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Designing for Change: My Creative Journey with the UNDP

The United Nations Development Programme is an international organization aiming to end poverty, build democratic governance, rule of law, and inclusive institutions. I was a Design Intern for 6 months and here are some of the projects I was trusted to work on.

Background

In March 2024, I completed a 6-month internship with the UNDP Brand and Marketing Team in New York City. I was trusted to work on multiple projects with global reach. The most important one was the design of an e-learning brand course interface and assets, which was sent to over 7,000 employees of the UNDP. I also created the visual direction and designed a 55-page report on Women's Economic Empowerment from Select Arab Countries, in collaboration with the regional hub in Amman, Jordan. Finally, I was trusted with the design, and photoshoot of the holiday ornament freebie for the UNDP shop, whose success secured its launch as a paid product the next year.

UNDP E-Learning Brand Course

To raise awareness and teach over 7,000 employees across 170 countries and territories about the UNDP Brand, the Brand and Marketing Team developed for over a year the Brand Learning Course. I was named Lead Designer on this project.

I designed the interface and the art direction, based on the brand guidelines and design system of the UNDP website and brand. The illustrations and graphics are based on the flat design style, and use a set of 9 gradients. The gradients fit in the "Future-Smart" vision of the UNDP, the organization's Strategic Plan for 2022-2025.

I worked closely with the developer of the course, assuring that my designs respected high accessibility standards. I created the user interface, and also a small bank of icons for the menus. The concept of the course is to go through multiple activities that teach you about what a brand is. For each activity completed, you earn a passport stamp. I designed the UNDP passport and the individual stamps.

Women's Economic Empowerment in Select Arab Countries Report

One of the missions of the Marketing Services Hub is to design reports written by UNDP teams. The regional hub of Amman, Jordan requested help with their report on Women's Economic Empowerment, and I was given the project.

I decided to use patterns resembling what we can find in the Middle East throughout the report, and on the cover. Initially, I used red, white and green, which are the pan-arabic colors but the client decided to replace the red with blue, and add an orange. We also made changes to the hues of green.

One of the challenges was the use of 'boxes', which served various purposes, from providing additional explanations and emphasizing key points to quoting relevant articles. In response, I developed a system designed to make these boxes stand out throughout the report.

UNDP Holiday Ornament Campaign

For the 2023 Holidays, the UNDP Shop wanted to have a special product. With a busy agenda, they couldn't plan ahead and decided to experiment with a printable DIY ornament. When buying a product, the client had the option to add it to their cart for free. It was a way to test the interest in the product. 

They trusted me to design the product, print it and photograph it for the marketing campaign. It was featured on the UNDP Shop's hero section throughout the end of the year, and it was a great success, which comforted the team to launch it as a full product the next year. 

Links

Women’s Economic Empowerment: Lessons Learned on Women’s Entrepreneurship and Micro and Small Enterprises (MSE’s) from Select Arab Countries (full report)

OTHER PROJECTS

Helping a local small business owner deal with social media stress

Cocoon&nous is a small business based in Orléans, France. They help women through motherhood. The owner, Muriel provides massage services for mothers–prenatal and postpartum–and their babies. She contacted me because she struggled to keep up with her Instagram account. Creating and planning her content was time-consuming. Consequently, she couldn't focus on her business. And, she just wanted better results.

I created the coolest coffee spot in New York City

In passion projects, there is no client and I had to give myself that role. It is not easy to chose a direction and stick to it. I wanted the visual identity to be welcoming, authentic and simple so that customers feel at home. Brews and Bites should feel like a premium coffee shop, but accessible to all and affordable.

Crafting the art direction of a modern geopolitical podcast

For the fictional podcast "The World Stage," I designed a distinctive brand identity, including logos and episode graphics. I also created engaging social media content to effectively promote the podcast and engage its audience.

Designing for Change: My Creative Journey with the UNDP

The United Nations Development Programme is an international organization aiming to end poverty, build democratic governance, rule of law, and inclusive institutions. I was a Design Intern for 6 months and here are some of the projects I was trusted to work on.

How I created a brand identity for a clean & ethical cosmetic brand

Lavera is a german brand that specializes in natural cosmetics. While having many quality products, the brand struggles to find a consistent and attractive image, especially in its packagings and website. I centered my strategy around the ingredients, a significant feature of the brand's essence.