Blacket Branding

Process: UX + Market Research Brand Development Logo Design Website Development Brand Book Blacket is a social marketplace where users can search for and purchase from Black-owned and Black-run businesses, big and small. I had the privilege of leading a team of three designers to develop a comprehensive brand identity and interactive website for them. Over four months of weekly design sprints, we conducted competitor research, explored Blacket’s core essence, iterated wireframes, and tested prototypes. Our deliverables included a complete Brand Package, Brand Book, new logotype, hi-fi wireframes, and a fully functional prototype for existing pages. UX + MARKET RESEARCH Our team began by conducting thorough research on existing competitors and similar organizations, carefully analyzing their strengths and areas for improvement to inform our design decisions. Following this, we carried out 10 user interviews with potential customers, allowing us to gain deeper insights into the needs and preferences of our target audience. Drawing from these findings, we developed a comprehensive list of features and corresponding user stories for both vendors and consumers, helping us clearly define the essential functionalities required for the website. BRAND DEVELOPMENT In collaboration with Blacket’s founders, we worked to establish the brand’s vibe and voice. Drawing on the name’s play on "Black" and "Market," they envisioned an eye-catching and celebratory identity paired with an approachable, conversational tone. Guided by the adjectives our clients envisioned and an elevator pitch we crafted together, my team began with moodboarding. While Blacket had an existing logo and partial brand identity, we explored the option of building on it or starting fresh. Based on client feedback on our moodboards, we developed three distinct design directions for the brand (shown below). After several weeks of iteration, we finalized a design strategy that fully captured the client’s vision, incorporating a new color palette, type system, UI aesthetic, and image treatment. LOGO Blacket had a preexisting logo. However, my team felt that it did not reflect the new voice and modern design direction we had agreed upon. Therefore, we iterated for a few weeks and decided on this logo that I designed. The speech bubble symbolizes the social nature of Blacket while emphasizing the word "Black," a cornerstone of the brand’s mission. WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT We faced an ambitious challenge: designing a social e-commerce marketplace in just four months, catering to both vendors and buyers across diverse age groups. Our team began by creating a site map to narrow the project’s scope and prioritize key pages. From there, we developed low-fidelity wireframes, establishing the foundation for the site’s information architecture and content. Each week, we presented these wireframes to our clients, refining them through discussions focused on functionality, interactivity, and usability. After three rounds of iteration, we transitioned to high-fidelity wireframes during a series of design sprints. The project presented unique challenges, such as managing nesting levels of navigation, adapting pages for vendors and consumers, and incorporating feedback-driven changes. Ultimately, we delivered a website that effectively addressed the needs of both our target audience and our client’s vision. BRAND BOOK At the end of our project, we handed off a package of deliverables, including logo files, graphic elements, imagery, wireframes, and a Brand Book with guidelines on how to utilize the new visual identity of Blacket.