Bringing Universal Design to Life at MTU

Jun 29

Written By Rebecca Hatchett

Client: Munster Technological University (MTU)

Project: MTU Universal Design Symposium 2026

Role: Creative Direction, Facilitation & Visual Communication

I love projects like this because they bring together facilitation, illustration, systems thinking and participatory design—creating spaces where people don’t just attend an event, but actively shape it - Becky

The Brief

How do you move beyond presentations and create an event where people don’t just hear about Universal Design—they experience it?

Working with MTU’s Universal Design team, I was invited to develop a creative engagement approach that would encourage participation, capture insights and help bring the symposium’s themes to life through visual communication.

Recognising the scale of the event, I brought together a team of artists and facilitators from the Drawesome network, which I am a member of, to help design and deliver the experience collaboratively.

Our Approach

Working closely with the client, we designed a participatory experience that invited delegates to reflect on the journey of Universal Design, make connections across the wider ecosystem and imagine future possibilities.

To deliver the project, I invited a multidisciplinary Drawesome team comprising Robyn Deasy, Esther Blodau and Hazel Hurley and myself. Together we developed a series of large-scale interactive installations, portrait drawing, live visual facilitation and collaborative mapping activities that transformed delegates from audience members into active contributors.

Rather than asking people to participate in a single workshop, the experience unfolded naturally throughout the symposium. Participants explored the installations during breaks, shared ideas, celebrated achievements, had their portraits drawn and watched the visual story evolve over the two days.

As conversations developed, the Drawesome team synthesised emerging themes into a large-scale future visualisation, creating a lasting record of the collective thinking generated during the event.

The Impact

The project demonstrated how creative facilitation can become an integral part of a conference rather than simply documenting it afterwards.

Portrait drawing created an approachable way for people to begin conversations. Interactive installations encouraged delegates to contribute at their own pace, while the evolving visualisations helped people see relationships, shared experiences and future opportunities emerge in real time.

By the end of the symposium, the installations had become both an engagement process and a collective artwork—capturing not only ideas, but also the people, conversations and community behind Universal Design.

Client Feedback

“Drawesome’s work with us at the MTU Universal Design Symposium 2026 was very professional and collaborative from our first point of contact, through planning, delivery during the two days of the symposium and beyond… Drawesome not only understood my vision—they expanded it and designed and delivered beyond my hopes… The portrait booths were a fabulous idea too, creating a warm, playful atmosphere that made attendees feel seen and part of a community.”

— Margaret Finch, Academic Lead-Universal Design and Student Engagement

Team

Creative Lead: Becky Hatchett (Drawesome)

Delivery and design team: Robyn Deasy, Esther Blodau & Hazel Hurley (Drawesome)