Children’s Museum of Denver
Create a mobile app for a nonprofit organization to connect with their audiences, fostering a sense of community and encouraging active involvement.
Case Study, Visual Design
Jan 2024—Mar 2024
The Children’s Museum of Denver is a hub of discovery, creativity, and exploratory learning that ignites the inventive spirit of all Colorado’s children.
Mission Statement: To create extraordinary experiences that champion the wonder and joy of childhood.
Aligned with the established brand strategy and visual identity, the mobile platform tool will serve as a crucial asset in advancing the organization’s mission and objectives.
Overview
Project Overview
Before I began designing the brand system, I brainstormed and concluded what the brand had chosen to focus on & how it chooses to present itself.
kid-powered learning
we believe in
experiential learning
creativity
joy
empowerment
childhood
values
families of young children
parents
caregivers
school teachers
audience
by activating childhood creativity and a passion for learning
stands out
Process
After I had brainstormed the brand’s overview, I began focusing on their creative strategy as well as working with How Might We questions to help guide me further through the research process.
inspiring
creative
welcoming
playful
inventive
expert
How Might We
Invite Discovery?
How Might We
Spark Creativity?
How Might We
Explore Learning?
creative strategy
During this research process, I considered various aspects including graphic icons and typographic systems to develop a style guide.
This guide helped me gather and unify essentials for the final product, addressing the significance of HMW questions. For instance, it aligned with the brand's type system and integrated colorful icons and buttons. Additionally, the graphic elements adopted a geometric style, symbolizing building blocks that connect with children's learning essentials.
Before diving into mobile design, I brainstormed and sketched various icons for the Home, About Us, Events, Donate, and Search pages. These iterations aimed to capture the brand's essence at that time. Challenges included ensuring legibility and strict adherence to the brand's style guidelines.
These rough icons I created ended up looking generic and did not effectively convey the brand's message.
As I immersed myself more in the brand, I noticed a variety of geometric shapes that functioned like building blocks in its design ethos. From my initial sketch of the donate icon, I opted for a unified style and simplified it to just a heart. This approach guided the final design styles for the other icons.
During this process, I recognized that the museum primarily caters to young children. As a result, I associated rounded edges with a more playful and youthful aesthetic, which better aligned with the brand's identity.
Greyscale Icons
After finalizing the icon designs, I began digitizing them and adding more dimension, along with color placeholders to enhance their vibrancy once color is applied.
Color Icons (Final Designs)
Here is the final set of icons, featuring the brand's colors and sharp, geometric shapes that align with each section's name. It was exciting to witness the transformation from black and white sketches to vibrant, digital icons.
After collecting the required icons, I started designing potential home screens to find a user-friendly format. Among the three designs, I chose the middle one for its spacious layout and smoother readability compared to the others. However, other elements like rounded edges, color blocks, and images were also vying for attention, posing additional considerations.
Solution
I'm thrilled with the final outcome and what I've learned about creating icons that align with the brand's design. To push myself further, I'm eager to explore animations that can be interactive and enhance user enjoyment.
Throughout the process, I encountered many instances of trial and error, which helped me identify areas for improvement and refine subsequent versions. I thoroughly enjoyed this experience of collaborating with the Children’s Museum of Denver to develop a clear and concise platform that reflects their brand.
Final Screens
Splash Screen
Home Screen
About Us Screen
Events Screen
Donate Screen
Splash Screen
This splash screen reflects the design on the website; to make it more welcoming, youthful and bright.
Home Screen
The home screen follows the same child-like aspect where the geometric icons are represented in the 4 categories, along with the different activities and objects illustrated above.
About Us Screen
The ‘About Us’ page follows a more simple approach, mainly targeted for an older audience, highlighting a strong imagery of activity along with the brand’s identity.
Events Screen
The ‘Events’ page follows the same, simple approach, showcasing the different activities that will be occurring at the museum and how guests can be involved.
Donate Screen
The ‘Donate’ screen is targeted for the older audience, as they will be the ones mainly interacting with this page. It is clear and straightforward, allowing the donation process to be simple and fast.
