CHALLENGE

Adobe had a meaningful opportunity in front of them. They wanted to develop programming that could genuinely serve designers and educators—the professional creative community at the heart of their business—while simultaneously capturing the imagination of high school and college students. These were the next generation of creatives who would soon decide which tools to use and which brands to trust. The challenge was building something that could speak authentically to both audiences and deliver on Adobe's corporate citizenship goals at the same time.

OUR WORK

We started by listening. Through deep research with Adobe's CSR, Education, Marketing, HR, and Foundation leads, alongside professional designers, high school educators, and college faculty, we mapped what was needed and what was possible. What emerged was Design Ignites Change: a global initiative that mentored high school students and equipped college students with the tools, funding, and guidance to design real solutions to community challenges in their own backyards. We built it from the ground up and managed it end-to-end, developing the partnerships, programming, and infrastructure required to make it work at scale across geographies, cultures, and sectors.

IMPACT

• Convened 12 corporations, 5 nonprofits, 85 academic institutions, and 900 creative professionals to tackle community challenges together

• Supported 700+ student-led projects across 53 cities and 7 countries

• Expanded Adobe's reach to a network of 75,000+ educators, creative professionals, students, and business leaders

• Earned national and international media recognition, including coverage in The New York Times and Fast Company

SELECT ACTIVITIES

Cross-sector partnership development · Customer retention and engagement · Impact measurement · Program design, naming & management · Research & discovery · Social impact strategy