that shaped how members felt supported, seen, and empowered to contribute.

Accessibility in Practice

I learned that accessibility isn’t only about the products we design; it’s about the spaces we create. By rethinking recruitment and education, I found ways to embed inclusivity and care into every layer of the organization.

Growth and Direction

InnoD challenged me to chart my own path as a designer and leader. It reshaped how I see creativity, not as something to own, but something to share and nurture in others.