Udacity SF Mural
Students First
Udacity sought to instill its San Francisco office with additional branding and character. I designed a mural that used illustrations to embody their brand values and incorporated distinctive features of their SF location. The ideas for the different elements in the illustration came from the city's surroundings and famous spots, mixing in tech and the diverse topics covered in Udacity's courses.
Role
Visual Designer
Type
Branding, Illustration, Environmental Graphics
Tools
Illustrator, Photoshop
Background
Udacity is an online learning platform that offers world-class programs in cutting-edge fields. Their mission is to make education accessible to all and inspire lifelong learners to pursue their ambitions. I've had the pleasure of collaborating with Udacity on various projects, including lesson images, marketing materials, branding for Intersect 2018, and environmental graphics.
The goal of this project was to infuse Udacity's brand values into their San Francisco office, making it more welcoming and unforgettable. The illustrations draw inspiration from Udacity's lesson images and local landmarks, resulting in a delightful and engaging office space for both employees and visitors.
Team
2 Visual Designers
Udacity Marketing & Product teams
Responsibilities
Illustrated mural graphics
Established design direction for other designers to use at other Udacity offices
Presented designs to stakeholders
Project Goal
Udacity’s office spaces looked empty and lacked the Udacity touch. The aim of this design project was to infuse Udacity's brand values into their Mountain View and San Francisco offices, creating an environment that resonated with their mission and provided an enjoyable space for both employees and visitors.
Process
Site Research
We made a trip to the SF office to get a feel for the space we were going to work on. We checked out where the wall was situated, how people moved around the area, and identified any obstacles like door frames that we'd have to consider in our design.
Design Ideation
We had discussions with Udacity's Marketing and Product teams to gain a deep understanding of the style and themes we needed to convey. Our task was to encapsulate Udacity's core values: "Students First," "Better Together," "Audacious," and "Humble."
Design Approval & Production
We went through multiple rounds of feedback and revisions, ultimately securing the final design approval from Udacity's teams and CEO. Once approved, I collaborated with the printers to ensure the print met the desired color and quality standards.
Moodboard
We dived into the world of cool office spaces and brainstormed ideas for wall displays with a city theme. We pitched these ideas and discussed them with the Udacity team to understand their preferred style and vision.
Inspired by SF
The mural drew inspiration from San Francisco's unique environment, such as the iconic fog and local landmarks. I thought it'd be a fun idea to craft an illustration filled with engaging details, creating an interesting visual for employees to look at during their lunch breaks. The mural would allow them to spot familiar elements, like the technology they were involved in, alongside recognizable landmarks they encountered on their daily commute.
Illustration Style
The design of the wall graphic incorporated the style from the lesson illustrations that I helped to create. These lesson illustrations were designed to represent each lesson in a Nanodegree. They were featured in the online classroom where students viewed their lessons.
You can learn more about this project called
Classroom Experience
Rough sketch
First iteration
Ideation
After discussing inspiration and goals for the wall graphics with Udacity, an initial sketch and first iteration for the design was presented. This direction and style was one of the options presented and was chosen to guide the wall graphics for their office in Mountain View as well.
Final Design
Final touches
More elements from Udacity’s courses and students were added. Their core values: “Better Together”, “Audacious and Humble”, “students first” were also featured more prominently. The final result received positive feedback from the Udacity team and employees from the SF office.
Udacity, SF
Udacity, SF
The employees expressed their delight with the revamped space. The mural was positioned right at the entrance, and it served as a fantastic way to warmly greet visitors.