DIASPORA
- Branding
- Visual design
- UI UX design
Overview
Diaspora is a DAO and research lab that harnesses AI, Web3, and mixed reality to empower underrepresented communities across both physical and digital spaces. They set out to create a borderless platform that reflects the richness of a global diaspora—multilingual, multicultural, and rooted in diverse lived experiences and belief systems. My role was to develop a branding strategy and visual identity that embodied this mission and celebrated the communities they serve.
Identity Rooted in Movement
The branding draws inspiration from paths, trajectories, and migration — the constant movement of people across places. It reflects not only physical relocation, but also the uprooting and carrying of stories, cultures, and identities. These journeys overlap and intertwine, forming diasporas: new homes that adapt, evolve, and collide with their surroundings.
The resulting brand is bold and dynamic. The logo embodies change and continuous motion, symbolizing shifting directions while remaining grounded in roots. Our work spanned the entire brand journey from concept to execution, covering digital design, motion graphics, iconography, social content, as well as user experience and interface design.
The logo system includes multiple interchangeable variants. While the core mark remains consistent for recognition, each variation features a unique path. This approach adds flexibility, reinforces the theme of movement, and introduces an element of playfulness, giving the brand a dynamic and lively spirit.
The typography was intentionally limited to a single typeface — Korolev — chosen for its timeless yet modern presence, which paired beautifully with the brand’s overall feel. We also designed a set of bespoke icons to mark key milestones, and infused personality into every detail of the system, even down to the names of the swatches in the brand’s color palette (Botswana Sunset Orange, Seychelles Green, and so on).
Designing with Constraints, Delivering Results
As the sole designer on the team, I wore many hats—managing multiple projects at once while navigating tight deadlines and shifting priorities. Time constraints prevented us from conducting formal user testing and research, but these challenges didn’t stop us from delivering high-quality work.
To address the lack of testing and research, I leaned on established UX principles, particularly Jakob’s Law—the idea that users spend most of their time on other sites and expect your product to work in familiar ways. We also leveraged proven UX models of widely used platforms like YouTube and Instagram to reduce the need for extensive testing while ensuring intuitive experiences. This approach allowed us to save valuable time and focus our energy on execution without compromising usability.
