THE CHALLENGE
The Institute for Advancing Computing Education (IACE) is a nonprofit research organization that recently developed a new brand identity but lacked the internal infrastructure to roll it out. As an entity dedicated to computing education research (CSER), their primary work involves analyzing data to improve how computer science is taught and learned. They needed a brand system that their team could manage independently without a designer on call. Without accessible templates, the organization risked looking inconsistent across the professional academic and social platforms where they share their findings.
THE SOLUTION
Building on IACE’s existing visual identity (triple bar logomark and navy/green system), I expanded their guidelines to prioritize operational flexibility. To show the range of their ressearch, I utilized a mix of thematic STEM imagery and computer centric visuals.
Created a geometric “angled device” framing system that allows the team to easily swap these images out based on the specific research topic, whether it is a STEM promotion or a data heavy computing report. By uploading these assets into Canva, I ensured the team could adjust content independently, making the brand scalable and efficient.
MY ROLE
Led brand implementation as Creative Strategist, translating existing identity into operational system.
✔ Refined brand style guide clarifying logo usage (primary triple-bar mark, full lockup with tagline), typography hierarchy (Mulish Bold headlines, Open Sans body, Century Gothic/Calibri alternates), color applications (navy primary, green accent, extended palette with yellows, oranges, blues for data visualization)
✔ Designed 15+ Google Slides templates: title slides, section dividers, team bios, quote layouts, image+text splits, data visualization slides maintaining brand consistency while allowing content flexibility
✔ Created 20+ social media templates across formats: Instagram square posts, carousel templates (2-10 slides), story graphics, LinkedIn announcements, webinar promotion graphics, publication launches, “Tuesday Tips” educational series
✔ Developed geometric angled device system as flexible framing element appearing across presentations and social graphics, creating visual cohesion
✔ Uploaded complete asset library to Canva: logos (all variations), color palette (with hex codes), typography (web-safe alternatives), templates (fully editable), pattern elements, ensuring team could access everything in one place
✔ Created brand usage documentation with practical examples showing how to maintain consistency across applications without design expertise
THE IMPACT
Team Empowerment: IACE’s team could create their own materials without waiting on designer or worrying about breaking brand. Templates and Canva setup meant they could produce professional content quickly – presentations for conferences, social posts announcing publications, webinar graphics, research updates – maintaining brand quality without external support.
Workflow Efficiency: What previously required outsourcing design work now happened in-house. Team members could duplicate templates, swap content, adjust colors within brand palette, and publish within hours rather than weeks. Reduced costs while increasing output velocity.
Brand Consistency: System ensured visual consistency across everything: research publications, educational resources, social media, presentations, webinars. Brand stayed cohesive across touchpoints, building trust and recognition in computing education research community. IACE went from having brand they couldn’t fully use to having system working with them, not against them – operational, scalable, and empowering non-designers to communicate professionally.
