“Palette of Creativity”

👏 Sr. Product Manager, Z-Team at Tinder — Emoti-Con Judge

Wow! There are so many things to admire about this project. First of all, I like Shaila took this idea of art being a healer for YOUTH specifically and giving them a portal to connect in the world of dark adults is definitely original. Secondly, I love the idea of youth sharing art as a way to promote change, and therefore, hope to bring about social change. Thirdly, I really connected with Shaila telling her story of how she drew her inspiration, and presented it so artfully and elopquently that I literally felt a smile creep across my face. Given that this is a site for creatives, I like that she used the web as if it was a canvas for various types of media, as well.

Like any great canvas, Shaila has left a lot of room to build on this idea even further. Room for growth is a great sign of any MVP (minimum viable product)! For example, perhaps you could have the artists submit their art/creative projects with tags so that incoming participants can gather a certain type of inspiration (“love,” “loneliness,” “hope,” “fright,” etc…). You could conversely have users tag a piece of art with how it made them feel so that there’s an exchange between artists about the impact their art had with other artists. I think the reciprocity could also be a jumping off point for inspiration!

Shaila has created an elegant, thoughtful, and beautifully-designed idea and if this is where she’s starting from in high school, then I am truly excited to see what she does in the years to come!

👏 Manager, Design League & Volunteers at Mouse — Emoti-Con Judge

Beautiful work, Shaila!

You did a fantastic job with your pitch presentation and narrating your design thinking process. I love the visualization of your website! The use of white and neutral tones helps the user focus on the art pieces being shared and showcased. You are trying to create a community for artistic youth to share their creativity through numerous outlets while providing a judgement free zone and a place to explore different types of art. That’s amazing!

It is great that you are already thinking of future iterations by adding a direct upload feature for artists to add their work. One thing to think about is how would someone who isn’t an artist but interested in viewing others artwork experience and interact with your website? There are a few social networking platforms (like DeviantArt) for artists to share their work, so how does yours stand out? What features would you include that the others are missing?

Great work!

👏 CEO at Girls Who Hack — Emoti-Con Judge

I am in awe! I love this project and the execution is spectacular! It even looks professionally made! This could help so many young creative people express themselves in a safe environment. It would be even better if you added a more "social media" style section where others can give positive feedback and suggestions. Other than that this was overall amazing! I am in love with your songs as well! "Dear Youth" is my new favorite song, and I'm not just saying that! Great work!