Branding expert to serve as final speaker leading up to INNOVATE competition

Rachel Baker, brand lead at local ad agency and creative firm Wier / Stewart, will speak at Augusta University at 3 p.m. March 8 in University Hall, Room 170 on the Summerville Campus.

Her presentation is open to all Augusta University faculty, staff and students, but registration is required. Students can earn Paw Points for attending the talk.

This event is the last of three featured speaker presentations leading up to the INNOVATE 2022 competition on March 31, which is sponsored by the Center for Instructional Innovation, the Office of the President and the Office of the Provost.

At the event, Baker will present on how to impress an audience.

Baker is a multidisciplinary designer who specializes in brand design, lettering, calligraphy and illustration. She is passionate about creating unique and immersive brands and experiences that impress customers and clients, and that in turn create passionate fans.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in graphic design from the University of New Mexico.

The INNOVATE competition, held annually at Augusta University for the last three years, incentivizes students to use their education, innovation and creativity to solve a relevant social problem. Interdisciplinary collaboration — that is, students working together from various disciplines and colleges — is strongly encouraged in the competition.

The theme of this year’s competition is solving community needs in the CSRA. Significant social issues in the CSRA include homelessness, drug and alcohol abuse, lack of living-wage jobs, high cost of child care, difficulty recycling and lack of transportation.

Competition leadership acknowledges that even the best ideas on how to solve these problems don’t always make it far without the right presentation — hence the importance of Baker’s presentation.

“We often focus on the ‘why’ behind our purpose in order to generate action. Rachel has such a remarkable influence in brand development and marketing motivation and we are so excited to have her influence on campus. Students will benefit to learn from all our speakers how to relate the stories they tell about their solution,” said Lynsey Steinberg, a member of the INNOVATE 2022 leadership team.