3 min read

Designing a platform where global innovators connect and grow

Client
Global agribusiness (Market insights team)
My role
Visual design lead & brand strategist
Timeline
4 fiscal years
Innovators Studio Platform

Overview

Innovators Studio

A global internal platform connecting intrapreneurs to share knowledge, standardize practices, and drive strategic growth initiatives across the enterprise.

The problem

Innovation efforts were trapped in silos, buried in jargon and disconnected from the people they needed to reach. Without a consistent visual voice, internal audiences felt the work was meant for someone else, and intrapreneurs across the network struggled to find each other.

The solution

I helped build a unified visual ecosystem (Innovators Studio) that translated abstract concepts into human narratives. People stopped feeling like outsiders looking in. The system gave the network a shared sense of belonging, and made it easier for ideas to find one another.

The digital ecosystem

Marketing communication deliverables

I led the creation of these deliverables in collaboration with a marketing manager and production designer from the market insights team.

1
Visual identity

Recognize

Branding
Illustrations
Badges
2
Storytelling

Translate

Presentations
Newsletters
Podcast promos
3
Campaigns

Mobilize

Promotions
One pagers
Business models
4
Studio portal

Sustain

Community hub
Innovators directory
Innovation academy
1

Visual identity

Before any of the work could spread, the audience had to recognize where it was coming from. We built a confident, distinct visual system of branding, illustrations, and badges. The illustrations turned abstract concepts into scenes people could see themselves in, and the badges turned individual progress into something worth showing off. Every surface signaled belonging the moment anyone encountered it.

Branding
Branding showcase
Standing out while fitting in
  • Distinct identity within corporate guidelines
  • High-energy, colorful aesthetic
  • Engaging, usable templates
  • Consistent system for internal teams
Illustrations
Illustrations showcase
Turning ideas into pictures
  • Custom scenes narrating Studio goals
  • Visuals that humanize user journeys
Badges
Badges showcase
Making progress visible
  • Gamification of skills and milestones
  • Collectible designs to boost motivation
2

Storytelling

Once the look landed, we translated the language. Innovation work tends to drown in its own vocabulary, so we built templates for presentations, newsletters, and podcast promos that handled the heavy lifting: clear hierarchy, consistent pacing, one idea per slide instead of five. Anyone in the network could pick one up and tell a credible story without losing the substance underneath.

Presentations
Presentations showcase
Making every slide count
  • Standardized branded templates
  • Visual patterns for data
  • Flexible structures for speakers
  • Pacing designed for engagement
Newsletters
Newsletters showcase
Getting read, not deleted
  • Updates reinforcing strategic priorities
  • Hierarchy aiding rapid decision-making
Podcast promos
Podcast promos showcase
Giving voice visual form
  • Promotion of key internal voices
  • Visual framing for episode themes
3

Campaign assets

With a shared voice in place, we put it to work. Campaigns, one-pagers, and business models each gave intrapreneurs a clear next step: apply to a program, attend an event, or carry an idea into the next quarter’s planning. The campaigns held a consistent thematic identity across email, intranet, and event surfaces, so a single launch felt like a single launch, not five disconnected nudges.

Campaigns
Campaigns showcase
Creating momentum that lasts
  • Consistent identity enforcement
  • Thematic graphics for launches
  • Templated messaging and headlines
  • Layouts for multi-touch comms
  • Adaptations for various formats
One pagers
One pagers showcase
The essentials only
  • Concise program summaries
  • Defined purpose and value
  • Actionable participation steps
Business models
Business models showcase
Complexity made clear
  • Frameworks simplifying complex concepts
4

Studio portal

And once people showed up, we needed somewhere for them to stay. The Studio portal pulled the work into one connected home: a community hub that surfaced what others were trying, a directory that made finding the right person feel like searching for a colleague, and an academy that turned scattered learning into a real path. The portal carried the network between launches, so energy from one program didn’t bleed out before the next began.

Community hub
Community hub showcase
Where everyone connects
  • Structure guiding user decisions
  • Layouts for news and spotlights
  • Visual cues for exploration
  • Organization aligned to workflows
  • Pathways to deep resources
Innovators directory
Innovators directory showcase
Find your people
  • Profiles highlighting specific skills
  • Discovery tools for collaboration
Innovation academy
Innovation academy showcase
Charting your growth
  • Paths for distinct roles
  • Visualized skill progression

The impact

Dimension
Outcome
Recognition
A consistent visual system across illustrations, badges, and templates signaled belonging the moment anyone encountered the work.
Engagement
Branded newsletters, presentations, and podcast promos turned dry internal updates into pieces the network actually read and shared.
Velocity
Reusable templates and asset libraries cut campaign production time roughly in half, freeing the marketing team to focus on the message itself.
Network growth
The Studio portal connected intrapreneurs across geographies and functions, turning scattered effort into a real community.
Sustained momentum
Four fiscal years of compounding programs, with each cohort feeding the next and the Studio carrying the energy between launches.

Brand and platform together turned an invisible network into a visible community. Intrapreneurs stopped working around the system and started bringing their ideas through it.

Next case studyReducing operational overhead by 80% for the USDA →