PROJECT BRIEF
The goal of this project was to design a supplementary education program that would be accessible through both digital and physical media, as well as appeal to a broad range of users.
CHALLENGE
I chose to orient my education program on subjects that aren't always covered as well in the public school systems. Naming it after the philosopher Plato, a strong proponent of education for all, this program is designed to be completely customizable to the user's needs and interests, and focuses in areas such as the arts, world language & culture, personal development, philosophy, and a less euro-centric study of world history.
ROLE
Research, Branding and Visual Identity, UI Design, Web and Print Graphics, Promotional Materials
TOOLS
Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign
TEAM
Solo Designer
WHY
Independent Project
COLOR AND FONT
When designing this program I knew I wanted to make something colorful, to create a more fun and energetic environment around education. I carefully selected five colors to correspond with PLATO's five tenets (art, philosophy, world language, personal development, and world history), making sure to keep the colors bright but not overly saturated. Research for each color provided no significant historical associations with different educational subjects, so I assigned them to each subject randomly.
LOGO DEVELOPMENT
When designing the logo I knew I needed to incorporate the five prominent colors, and display them in a dynamic way. Originally displaying the colors and type within a box, I later moved on to a freeform and symbolic shape. Modeling the colors into shapes roughly resembling the human brain, I began incorporating more meaning into the logo's design.
The final design is a more abstracted variation to the brain shape, overlaying all five colors to demonstrate the malleability of the program's design and emphasizing the focus on several different subjects within PLATO's curriculum.
PHYSICAL MEDIA
When designing the physical media for PLATO I wanted to make it simple and clean, differentiating itself from the sometimes cluttered design styles of traditional school textbooks.
When designing the physical media for PLATO I wanted to make it simple and clean, differentiating itself from the sometimes cluttered design styles of traditional school textbooks.
After choosing which subjects they wish to study for that period, a user is then sent their customized textbook, which will then be filled out and returned for grading. I included these instructions on the exterior of the book, as well as details such as the barcode the company will use to process and grade the user's answers.
The textbook's pages were designed and organized using both Adobe Illustrator and InDesign.
DIGITAL MEDIA
With PLATO's website I wanted to maintain the company's sleek design, using minimal color variation and lowercase type. Displayed above is the main page to the Global History section, which explains more about that specific subject.
