Inclusive digital news hub for Millenials and Gen Z
Diversity & Inclusion isn’t just about removing barriers – it’s about creating a fertile environment where creative thought flows.
ROLE
Creative Lead
DURATION
6 months
TEAM MEMBERS
Marketing Lead • Operations Lead
OVERVIEW
Vybl was a social media network which aimed to enrich the lives of 16 - 30 year old African-Caribbean people by connecting them to job opportunities (via its consultancy arm) and keeping them updated on the latest bits of pop culture.
As its Creative Lead, it was pivotal to root it in a bold, African-Caribbean aesthetic from the get-go, by leaning in a plethora of colours and patterns to express a modern and fresh feel. This would and business goals. The project focused on creating a seamless onboarding process, improving usability across devices, and fostering long-term user engagement.
OUTCOMES
My involvement in this project and Vybl as a whole set the stones for the bulk of my creative approach, applying long-known processes to deliver value and impact.
In addition, it has redefined the manner in which I view brands and contribute to their creation, granting me the ability to think of the multitude of ways they can make themselves stand apart, and communicate to their audiences.
CHALLENGE
Vybl’s existing platform faced several challenges:
• A complex onboarding process that deterred new users.
• Inconsistent navigation across mobile and desktop interfaces.
• Low engagement rates due to unclear user flows and lack of personalization.
DISCOVERY
We carried out a series of user research workshops and interviews during which we asked participants aged 18 - 35 how they felt about their representation in the news, what content they engaged with, and their development aspirations. 63% of participants felt that they wanted news coverage that was more reelvant to them, while 45% wanted access to more career-related activities.
The media landscape was fractured when it came to the way it engaged young African-Caribbean people. While some outlets existed, they only engaged in a fraction of the topics Vybl sought to engage people in.
It was clear, therefore, that a space was available to be filled by an enterprise which knew how to engage this demographic constructively.
How might we…
Create a vibrant digital brand which speaks directly to young African-Caribbean people?
SOLUTION
Drawing on the past and present to pave the future, these bold designs were made with digital in mind. A variant logo, the Roundel, was made as an alternative for use in video, aligning with the business’ video-content ambitions.
Tasked with contributing to the marketing strategy, video was very early on on of our priorities. Moreover, as we would be using Instagram as our dominant content channel, content was being optimised for the launch campaign and general content.
Bold colours were initially chosen, but we began to change their usage to optimise for readability and accessibility.
The content created ranged from graphics posts with quotes and questions, to video series and events we were promoting. Our primary channel was Instagram, so much of our content was tailored to it.
RESULTS & IMPACT
At launch, Vybl gained over 3000 followers across its social media accounts in the span of a month, with an active community of 2500+ people monthly engaging in online discussion on culture, music and politics covering the entire diaspora.
REFLECTIONS
This project allowed me to gain an insight into the building of a dynamic media brand, and the methodologies required to engage stakeholders at all levels. It also reinforced the need for a seamless web presence in this day and age, and the deliverables needed to facilitate this.