Design for Social Good: Kensington Strong
The work featured above is by senior Taylor Super who designed her team to be branded Philadelphia Alley Cats.
THE WHAT
The work showcased here was created by students in my ART 400: Special Topics – Design for the Social Good at West Chester University. Students were tasked with developing original brand identities for a hypothetical WNBA expansion team coming to Philadelphia in 2026. The athlete models featured in these visuals are not AI-generated but members of West Chester University’s women’s basketball team, who generously allowed students to superimpose their branding concepts onto the photographs. The images were captured by Downingtown-based photographer Tony Hoffer. The Philadelphia Alleys Cats was developed by 2025 Graphic and Interactive senior Taylor Super.
The challenge was to design team identities that resonate not only with the city of Philadelphia and WNBA fans, but more specifically with the community and residents of Kensington, Pennsylvania.
The work featured here above is by senior Sam McConnell who designed his team to be branded Philadelphia Firebirds.
THE WHY
Designing a brand for a WNBA team connected to Kensington goes beyond creating a logo or team name—it’s about crafting an identity that reflects community pride, resilience, and hope. Once a thriving and diverse neighborhood, Kensington has faced challenges in recent years, including addiction, crime, and economic hardship.
In this project, students imagined a Philadelphia WNBA franchise partnering with community leaders to raise awareness, inspire advocacy, and foster renewed pride in the neighborhood. Alongside full team identities, students designed game-day giveaways—promotional items for fans that extend the team’s presence into the community and create meaningful connections. Taylor Super’s Alley Cats concept designed a team inspired scented candle that would be given to fans at home games bringing awareness to Kensington’s struggles, it’s resilence and it’s need to priortize self care for it’s residents.
Recent Graphic + Interactive Design graduate Sam McConnell designed a paper craft giveaway for his team, the Philadelphia Firebirds, promoting an after-school art program to keep Kensington youth engaged and safe.
Senior Morgan Struss-Allen named her team the Philadelphia Roots and created an urban gardening seed kit as a fan giveaway. The concept reflects the growth of urban gardens in Philadelphia, bringing beauty and renewal to communities like Kensington.
Keanni Castro named her team the Philadelphia Forges and designed an urban gardening seed kit to promote healthy eating in Kensington while raising awareness of the team’s community outreach.
Senior Anna Augustyniak created the Philly Echoes, featuring a junior cheer squad for girls in Kensington. To promote the outreach, her team giveaway included ribbons for aspiring cheerleaders presented on a laser-cut wood silhouette.
