Andreas Kruszakin-Liboska – The Hague Network Rebranding

The challenge

The Hague Network is aiming to establish a new strong visual identity and a professional communication strategy. The challenge is, how do we showcase the size of their network and the opportunities that they offer to students and partners alike?

The Solution

We tackled this challenge by designing a new brand identity that conveys professionalism to potential partners and youthfulness to students. The brand reflects the dynamic and evolving nature of the network and invites interaction with them. We successfully launched the MVP of the website in December 2023, with significant improvements in traffic and clarity.

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My role

As the lead UX Designer of the project, I was responsible for the branding and visual direction of the rebranding. I created several concepts and a brandbook for the first client meeting, where we presented our new vision to the representatives of The Hague Network. They loved it. I also mentored our Intern UX Designer, who helped with designing the website and handing it off to the Developer at the end. The project was a rewarding challenge for me, as it taught me valuable skills like branding, design, communication, and leadership. I enjoyed the branding process, as it allowed me to express my creativity and vision for the network, and to get feedback from the client and the users.

User research

In our user research phase, we focused on the desk research and psychographics to develop the feel and visual communication of the brand. We aimed to balance the playful and colorful nature of young adults with the professional language and feel of the network. We also did some internal testing with our university colleagues to get feedback on their feelings and the flow of the website. We learned that the brand was appealing and inviting to the target audience, and that the website was clear and easy to use.

the process

Our project process began with desk research and small user testing, where we explored the needs and preferences of the students and partners regarding the network. Based on this, we designed step by step MVPs of the website, which included the landing page and the virtual exchange program. The latter was the most crucial feature that we had to get working by the end of October for the soft launch of the rebrand and the new website. After that, we completed the rest of the pages, such as the contact page, the partners page, and the about us page. The final phase was fixing small inconsistencies with our design system that I created at the start, and collaborating with our developer to quickly and efficiently get the remaining pages up and running. The project was finalized in January 2024.

the Prototype

We had six iterations over the course of four months each helping us gain closer to clarity and better website that we prototyped and showcased to potential users as well as to our clients so that the project delivers their needs and wishes in balanced way. The first prototype included virtual exchanges that allowed use to see what interactions are not clear when it comes to selecting universities or what kind of information about courses they would need to see on the card first.

Credits

ART DIRECTION

Andreas Kruszakin-Liboska

UI DESIGN

Sara Mengarduque

PROJECT MANAGER

Ivet Dyulgerova

DEVELOPER

Jonathon Stamper

The Hague Network Rebranding