What if you had the chance to take a step back from your day-to-day life and see it from an entirely new, fresh perspective? What if you had the chance to redesign your life?

This semester, one lucky class of Loyola students has been granted this opportunity. Daniela Marx’s graphics design freshman seminar, Designing Your Life, focuses on the intersection of design with our daily lives.

During the course of the class, Professor Marx’s students tackled a large-scale service learning project with Gert Town Community Center. These ambitious students completely redesigned the interior of the community center, converting its atmosphere from one of corporate sterility to one of warm vibrancy. Students painted the walls of the center, constructed handmade bulletin boards, and redesigned the ways in which information is displayed throughout the center.

Their stellar endeavors would appear to be the work of graphics design professionals – and yet none of these students are graphics design majors, or have had previous experience in design. The project offers an excellent example of the awesome impact of a “learn by doing” approach to education. Under the tutelage and watchful eye of Professor Marx, beginners in the art of graphic design were able to not only learn great things, but to also accomplish great things with their newfound knowledge. This is service learning at its finest.

And of course what is a community center redesign project without a rollicking celebration with community members? On December 5th, Professor Marx’s class and the Gert Town community will be coming together to share in the students’ efforts. It promises to be a party of epic proportions!