Redpanda's
Redesign
Goals
Refresh visual design
Improve the aesthetics and delight of the visual design to raise user confidence in the quality and maturity of our product.
Mature the design system and components
Evolve the design system and component library into a complete, simple and consistent set of components and guidelines that front-end engineers can use efficiently with minimal design input.
Roles
I led the project including conception, budget approval, choosing an agency and working closely with the agency in design direction and development.
The tactical design and development work was done by an external agency
Outcomes
This project is still in process. The designs and design system have been completed. The development is almost complete with implementation of the new design and component library slated for end of 2024.
Project details
01
Challenges
The biggest challenge in this project was the initial visual design concepts that were delivered. Despite discussions on the goals, reviewing mood boards and inspirational sites the initial concepts were lacking in creativity, visual refinement and polish.
The initial concepts delivered by the agency were lacking
I worked closely with the designer at the agency to set expectations, direction and feedback. With this mentorship and a concerted effort from the agency we eventually achieved a design that met the project goals (see outcomes below).
02
Outcomes
This project is still in process. The designs and design system have been completed. The development of the component library is almost complete with implementation of the new design and component library slated for next quarter.
Outcome 01
New visual design
Outcome 02
New design system and component library
Along with the visual re-design the agency also created a complete design system, documenting the tokens, atoms, components, styles, etc. This design system was also implemented in a new component library, which is almost complete, with migration to the new component library slated for end of 2024.
Outcome 03
Banner background explorations
We are currently exploring adding illustrated background banners. Redpanda has a cute and playful Avatar that would be leveraged throughout. I collaborated with a contract illustrator to develop concept illustrations for the banners. It is still a work in progress.