PATHWAYS TO INNOVATION AND LEADERSHIP: VISUAL IDENTITY

CALS Pathways to Innovation and Leadership is a new program (piloted in 2024, launched in 2025) that offers micro-credentials and digital badges to Iowa State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences students. To receive these badges, students can fill out the coveted Pathway Planner (which I’ll share more about soon,) attend workshops, participate in mock interviews, get involved on campus, and reflect on their college experiences.

Working with Iowa State’s strict marketing and brand guidelines was a fun challenge! Iowa State doesn’t allow brandmarks or competing wordmarks, so I had to get creative with how to establish Pathways as its own brand while maintaining its affiliation with the college. I landed on a wordmark that includes a golden + sign. The + appears regularly in the branding as its own element in addition to swirly dashed lines and arrows that lead the way.

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The Pathway Planner has been an ongoing user experience design that aims to help students understand their version of success, learn about skills and skill development, plan their co-curricular and extra-curricular college experiences, as well as a reflection tool for those experiences. The design has been informed by user feedback from both students and faculty and is under continuous improvement.

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The program has been overjoyed with all of the design outcomes so far. I am still working with this client to develop new materials, including motion graphics, a board game, and a website redesign. Follow my Instagram for updates about my work with this program.