The Circuit

The Circuit (formerly known as Tech for the People) is a student-run editorial and media platform that highlights the multifaceted uses and effects of technology. Started by a Northeastern student, the organization is made up of students from across the globe who share an interest in the ever-growing world of tech.

Tech for the People came to Scout looking to add relevance and credibility to the organization through a rebrand and website update. User testing of the existing platform revealed that students viewed the organization as a blog rather than a credible editorial or a citable source. 

As a student-run organization, Tech for the People needed to connect with their Gen-Z audience. Young adults have high standards when it comes to UI design, and they are very receptive to aesthetics. Additionally, as a tech-focused organization, it is important for their brand to be modern and their website to be digitally savvy.

We began the project by conducting research to understand what Tech for the People is and determine what Tech for the People could be. We worked with the client on brand exercises, conducted user interviews on the existing site, and wrote an elevator pitch that summarized the organization.

Once we understood the goals of the rebrand, we started to explore visual identities with moodboarding. Based on client feedback from our moodboards we created a design strategy that outlined the new brand’s typography, color palette, UX components, and imagery to guide us through the remainder of the project.

With a design strategy and logo in place, it was time for us to build a website that represented The Circuit’s brand. We began by writing user stories to help us determine what features the new site needed. Once a list of features was finalized and approved by the client, we created a sitemap that guided us through the designing of lo-fi and eventually hi-fi wireframes. We determined that users needed to be able to learn about The Circuit, browse and read articles, and connect with other members of the Circuitboard community through a forum and job board.

When developing the site we had to work with the constraints of website builder Wix. The existing site was created and hosted by Wix, and based on the client’s budget and team experience it was important to continue using that platform for The Circuit’s new site. We used Wix’s website editor and custom code to create an online platform that aligned with our designer’s hi-fi wireframes as closely as possible.

While a new website was our most prioritized deliverable, the client was also planning for a relaunch of The Circuit’s instagram page and newsletter. We created a new email template using Mailchimp as well as custom Canva templates for instagram posts. We determined that The Circuit’s instagram should use the same color palette and typography as the website, but incorporate more iconography and illustration.

To guide the client through The Circuit’s relaunch, we created a brand book that outlined how to use the new color palette, typography, imagery, and components effectively. Our final deliverables included this brand book as well as a folder of logo files, social media and email templates, and a newly published website.