Summary

I created a website for the KAUST Enrichment for Youth (KEY) program to showcase their diverse extracurricular activities, aiming to enhance student engagement and embody the brand’s youthful, vibrant, and futuristic spirit. Through research and design, I developed a visual identity incorporating bright colors, modern fonts, and a unique key-themed logo, culminating in a custom illustration that became a central branding element. The final product has been well-received, boosting engagement and pride among users, and leading to ongoing collaboration with the KEY team, as evidenced by a glowing recommendation from the program’s director.

Challenge

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), based on the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia, is designed to accommodate entire families to live, work, and grow within their walls. The accommodations include K-12 schools for the children of the faculty and students. The close proximity of the elementary and secondary schools to the university create a unique opportunity to provide high-level enrichment programs to KAUST youth. I was approached by Nicki Talbot, KAUST Enrichment for Youth (KEY) Director, to create a website to showcase the ever-growing number of extra-curricular programs, increasing student engagement. 

Research

Youth enrichment programs offer immense value to a student at every phase of growth. It is often in the extra-curricular activities that a young person stumbles upon a topic or activity that becomes a life-long passion and purpose. The people behind KEY are passionate about serving youth and creating the most elevated student journey possible. I asked questions; I gained an understanding of how KEY operates in the present, how KEY wishes to evolve, and the core values that underpin each decision. From there I clarified the mission, long-term vision, and the strategy for accomplishing that vision. After clarifying the foundational principles guiding KEY, I defined a set of words stemming from these principals that would guide the brand design decisions: youthful, bright, futuristic, sci-tech, vibrant, modern, crisp. I learned about each program that would be included on the website and devised a method of separating and organizing this information.

Design

The visual design strategy began by choosing a set of colors from the KAUST brand guidelines that would serve as a tool of bringing vibrancy to each page. To add a sci-tech, futuristic glow, I created a set of gradients that would breathe youthful energy onto each page. I explored different fonts that met the criteria of being modern with a touch of play. Plus Jakarta Sans, a fresh take on a geometric sans serif font, was the final choice for accurately communicating the tone of KEY through typography. For the logo, the client wanted a form emblematic of a key to play on the acronym for the group, KEY. I iterated through different keys, being sure to infuse a sense of play into the process so that the outcome would be imbued with that energy. The final key logo mark utilized the vibrant gradients in the criss-crossing lines, reminiscent of a maze or different paths that a student may take, each path trending upward at the outset to symbolize the growth that occurs within enrichment programs. A custom illustrated header image for the home page was planned to act as a distinguishing element for the brand and visually display the topics covered in the array of programs offered. The illustration ended up becoming a key element of the website (pun intended).

Result

The KEY website is now the hub for all KAUST youth enrichment opportunities. The youthful energy of each page attracts the intended user demographic (parents and students). The new web presence clearly communicates enrichment opportunities, increases student engagement, and adds a sense of pride for all the members of the KEY team. There have been several unprompted compliments from internal and external users of the website. The KEY illustration has become synonymous with the brand and an eye-catching feature on all branding materials. To have a physical embodiment of the website that can be distributed at in-person events, I designed a brochure which proudly displays the KEY illustration on the cover. My relationship with the KEY team is only beginning. Nicki Talbot, KAUST School Engagement Director and leader of KEY, provided a letter of recommendation saying, 

"... I would have no hesitation in highly recommending Emma to deliver high quality graphic design and web development projects – at a very competitive cost..." and "...Emma works in a friendly and encouraging way, and delivered everything that was required to the agreed timelines. The quality of her work is very high..."

Reflection

It was very rewarding to create the KEY illustration and website. I did not want the illustration to be a child with VR goggles over their face (a surprisingly common visual found in the sci tech school community), I wanted to show a balance of using technology to connect to the natural world. That goal came through in the final version of the illustration and I hope that it subtly informs the path that students take in their enrichment programs. Nicki Talbot was a joy to collaborate with on this project. She always had constructive, organized feedback that greatly contributed to the success of the project.