Designing social sciences research blog #100TechFrauen

#100TechFrauen is a research blog by ISF München und die FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg with the aim of increasing the visibility of women in the tech economy. Research, analyses and interviews with relevant actors in this space are all documented on the blog.

I was asked by colleagues at designteam to take on the UX/UI design as well as art direction for the web site, which would be implemented in Wordpress. My approach was to design a minimal and strict layout to let the long-form text and complexity of any contents take center stage.

The central challenge of the project was to come up with an illustration concept that avoided dated clichés around the tech sector and gender. As a woman in tech myself, I was equipped to take a dive below the surface. For instance, in our early briefing talks, one of our clients at ISF München repeatedly mentioned "spaces of opportunity" as a central theme in their research. This spatial approach (represented through isomorphic grids in different sizes and constellations) paired with colorful shapes (representing individual approaches, talents and paths within the tech space) subsequently became the core theme of the art direction.