Yale Schwarzman Center


A 4-minute projected animation for the opening of the Yale Schwarzman Center.

 Motion Graphics • Projection Design • 3D Design • Environmental Design
Sample: A rendering of a found poem made of inscribed words, phrases, and illustrations by Yale students in Sterling Memorial Library. Poem by Awuor Onguru.


“What does Yale say when nobody is looking?”
—Yale Schwarzman Center

This central question drove the commission for the grand opening of the Yale Schwarzman Center — the university's new hub for student life. To answer it, I turned away from the polished, official history of the university and looked instead toward the margins. I treated Sterling Memorial Library — the largest library schoolwide and a staple of Yale’s campus — as an archaeological site by documenting the "desire lines" of the student body hidden in plain sight.

Sample: “Welcome to the Wall of Struggles” found on a wall bounces in and grows toward the viewer.
Original inscription found on a wall in Sterling Memorial Library


“Hundreds of thousands of thoughts go through our minds during our time at this university, and not all of them get said out loud.”
—Yale Schwarzman Center

For this project, I spent two weeks scouring the library stacks for graffiti carved into desks, bookshelves, and walls. I quickly photographed and archived decades of anonymous inscriptions, including dates, initials, jokes, and confessions. This research process revealed a raw, unfiltered history of the student experience that exists alongside the institution's official narrative.


Sample: “I am straight and no one but you, reader, will ever know.” falls and bounces into the viewport.
Original inscription found behind a desk in Sterling Memorial Library


“Carved into the very walls of this institution, however, are our most intimate thoughts and feelings about ourselves, each other, and our place in the world.”
—Yale Schwarzman Center

To bring these static carvings to life, I used Blender to recreate the found inscriptions as 3D objects that swivel, shine, and grow. Collaborator and fellow student Awuor Onguru wove these animated artifacts together to illustrate a found poem. Together, these efforts created a dialogue between the tactile reality of the past and the digital medium of the projection.

Sample: An “E+S” heart inscription found in the library swivels, shines, and scales.
Original inscription found behind a desk in Sterling Memorial Library


“Through the collaboration of found poetry and typography, we present to you a living document of the notes, scribbles and conversations we have with each other through the writing on the furniture of the Sterling Memorial Library Stacks”
— Yale Schwarzman Center

Sample: “2/22/22 twosday” found on the edge of a desk swivels.


Original inscription found on a desk in Sterling Memorial Library


Sample: A set of tally marks slides away from view.
Original inscription found on a wall in Sterling Memorial Library


“[Yale is] a place where anonymous thoughts have become a collective institutional memory.”


The final animation debuted during the center’s opening ceremony and played on loop in the mezzanine for the following month. By elevating vandalism into art, the project ensured that the private, whispered history of previous students echoed loudly in Yale’s newest public space.


Projection in situ inside the Schwarzman Center: “Life Goes On”


This project affirmed my belief that design can function as a form of preservation that elevates the ephemeral scribbles of the past into a permanent part of an institution's future.

Next Project: Yale Center for Engineering Innovation and Design

I’m a graphic designer and student at Yale (’26)


I’m a graphic designer and student at Yale (‘26) focusing on typography, motion graphics, and design systems. My practice is rooted in a deep respect for art history and craft. Before studying design, I practiced traditional blackletter calligraphy, a practice that continues to inform my approach to typography and lettering.

I have gained professional experience designing for artists such as Jeffrey Gibson, Mickalene Thomas, and Joel Mesler, and for arts institutions including Sotheby’s, Christie’s, and JOOPITER. I have also interned for Irma Boom Office, Mickalene Thomas Studio, and Hyperallergic.

In an increasingly automated design industry, I believe the human touch is a designer’s most valuable tool. Whether through hand-drawn calligraphy, organic shapes, or tactile print designs, I strive to imbue my work with a distinct sense of humanity that distinguishes it from the algorithmic and the artificial.

I’m currently seeking a full-time role and always interested in freelance work.


   zachary [dot] reich [at] yale [dot] edu
   @zachreichdotcom
   linkedin.com/in/zach-reich

   resume