In a 3-month sprint, I led a trio of designers in building a new visual design system to implement fresh brand guidelines.
We received new brand guidelines from an external agency. These included detailed governance primarily for brand assets (e.g. web design, social images).
Brand guidelines from external agency
When trying to apply these new brand guidelines to our program insights design, we had to wade through a lot of ‘messy middle’ exploration. The highly branded elements in the guidelines (e.g. vibrant gradients, angular geometry) felt in conflict with how we typically approach information design.
The messy middle of the exploration process
We needed a way to reconcile the flair of the new brand with the clarity & credibility we try to prioritize in our insights.
When we started to converge on a few design directions that balanced the new brand with our insights design needs, we presented a recommended approach (with alternatives) to executive stakeholders.
Spoiler alert: we did not go with the proposed direction! More like a hybrid of proposed and alt 1.
After deciding on a design direction, we mapped out specific design options on a spectrum to help build conviction in the details of how to flesh out the new design.
With more design details finalized, I built a functional beta version of the new design system. Our entire design team tested the new system by attempting to reskin a lesson from the old system using the new components.
The new brand in action…
…compared to the old brand
