Key insights
How might we…design an AAC app that minimizes set-up and eye strain, integrates AI for predictive text and smart gaze tracking, and adapts to the unique needs of the individual so that they can communicate efficiently and independently without obscuring their face?
Quantitative Goal: Double instances of spelling to communicate from 2x/month (spring 2024) to 4x/month (spring 2025)
Results: 980% increase in spelling instances using ComBoard 5x/week by spring 2025 on aide's phone and student's school tablet compared to 2x/month spelling instances when relying on heavy, bulky, plexiglass board.
Qualitative Goal: User preference rating at least 20% higher than other methods.
Results: Method preferences were scored by the user Tobii (1/5), Plexiglass board (3/5), ComBoard (5/5)
My first approach was to sculpt the text around a simplified mountain motif.
Svetim = "we shine on" in Russian, a concept central to Svetim's creative pursuits. To tie this into their logo, I explored the use of sunrise colors and including "we shine on" directly within the logo.
I collected several professional, simple, and legible types with some small creative touch.
I tested various combinations of letter spacing, boldness, serifs, and blunt/pointy-ness to achieve the "rugged but playful" Svetim brand.
These were the rough drafts I brought to our second meeting, where he told me they all gave him the impression of a real estate brand.
Main meeting takeaways:
1. Letters same height > stretched/compressed
2. Bolder > fine
3. SS symbol did not work for the client
4. Client wants to avoid overly triangular look
5. Black only > colored logo
6. No subheading
Back to the drawing board, I found Josefin Slab's bold italic with -5% letter spacing yielded the right balance of playfulness and ruggedness.
The bold letters with thick, sparingly used serifs feel grounded and weighty without being stern or overpowering.
The slanted "e" with a short tail is playful without being unserious.
I customized the "t" and "i" to take advantage of the gestalt principle of closure and create the illusion of a camera.
Finally, I drew even more attention to the camera motif with a touch of "recording-video-red."
Once Svetim approved the design, I emailed the logo suite folder containing each variation in black, white, and 4 sizes from Small to X-Large to suit every use case.
Many of the course thumbnails are examples of the client's artwork or that of her students, while the rest of them are AI generated placeholders.
Eventually, the client will collect photos from each of the courses to replace the thumbnails. I will be able to quickly make the swap on my component page and make the update without disturbing the rest of the design.
This was a lot of fun to work on! I approached the design task like a puzzle, and tried to find the best design pieces to coalesce into the picture the client was hoping to see at the end.