Belmont Student Designers Create Custom License Plate Benefiting ALS Research

Students collaborate with Vanderbilt University Medical Research Center for impactful project

Belmont’s student-run design agency REEVO partnered with Vanderbilt University Medical Research Center (VUMC) on a special project benefiting ALS research. The group spent the fall semester working alongside VUMC leaders to design a special Tennessee license plate that raises awareness and funding for ALS research, patient sample collection and community outreach programs. The design is now available for pre-order. 

"Although my design was ultimately picked, the project was a group effort that we all contributed to,” said senior design communications major Taylor Rose. “I think it’s so awesome that, as a class, we can say this thing we did together has the potential to help people long into the future.” 

Since the fall of 2023, REEVO has provided students from a wide range of disciplines with a real-world design agency experience on campus. The group works with new clients each semester and champions a collaborative, concept-first approach to marketing, branding and design work. Through working with actual clients such as Freedom Aviation Network, Tennessee Farmers Co-Op and others, students learn skills to thrive in professional agency settings after graduation. 

"It was a really cool opportunity to be the ones emailing and communicating with the team at Vanderbilt last semester,” said Rose. 

From Concept to Completion 

As an agency, REEVO follows a rigorous creative process. “Each of us did a lot of individual research at the beginning because of how much creative liberty VUMC gave us,” Rose said. “I focused on Lou Gehrig, who he was, what he stood for, and that’s what started me on the path to the final design.” As a foundational figure in the history of ALS, Gehrig stands out as a potent symbol for the community. 

Over the course of the project, VUMC representatives regularly visited REEVO to sit in on progress critiques and give feedback. Introducing their team to the REEVO creative process helped the students learn by teaching, as the representatives mainly came from backgrounds in business or medical research. “Being designers, it was helpful to see how they reacted to our concepts and brought in perspectives we didn’t have,” Rose reflected. 

One Student’s Design Journey 

Rose’s contributions to REEVO were strengthened by her experience as a graphic designer for the Office of Student Engagement. Since joining the Office two years ago to work on the Belmont Today Instagram account, she has risen to the role of executive director where she manages the creative team, content calendar and collaborations with campus partners. 

“It's been a good creative outlet apart from my schoolwork, because sometimes it's nice to have a place for fun graphics with lower stakes,” she said. “It's also taught me a lot about time management, organization and handling multiple projects at once.”  

Rose describes herself as a “Type A creative” —  someone with a list for everything, who thrives on routine and stays organized. This past semester, balancing classes, work and REEVO, she was pushed to a new limit that forced her to take stock of her priorities. 

"With the busyness of being in school, working and having a social life, last semester made me realize that there are times where I'll have to manage several big things at the same time,” she said of the opportunities her Belmont experience has provided. “I've learned a new kind of freedom and agility between everything I’ve got going on.” 

A Drive to Defeat ALS 

With May being ALS Awareness Month, REEVO and VUMC are poised to make a significant impact with funds raised from the license plate. The State of Tennessee DMV will make the plate a reality after 1,000 preorders, bringing it into production for public purchase. 

“As a designer, I want my work to be something positive that influences and helps people,” Rose explained. “Ultimately, that's what this whole project has been about. I’m really proud of our work, and I’m going to carry this experience with me for a long time.” 

Vanderbilt ALS Research Center's specialty license plate can be preordered here.