Graphic Design Club Recruitment at Scarsdale High School

Entong Deng gave herself five minutes. That's what the Graphic Design Club moderator allotted, so she made it count.

In April 2026, Initially Shop's founder returned to Scarsdale High School — this time to the Graphic Design Club — with a pitch built around a single idea: creativity without visibility goes nowhere. She used Van Gogh again. He is the sharpest illustration available of what happens when an artist cannot get work in front of the right people. The room agreed his life was rough. The point landed fast.

The cost problem designers do not talk about

Entong's argument to the graphic design students was specific to their situation. If you want to sell your work independently — a real website, your own platform — you are looking at $400 a month before you have sold a single thing. That is the real cost of doing it yourself. Most high school designers are not going to absorb that. Most will not try.

Initially Shop's proposition: list your work for free, reach real local buyers, and start building a track record without the overhead. The model is zero cost for risk, with real upside when the work sells. Students who sign up get a profile on Initially Shop's platform and access to the company's existing relationships with local businesses that buy custom-designed merchandise for gifts, client appreciation, and customer loyalty programs.

Why local businesses choose Initially Shop

Entong made a point the design students connected with: there is a meaningful difference, to a local business, between a bag from a big corporate supplier and one designed by a young artist from their own community. "Designed by a local young artist" is a selling point. It makes the gift more distinctive, more memorable, and more likely to actually get used — not tossed.

Local shops, salons, restaurants, and modern workplaces are Initially Shop's primary buyers. Workplaces in particular have strong demand for original art and high-end design — statement pieces that communicate quality and culture to clients and employees. That market pays well. One workplace commission in the program has exceeded $1,000.

Standing out on a focused platform

One student asked a sharp question: why not just post on a bigger platform? Entong's answer: harder to stand out. Initially Shop runs a curated, limited selection. A well-crafted piece gets seen. On a marketplace with millions of listings, the same piece disappears. For designers at the start of their careers, visibility on a focused platform is worth more than a listing that nobody finds.

Sign-up takes about thirty seconds. Several Graphic Design Club students signed up before the session ended.