I volunteered to take on this project because I was deeply passionate about it. How often do you get the chance to gift a wonderful person with a memorable night? It seems that good things don’t happen often enough to those who deserve them. I've worked in event planning before -- company events, weddings, showers, elaborate birthday parties -- but this was a bit different because I knew the guest of honor.
Company:
Noom
Industry:
Social Events
Services:
Design & Illustration
Date:
2025
I designed and illustrated the theme for a retirement celebration to honor a truly beloved person. I made a logo, illustration, banners, coasters, pins, a website, and a book, among other designs for this project.
I spent months researching (asking her, her coworkers, her friends, her family) all of her interests to ensure she was surrounded by her favorite colors, food, drinks, entertainment, and even presents.
The first thing I made was the color palette. A groovy selection of hues that complimented here favorite, happy orange color.
Hosted in Princeton, NJ this event required some flair to properly honor our star guest. Our aim was to capture a 1960s retro vibe she loves, not the 1860s retro aesthetic that is often associated with the traditional style of Princeton.
There were so many little details customized just for her.
Custom Napkins
We had her favorite drink (Diet Coke!) brought into the fancy restauant just for her and had custom napkins for all drinks served at the drink stations.
Custom Buttons
It was super fun as she walked through the crowd of coworkers' lives she touched seeing everyone adorning a commemorative button of the event on their chest.
Custom Banners
For the speeches there was a stage set up with a retirement banner and matching orange balloons surrounding it. Speakers lined up to sing her praises.
Website for Sharing Memories
Using the same color, logo, and repeating patterns, I built a webpage for the decades of people she worked with to share memories. For weeks beforehand, people share their text stories and well wishes, photos, and videos. There were almost a hundred people who contributed to the page. The site cycled through the individual comments at the event with the help of a projector.
The Website in Book Form
The comments from the website were collected into a hard copy that was given to Vickie at the event.
Everyone who attended could snap pictures of the event and share them to the Google drive using the instructions in the centerpieces of every table. It was really sweet to see the special moments that everyone captured particularly because it was hard for Vickie to take it all in at the event. This way, she could review them afterward.
I used all my skills as a multimediadesigner and illustrator and got to know her betterso I could tailor everything to her tastes. I genuinely enjoyed organizing this event. It was a privilege to work with such a delightful person and opportunities to express appreciation for people like that are all too rare. So, my lesson learned here is that when you have the chance to show your gratitude, seize it, and pour your heart into it.
