User Research, Information Architecture, Wireframe, Adobe xd
User Research, Information Architecture, Wireframe, Adobe xd
Hannah Riley
UX & Product Designer
2026 National High School Design Competition
2026
Identity design for Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum's 2026 design competition, What would you design for your community's future?
Role: Identity design, graphics, illustration
Design challenge given to students
Part 1: Identify a design in your community that should be preserved.
Think about design in your community that has made an impact over the past 250 years. Choose a design that celebrates your community, tells its story, or invites reflection on its history.
Part 2: What would you design for your community’s future?
How can you use design to uphold your community’s unique character or spirit—and our shared national ideals? Think about how you might support your community now and in the future.
Key ideas for graphics
250th
Design across the United States of America
Shared
Community
Unity
Collabortation
Future
Youth
Build
Change
Web and social graphics
Website banner
Animation
Sketches
I wanted the design to have movement and not be static to emphasize the idea that we are in the process of building the future. Naturally thought of puzzles and card games as they are not only a collaborative activity but they are great surfaces to highlight objects from the Smithsonian collection and connect back to the past.
Low fidelity drafts
Through feedback my team agreed the flat square puzzle pieces was the most visually strong, because it had movement and was dynamic without the need of hands and also best showcased the vast design collection of the Smithsonian.
Object research
It felt important to highlight the impact of design over the past 250 years across the United States.
I researched and selected an object from each Smithsonian museum to represent each state, with each design representing a community, capturing a unique chapter in history, or reflecting shared ideals.
Alabama
Sharecropper's masterpiece
Arizona
Athletic shoe found in the Sonoran Desert
Oregon
Nike Pro Hijab
Michigan
1926 Model T roadster
Alaska
Snowgoggles
Florida
3c Everglades National Park single
High fidelity drafts of web banner and poster
Use of color was important to distinguish puzzle pieces from the background, as well as bring in a handle of colors to break up the composition and make the eye jump across the graphic.
