The Challenge

The Context

As Uber evolved into a global company with a wide range of products, our visual identity no longer represented the company we’d become. We set out to create a dynamic, expressive new identity—one that will grow with us.

The Problem

Our main goal as a team was to take the new concepts for the brand and develop the look and feel to the various needs and markets that Uber operates in. My tasks were listen to operations and the needs of the marketing managers. Those needs were then translated into marketing communications for riders, and rebranded mobile experiences for drivers in the western US market.

The Core Concept

Bits and Atoms: These are the foundation of our visual identity. The Bit, our logical side, creates consistency across our brand visual expressions. The logo, typography, and tone lean closer to the Bit. The Atom, provides flexibility and allows for localization, keeping the system fresh and dynamic. Secondary components lean closer to the Atom, representing the physical world.

Development

Working closely with the core brand designers helped me refine the look and feel for the new branding. Despite not creating the initial designs, we spent the first week diving into the new design system to experiment with the new illustration style. We started off by creating wireframes using the new grid system. After that step we would apply the new design elements for marketing initiatives. One of the top priorities was transitioning Uber’s existing marketing initiatives to the new brand and updating driver communications through the mobile app.

Design Process

In the beginning, the process focused around experimenting with the illustration style in order to create new assets that could be utilized by our operations and marketing teams. I then tried to validate these explorations by showing the new assets to our producers and marketing stakeholders. After a few rounds of iteration, I had a solid direction and moved on to polished visual assets and began generating more interactive assets that would live in Uber’s rider and driver apps.

Rider Marketing Initiatives

Canned Food Drives

I created more than a dozen iterations of a new way to visualize Uber’s involvement with Food Drives in US Cities. Under the new visual design system, our challenge was to convey the idea as simply as possible so that users can understand that they can call for an Uber to pick up cans of food to donate to local food shelters.

Music + Sporting Events

One of the more common events people use Uber for is concerts and sports games. I created digital assets for the LA Dodgers, LA Galaxy and Portland Timbers events and games. I also worked on marketing assets for various concert venues. Both types of events require assets that are clear and direct for users as well as communicate to drivers where the pick-up and drop-off locations are for each venue.

Park City Expansion

When Uber expanded in Utah to cover the local ski resorts in the Salt Lake City area, I was tasked with creating the assets to communicate where the new expansions could take users.

Mobile App Driver Comms

For drivers, knowing when and where to go for special events was extremely important. If Uber drivers did not know where to go it caused large delays and confusion for riders when they wanted to be picked up. I was tasked with developing event maps and UI that would be sent to drivers through modal windows on their app. They would then tap on the map, which would navigate them to the correct pick-up and drop-off locations.

Airport Animations + Comms

Uber understood that airports were a high traffic location for Uber to operate at. When San Diego launched Uber pick-ups and drop-offs I worked on animations for video screens displayed throughout the airport to encourage users to take Uber. The new visual identity allowed me to add playful animated details like planes slowly flying across the sky to draw people’s eye to the screens.

Additional Credits

Company: Uber
Year: 2016
Amanda Fuchs - Producer
Tim Chi - Producer
Jeremy Perez-Cruz - Senior Brand Design Manager