Client
Dash Design
Year
2023
Category
Visual Identity Design
Hackathons aren’t just for coders.
Dash Design is Europe's largest design thinking hackathon, aimed at fostering creativity and multidisciplinary collaboration to solve problems. In 2023, I joined Dash’s team as Head of Visuals to refresh their visual identity to be more recognizable and dynamic.
Dash Hack 2023 Event Launch Video
The goal was to design a visual identity which is dynamic, consistent and aligns with Dash’s target audiences.
To address the challenges and meet Dash’s goals, I designed a flexible visual identity. This is a method proposed by Martin Lorenz in his book Flexible Visual Systems: The Design Manual for Contemporary Design (2021).
A flexible visual identity takes a system-based approach, where components can be built into a wide range of unique assets while keeping the visual style consistent. This differs from the traditional logo-based visual identity, which often repeats the same assets and lacks dynamism.
My bachelor’s thesis, Designing a Flexible Visual Identity for Dash: A Creative Problem-solving Competition (2024), explores the design process of creating a flexible visual identity for Dash.
The result is a cohesive yet dynamic visual identity, which consists of a flexible visual system, logo, colors, and typography. The system allowed the design and marketing team to create versatile social media assets, merchandise, event production, and posters.
The logo is bold and recognizable on its own, and it can be broken down into pieces and built into new assets via a flexible visual system in a building block-like manner.
The redesign was well received by Dash’s stakeholders, including participants, volunteers, and partner companies. The identity displays a sense of playfulness yet professionalism.