Google Developer Student Club (GDSC)
Marketing Flyer for a Hackathon Team
My Role
Marketing
Brand Designer
Team
Google Developer Student Club at California State University East Bay
Tools Used
Canva
This project was focused on designing a promotional flyer for the Google Developer Student Club (GDSC) to support recruitment for their operational team, which would help run the first-ever Hackathon called Hack Hayward at California State University East Bay (CSUEB).
To run the event effectively, the GDSC team needed to recruit student volunteers and staff to assist with logistics, event setup, and coordination. I worked independently to design and deliver a flyer that could be distributed in both digital and physical formats, including the official GDSC Discord server and printed flyers placed around campus.
The final product needed to be clear, visually appealing, and attention-grabbing to ensure it would stand out among other campus promotions and drive student engagement.
Background
Since this was the first hackathon hosted by GDSC at Cal State East Bay, it was important that the flyer set the tone for both professionalism and creative thinking. The design needed to reflect the ambition behind the event while remaining welcoming and accessible to a broad student audience.
Because the flyer was intended for both digital and physical distribution, I had to ensure it was bold and eye-catching, it had to be something that could quickly capture attention, whether seen on a Discord post or passed by on a campus wall.
My goal was to create a design that would resonate with tech-savvy students familiar with developer culture, while also appealing to newcomers who might be curious about getting involved in a hackathon for the first time. Balancing clarity, excitement, and brand alignment was essential to the success of the final piece.
The Challenge
The flyer was designed for students at Cal State East Bay (CSUEB), ranging from undergraduate students to professors who might support or promote the event. Because this was the first GDSC-hosted hackathon on campus, it was important that the flyer made students feel like they were joining something meaningful and impactful and it was not just a casual student event.
To avoid overwhelming viewers, I prioritized a clean color palette and kept messages short and direct. The goal was to quickly capture attention and drive interest, even at a glance.
I used bold typography to emphasize the types of roles we were recruiting for: such as operations, logistics, marketing, and finance support so that potential participants could immediately see how they could contribute to the event’s success.
Target Audience
I created both print-ready and digital versions of the flyer to ensure it could be effectively distributed across formats. The formatting we used was online via Discord and physically around the CSUEB campus.
To make the flyer stand out and feel playful yet purposeful, I used a color palette inspired by an apple.
The apple theme not only made the flyer stand out visually, but also reinforced the idea that volunteers and staff were joining something foundational.
Design
Present
Once the design was complete, I shared it with the GDSC team and provided versions optimized for both digital and print formats.
A QR code was included to make it easy for students to sign up directly from their phones, streamlining the application process and reducing barriers to entry.
As a result of the flyer campaign, the team successfully attracted a large pool of applicants and they were able to narrow their selection down from over 20 qualified candidates for key roles.