A theme design paying homage to Saturday Night Live for a high school's 2024 auction that raised $1M+ net.
Project background.
The Wings Auction is St. Edward High School’s “party of the year,” raising significant funds for student financial aid and scholarships. Since 2022, the auction’s net proceeds have surpassed $1,000,000! Each year, the Office of Institutional Advancement chooses a theme for the event that spans many print and digital assets, including flyers, sponsorship forms, posters, slideshows, audience engagement, and decorations.
For St. Edward’s 2024 Wings Auction, the school paid homage to Saturday Night Live (SNL) with its theme “Live from St. Ed’s, it’s Saturday Night! — Wings Auction 2024: A Salute to Saturday Night Live.” For this project, I was the art director for the theme, designing its look and implementation across all mediums. I partnered with Kayla Kogelnik to create and ideate the theme.
Services leveraged.
Graphic Design
My unique approach.
I created a visual identity for the theme’s design that authentically captured SNL’s iconic aesthetic while adapting it for St. Edward’s event. The design draws from a classic show card. It incorporates the show’s iconic elements—distinctive typography punctuated by a bold blue color—with St. Edward-specific callbacks, including “Studio 13500” (in place of Studio 8H) and an NBC-inspired television studio logo with an eagle (St. Edward’s mascot) instead of a peacock.
A sophisticated black and metallic palette creates a cohesive look that feels nostalgic and elegant for a fundraising gala. The design incorporates Art Deco-inspired corners and borders to tie in 30 Rock’s architectural design in New York City.
Each design element serves both form and function: the familiar “ON AIR” indicator is a natural divider for event information, while the classic SNL title card format effectively presents key details like the event’s chairs (hosts) and location. The tagline “Well, Isn’t That Special?”—a nod to everyone’s favorite Church Lady—adds a touch of humor to the overall theme.
What I executed.
I designed nearly 50 assets for the event, from its initial flyer, which announced the theme, to the PowerPoint presentations containing auction items utilized the night of the event in April 2024. Some of our favorite designs included:
- Email graphics that advertised raffle prizes, including tickets to Steve Martin and Martin Short’s show
- A one-sheet shared with guests that tied in Bill Hader’s Stefon character from Weekend Update
- A sponsorship options form with callbacks to famous SNL sketches chosen by the Institutional Advancement office
- Various graphics to give instructions to attendees incorporating classic characters
Select design components incorporate still images from SNL sketches used under Fair Use for educational and nonprofit fundraising purposes with permission from St. Edward High School. Saturday Night Live and SNL are registered trademarks of NBC Universal Media, LLC.
The impact of my work.
- Attendees embraced the theme, with numerous dressing up as SNL characters like the Blues Brothers.
- The theme set an incredible tone for the event, which raised $1,101,421 net.
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