Empovia Website Design
CLIENT - Empovia (formerly Change Catalyst)
ROLE - Product Design, UI/UX, Art Direction
OVERVIEW
Empovia emerged from the rebrand of Change Catalyst, a DEI leader with 10+ years of impact, evolving into a platform focused on empowered learning and development. My role was to design and implement a digital presence that would reflect this transformation, engage new audiences, and scale with their offerings.
Empovia emerged from the rebrand of Change Catalyst, a DEI leader with 10+ years of impact, evolving into a platform focused on empowered learning and development. My role was to design and implement a digital presence that would reflect this transformation, engage new audiences, and scale with their offerings.
KEY GOALS
• Clearly communicate the rebrand through updated messaging and storytelling.
• Highlight core services: workshops, coaching, and self-paced courses.
• Create intuitive, accessible navigation to drive engagement and conversion.
• Build a modular, CMS-powered structure to support future growth
• Visually reflect Empovia’s values: inclusion, empowerment, and progress.
• Clearly communicate the rebrand through updated messaging and storytelling.
• Highlight core services: workshops, coaching, and self-paced courses.
• Create intuitive, accessible navigation to drive engagement and conversion.
• Build a modular, CMS-powered structure to support future growth
• Visually reflect Empovia’s values: inclusion, empowerment, and progress.
CHALLENGES
• Reposition an established DEI brand around a new eLearning model.
• Balance the organization’s legacy and credibility with a modern identity.
• Design a user experience that serves enterprise, nonprofit, and individual audiences.
• Collaborate with developers to ensure the site was scalable and easy to manage.
• Reposition an established DEI brand around a new eLearning model.
• Balance the organization’s legacy and credibility with a modern identity.
• Design a user experience that serves enterprise, nonprofit, and individual audiences.
• Collaborate with developers to ensure the site was scalable and easy to manage.
OPPORTUNITY
This redesign went far beyond visual refresh. It was a strategic repositioning, introducing Empovia as a forward-thinking, science-backed DEI platform. The challenge was to honor the legacy of Change Catalyst while building a fresh, compelling brand that could lead the way in the evolving world of inclusive learning and development.
This redesign went far beyond visual refresh. It was a strategic repositioning, introducing Empovia as a forward-thinking, science-backed DEI platform. The challenge was to honor the legacy of Change Catalyst while building a fresh, compelling brand that could lead the way in the evolving world of inclusive learning and development.
Design Reset: Addressing Inherited Challenges
I was initially brought on to complete the site build based on an existing homepage design created by another designer. However, during our early conversations, the client shared that they weren’t fully satisfied with the current direction. They asked if I could start fresh and reimagine the site from the ground up, giving me the opportunity to fully redesign the experience in alignment with their evolving brand and vision.
Solution: Align with Brand Guidelines
The client provided a well-developed set of brand guidelines, including a strong foundation of color and visual direction. They expressed interest in incorporating more vibrant colors and gradients into the site. I recommended embracing these elements by using gradients as background treatments in key areas—especially in the header sections—to add visual interest and dimension, while breaking up the otherwise minimal, white layout. This approach brought the brand to life in a bold yet balanced way.
Approach
With only a week before the project was scheduled for development, there wasn’t time for a traditional design process involving wireframes, user testing, and iterations. To keep the project on track, I jumped straight into creating high-fidelity wireframes that aligned closely with the final visual direction. This allowed for rapid client review and approval, ensuring we stayed on schedule without compromising design quality.
Final design
The final design blends soft, humanist typography and vibrant gradients to convey warmth, approachability, and trust. A clear information architecture ensures easy navigation and content discoverability across all devices. The modular design system allows Empovia to scale and adapt their content as new programs and resources are added. Every visual element is thoughtfully crafted to reflect the brand’s core values: empowerment, inclusion, and forward progress.
UI style guide
Annotations snapshot
Podcast templates
Following the completion of the website design, the client requested a set of banner templates for the Leading with Empathy & Allyship podcast. I designed a flexible, on-brand system that gave the podcast its own distinct visual identity while maintaining a cohesive connection to the Empovia brand. By incorporating elements from the logo and color palette, the templates support consistent branding across podcast platforms, social media, and promotional materials.
Reflection
This project reinforced the importance of aligning design with strategic transformation. It was a chance to merge clarity, accessibility, and purpose into a scalable platform that empowers change through education.