University of Advancing Technology's Official Technology Blog

The U.S. Census Bureau is preparing for the 2020 Count, and the City of Tempe is joining their efforts to spread awareness and highlight its importance. On Friday, Nov. 15, student creatives and community storytellers met at the Tempe History Museum for Tempe Creatives for the Count, a collaborative event held to brainstorm and design digital content and messaging that will spread awareness about the 2020 census. 

But why is next year’s count so important? 

The census helps determine how more than $700 billion dollars in federal funds are allocated, among many other important decisions made for the next decade. “The Arizona population is growing,” noted Dr. Dave Bolman, UAT Provost and Chief Academic Officer, “so the state is being very aware of accurate census counts for funding, extra seats in the house, and everything else related. We’re a growing state, and we want to make sure to capture that,” he said. 

Tempe Creatives for the Count challenged attendees to help make this message clear and noticeable. With prizes for the best ideas, Professors Mark Smith and Dapzury Valenzuela took eight UAT students to participate in the ideation and execution of digital art. Professor Valenzuela said that the event was a great success, stating that the students shared their talent for a good and worthy cause. “This community-based event allowed our students to not only create digital assets, but make connections with other local students and citizens in a joint effort to bring awareness to the U.S. Census,” she said. “They had fun and the wins were an added bonus!” 

UAT students Addison Buettner, Tucker Baskit, and Bryan Block placed first, Jacquelynne Heiman was on the second place team, and Daniel McWhorter was on the third place team. Kyle Davis, Christopher Elliot, and Desiree Macias were also valuable student participants.  

New to UAT, students interested in learning more about design for the advertising industry can study for an Advertising Art Degree. This degree allows students to blend their art skills with marketing to create compelling ads that motivate consumers. UAT teaches students how to use the most advanced production tools and how to apply design and advertising to new technology.

Find out more at https://www.uat.edu/advertising-art-degree.