Project: Identity Design

Synopsis: KnowWon is a product with additional services created by RTriad Enterprises, LLC. It serves as a gated community on a virtual platform where subscribers can access top-tier assistance with improving their credentials, connect with other professionals, and build social capital exponentially. Users can increase the chances of being hired for the job they really want, or build the career they dream of, though Knowwon's services and network. The goal is to shorten the gap in turning enthusiasts into experts expeditiously to quickly build a workforce that can accommodate the forecasted technical needs of many industries. 

During my service as an in-house designer for RTriad, I developed an identity system and brand guideline for the product as its own separate brand, yet a child of RTriad. Therefore, I wanted to keep some of the design's DNA related to some of the elements of RTriad.

Problem: Design an identity system that helps build a relationship between the product (KnowWon) with the business (RTriad) while having a recognition of its own as a separate brand.

KnowWon’s tagline, “KnowWon knows it all” illustrates to core of why this service product exists. Instead of looking for an expert in multiple things and not being able to afford them, hire people who can become experts very quickly in their work. Based on the ongoing research and observations RTriad has conducted, businesses seem to not invest as much in internal training and growth as they should. There also seems to be a learning gap as oppose to a skill, or knowledge gap, as articulated in Kevin Robinson’s gold paper, “Learning Gap (NOT skills gap)”. From these circumstances, KnowWon, as the world’s first learning and mentorship professional community, was born.

To identify the brand and its efforts, the three graphics above are three applications of the same logo. The following are descriptions of the logo and its application from left to right.

This is the seed from which everything KnowWon is, believes, and does come from. It shows homage to its parent brand, RTriad and its values. This logo can be on the smallest of applications. From badges, to favicons, to small print, this logo should be used. The pedals also can be eluded to the enthusiast, the coach, and the mentor, all centered around the same goal or purpose.

This aspect of the logo is the expansive network of professionals, experts, and talent one can access through this community. This is for digital applications, like the logo on the corner of a video, and medium-sized print, like stickers and t-shirt designs.

This represents the mythical “expert with many specialties”. Employers and consumers are buying a network of talent for gigs. This is the formal logo that can be used on letterheads, awards, certificates, and so on.

There are a variety of attributes connected with KnowWon. The makers wanted staff and professionals to feel empowered, for the consumers to be enabled to make their own satisfying career and life. Of these attributes, the three major ones that influence the creative decisions of the brand are the following.

Uplifting
Connecting
Liberating

Some of KnowWon’s targeted audiences are those who are facing financial burdens or bondage. Those who struggle to find gainful employment or those who have limited access to resources to help them live comfortable lives.

Nodding to our phrase, no one knows it all. This community is focused on providing professionals with a network of experts and information that will help shorten the gap to becoming an expert. In doing this, no one person is alone and the demands of the employers’ demand skills and expertise that no one person has. If so, there are very few people who are willing to take the offer.

Another demographic KnowWon serves are the skilled professionals that want to leave a legacy or change careers or uplift others to take their place so they can move on.

Lato is the chosen typeface for its versatile font family, open-access, and compatibility with almost any digital software. It is also one of the available typefaces in the KnowWon app’s development platform, Power Apps. The typeface is a sans-serif which allows for clarity and a “modern” or “clean” look which was part of the desired look and feel of the design.

Displayed on the right are the recommended specifications of the type. There are two sets, one for web and one for print.

One of the attributes of the brand is a diverse professional environment. That stated, we try to have a fair amount of representation of people of color and women. In several industries, including technology which is the industry KnowWon is focusing on before adding other industries, have a history of lacking representation of these demographics both in leadership and/or in the front lines. 

Aside from diversity, images used are used based off the three main attributes. Whether it is the subject matter, or the elements of the art, the images must relate to at least one of the attributes: Uplifted, Connected, and Liberated.

Considering that KnowWon if currently focus on helping people become experts in cloud technology, images relating to IT, Agile, DevOps, and Cloud are recommended.

Light Blue - #6A97CE | Tan - #D7CFBD | Dark Tan - #B4A389 | Pink - #E5C8BF | Magenta - #A30E41 | Red - #881117 | Dark Green - #324523 | White - #FFFFFF | Grey - #E3DFDD | Yellow - #F6C950 | Orange - #E3A625 | Black - #000000 | Dark Blue - #134C8A

To reflect the attributes of uplifting and connecting professionals, four major colors (Green, Khaki, Gray, and Brown) were chosen. The neutral colors, except for green, reflects on the conservative colors of the corporate attire, and attire in other professional environments. The Green is for developing a darker color scheme.

The patterns used for any graphics are based off the logo and its source. The red mesh on the logo, as seen on the Atlas and Community Badge application, is based on a combination of the , tree of life, Metatron’s cube, and the flower of life, each depicted in the column above to the left from top to bottom. Patterns are best applicable to help lead the viewer’s eyes and direct where to go.

These three sources, aside from their cultural references, are illustrations that show all possible shapes that can happen...the same can be said about one’s future.

Using Figma, I then created an interactive prototype for shareholders to get a personal experience on what it may be like to access KnowWon on their phone or tablet via an app. This was later used to develop the working app for the first beta testers and early adopters.