cal band
Publications designer | 2026-2027
Cal Band is UC Berkeley's one and only marching band, performing at football halftime shows, basketball games, and other Berkeley community events. I joined Cal Band in Fall 2024 as a clarinet player. In my second year with Cal Band, I joined the band's Public Relations Committee as their Publications Designer.
As the Publications Designer, I work as the band's in-house graphic designer, designing all their marketing collateral, from social media graphics to benefit invitations. I also design and hand-paint our halftime show banners, which are displayed throughout our Cal Football gamedays, including on the Memorial Stadium jumbotron. Through all these designs, I adhere to our branding guidelines and work to emphasize visual accessibility.
As a member of PR Comm, I also collaborate with my team to build the band's community outreach and relationships with alumni, donors, and recruits. We manage the band's public identity and plan new initiatives to promote the band to the Bay Area.
CAL DAY
Tools Used: Photoshop, Illustrator
One of our major recruiting events is Cal Day, a special day where future Berkeley students travel to campus to learn about student life and culture here. Cal Band is an integral part of promoting school spirit on Cal Day, performing 7-8 times throughout the day at various locations like our clock tower or Noon Rally. We also host info sessions for those who are thinking of auditioning for the band.
As PD, I work closely with the Recruiting Coordinators again to create hype for Cal Day by designing countdown graphics, performance schedule, and recruiter pins. As Cal Day is a major opportunity to promote the band to interested students, it is incredibly important that our social media imagery is able to grab the attention of our target audience and convince them to check out our performances.
Recruitment
Tools Used: Photoshop, Illustrator
One of our major campaigns in our call for Recruits (new members) in the Fall. This drive starts when the incoming Freshman class receives their admission decisions at the end of March and ends at our Fall Training Program in August.
As PD, I work closely with the Recruiting Coordinators to design social media graphics. These graphics promote our audition deadlines, Recruit workshops, and other important Cal Band information.
As our target audience is to find passionate future band members, we make sure to target not only incoming freshman, but returning students and transfers. As someone who joined band as a returning student, I was even more committed to appealing to this diverse demographic.
BIG GIVE
Tools Used: Photoshop, Illustrator
Big Give is UC Berkeley's annual 24 hour fundraising blitz, where along with generous donations, student groups, athletics, and academic departments can participate in competitions to win extra funding for their organization. Cal Band participated in Big Give 2026. As the Publications Designer of the band's PR Committee, I was tasked with designing a visual marketing campaign to promote our participation and incentivize our audience to donate.
