WITS 2018-2019
VISUAL REFRESH
The number one redesign goal was to achieve consistency. Upon browsing the WITS website, SheHacks website, and WITS Facebook page, it created the perception that WITS was a siloed organization; this perception emphasized the existing branding inconsistencies.
We needed to remind ourselves what WITS's purpose is: the organization recognizes that there is a lag for women in the tech industry to progress. WITS responds by growing a community for members to find access to networks, skills, and opportunities which advance women, together, in the technology sector.
Details
ROLE
VP of Design
TEAM
Estelle Chung, Jenny Tran, Jenny Cai, and myself
Branding Inconsistencies
In framing WITS's purpose in our minds, we could develop a better brand identity that communicates the club's many productive and proactive pillars that work tirelessly to deliver these goals to our membership. Some buzzwords which we wanted to convey were: welcoming, smart, empowering, and more than a little fun.
Mood Board
We put a mood board together inspired by retro colour-blocks, gradient overlays, and iconography using symbols and variations of lines. For the logo re-design, we gathered images of circuit boards and considered how that could be incorporated in the "W" in WITS. The loud colours entertain the viewer's attention when scanning a page. Alongside this, the uses of gradient and image overlays present a futuristic aesthetic while communicating the transition to a more transparent and fluid future for women in the industry.
Style Guide
One reason we noticed the inconsistency in our previous branding was the use of different colours for each respective pillar of WITS. Our new colour palette represents WITS as a whole organization, but combining specific colours will yield you the colours of one of WITS pillars. For example, Indigo, dark and light pink represents SheHacks.
Marketing Materials
Multimedia and Motion
One design element that I was extremely enthusiastic about introducing to the WITS design portfolio was motion graphic videos. Video and motion graphics communicate information, mood, and aesthetic in a way that a regular graphic poster can't. I find a lot of personal joy creating the storyboards for them, and it's fulfilling to know that it's effectively marketing WITS's opportunities in an entertaining and engaging way.