Project Title
Interactive Brand Portal and AI-Powered Brand Tools
Research collaboration with The New School, Marketing & Communications Office
Overview
A five-week design research initiative exploring how emerging AI technologies can be responsibly integrated into institutional brand ecosystems. Conducted in collaboration with The New School’s Marketing & Communications Office, the project examined how AI can enhance brand consistency, accessibility, and creative efficiency—while upholding the university’s values of sustainability, equity, and privacy.
Context
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The New School hosts brand resources and training materials across multiple sites. The challenge was to reimagine these scattered touchpoints as a single, intelligent brand portal—one that consolidates assets, integrates responsible AI tools, and simplifies how community members access and apply brand standards.
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My Role
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Design Research
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System Mapping
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AI Intergration Strategy
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Visual Prototyping
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Duration
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5 Weeks
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Team
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Rebecca Sherman (Director of Design & Creative Technologies)
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Marketing & Communications Team
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Tools
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Figma
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Miro
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ChatGPT
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Canva
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Adobe Firefly (for research purposes)
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Research Approach
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WEEK 1-2
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Benchmarking
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Analyzed brand portals from MIT, RISD, and Northeastern to understand current patterns in navigation, accessibility, and asset management.
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WEEK 3-4
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AI - Tools Evaluation
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Assessed emerging AI design platforms—Figma, Canva, ChatGPT, Gemini, Firefly, Standards.site, Brandkit—through the lens of sustainability, privacy, and accessibility.
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WEEK 5
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System Mapping
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Developed feature maps and workflows for future-ready tools such as editorial style copilots, accessibility checkers, and training-hub integrations.
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Proposed System
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AI - Assisted Components
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Brand Style Bot (Q&A + Editorial Copilot)
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Accessibility Checker (WCAG contrast + inclusive language support)
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Color & Logo Validator (suggests on-brand alternatives)
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Training Hub (centralized registration + recordings archive)
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Sustainability Lens
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Lightweight, retrieval-based AI architecture emphasizing low-compute, privacy-first operations.
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Integration Vision
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Consolidates the existing Tools & Training site into a single-sign-on, mobile-friendly platform scalable across departments.
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Outcomes & Learnings
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Researched and structured recommendations for an emerging product space with few precedents.
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Developed an evaluation framework aligning AI integration with institutional ethics and sustainability goals.
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Refined expertise in translating speculative research into actionable design-system strategies.
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Reflection
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This collaboration deepened my understanding of brand systems as living infrastructures where design, technology, and ethics intersect.
It also reinforced my belief that AI should act as a co-pilot—supporting creative integrity rather than automating it.
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(If you’re interested in learning more about this research, feel free to contact me.)
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Playing cards collector. 62 decks in, no plans to stop.
I collect playing cards.
I’m at 54 decks and counting…
Playing cards collector. 62 decks in, no plans to stop.