Pacific Science Center Case Study
May 6, 2020
The Cookout Online
Designing "Safe"
Social Media
Design Challenge
Black users are growing disillusioned with larger social media platforms due to speech policing algorithms that often punish Black users for speaking on social issues that impact the Black community.
How can we create a platform where Black users feel safe, heard, and valued?
This case study is about the visual and branding design of The Cookout only.
Crafting a Visual Design
Icon Logo White. The Cookout's logo is a combination of the icon that often signifies location and a grill that's aflame.
Mobile App Icon. The Cookout is a real app community currently live on app stores.
Icon Logo Black. The Cookout's logo is a combination of the icon that often signifies location and a grill that's aflame.
Typography Font Pairings-
Montserrat and Raleway. Montserrat is used in brand materials. Raleway is used in the actual app interface.
Color Choices
#262626
This has grown to be my signature "black". I find it's stark but easier on the eye than pure Black.
#ffbb40
A bright and vibrant, yet deep yellow perfectly emcompasses the vitality of the community.
#ffffff
Pure white gives contrast to the off-black and provides balance in a high contrast palette.
Brand Imagery
The Cookout is not just a social media app, it's a community and a culture. The Cookout is a community for members of the African Diaspora who are committed to personal and professional growth and are engaged in combatting, rather than furthering, social ills that affect the Black community. It is exclusive space, so there is no pressure on Cookout members to educate non-black people on our experiences. It is a healing space, giving the Black community space to engage and question without antiblackness.
Brand imagery for The Cookout needs to be unapologetically Black. It needs to be fun. It needs to emphasize community, closeness, and vulnerability. It needs to be daring, bold, and innovative, reflective of the community the app attracts.
