National River Cleanup Day 2025

The National River Cleanup Day (NRCD) campaign is designed to promote community-led cleanups throughout Santa Clara County. Rather than hosting in-person cleanup sites, this year’s event encourages individuals and groups to clean their own neighborhoods and local natural areas. The campaign’s goal is to inspire participation while reinforcing the message that pollution prevention starts at our front doors—trash from streets and storm drains can easily end up in creeks, rivers, and the Bay.

To support the initiative, I developed a fresh visual identity for the event, shifting away from past illustration-heavy designs to a photography-driven approach. The final design system was adapted for social media, website banners, and flyers, ensuring a cohesive and engaging presence across platforms.

By providing clear and compelling visuals, this campaign helps spread awareness, encourages community involvement, and reinforces the importance of keeping our waterways clean.

RESEARCH & INITIAL IDEAS

I started by looking at past designs for National River Cleanup Day and noticed that most of them relied on illustration. Wanting to take a fresh approach, I explored how photography could be used as the main visual element to make this year’s campaign stand out.

The requestor had a few notes: no photos of people (to avoid approval issues), no gradients, and something that felt connected to Santa Clara County. Keeping these in mind, I put together a range of design directions, including:

  • A clean, photography-focused concept

  • A textured overlay on photography for added depth

  • A bold vector illustration approach

  • A hybrid option combining photography and illustration

By offering a variety of styles, I aimed to create a visually compelling design that stayed true to the event’s goals while giving it a fresh and unique feel.

FINAL

After receiving feedback from the Cleanup Day organizers, we decided to move forward with the photography-based direction. One key revision was updating the titling—reviewers found the previous option illegible, so I adjusted the typography for better readability. I also changed the title color to add a pop of vibrancy, as the reviewers responded positively to the yellow accent.

Additionally, I incorporated a new photo that better aligned with the concept, featuring a realistic cleanup location where volunteers might actually be working.

This approach brought several advantages:

  • The title design can be repurposed for stickers, shirts, and other promotional materials.

  • Tracing the images with a light blue stroke gives them a “sticker-like” effect, making the design feel dynamic and layered.

  • The color palette is inviting, friendly, and eye-catching.

  • The flexible layout allows assets to be resized and repositioned as needed.

  • Photography adds a fresh and unique touch, as it hasn’t been used in previous event posters.

By refining the design based on feedback, I ensured the final visuals were both impactful and adaptable across different applications.

ADAPTATION FOR VARIOUS FORMATS

To maximize the campaign’s reach, I resized the design to fit different formats, including social media, website banners, and flyers. The flyer is specifically designed to encourage people to host their own National River Cleanup Day (NRCD) events in their area.

Valley Water will be providing participants with cleanup supplies like bags and litter sticks, so the design needed to clearly communicate how people can get involved. By adapting the visuals across multiple platforms, the campaign maintains a cohesive look while making it easy for communities to take action.

POSTCARD TRANSLATIONS

I designed postcards for National River Cleanup Day, incorporating translated text to ensure accessibility across multiple languages. To accommodate this, I selected fonts that closely mirror the style used for English while remaining suitable for Vietnamese and Chinese. It was essential to choose typefaces that offer variations in boldness and maintain a soft, approachable feel, avoiding overly angular or sharp designs, as the typography used for English and Spanish conveys a friendly, inviting tone.