Overview

Udemy

Brand Systems
Display Ad Systems
Automated Ad Systems
Social Media
360° Campaigns

Senior Visual Designer
2020

Assignment

To execute a cohesive and scalable brand system for global quarterly campaigns, automated social media ads, and affiliate display ads.

SOLUTION

Creating scalable design systems that greatly improved production workflow and efficiency while also meeting and surpassing key performance indicators.

Brand

Composites

Modular subjects, shapes, and colors for different geos, demographics, and industries for Q2 “Skill Up” Campaign

PARt I: Display ads

The Q2 Campaign was an opportunity to update our affiliates display ad formatting to align with a new brand direction.

Problems in Previous Formats

BAD Cropping

In some formats, key visual information had to be cropped out due to spatial limitations (the microphone in the above image and the heart in the bottom image), losing the original intent of the selected photograph.

DIfficult Legibility

Due to varying copy-lengths and the type being superimposed over photography, legibility was sometimes difficult.

Obscure/dark Imagery

When extending the imagery to full-bleed, not only did the same issue with cropping exist but a dark gradient was also needed to help make the copy legible. This dark look went against the brighter and cleaner direction we wanted to take visually.

*Obscure imagery in previous display ads*

Solution

new Grids

2x grid system.

Visual Hierarchy

Scaling elements according to importance.

Typography

Impactful and legible type with high contrast and use of negative space.

Image Ratios

Using standardized image ratios to reduce variability in different outputs.

PRoduction efficiency

Simpler, easier, and more robust for the production team to execute considering quality issues due to localization.

Using grids to create negative space and a cohesive, on-brand look across languages

*Formatting for predictable and standardized image dimensions for maximum messaging impact and production efficiency*

Scalability for a global audience

For each quarterly centerpiece campaign, there could be anywhere between 18,000-20,000 total design pieces to output—much of this due to localizing copy for over 11 countries, languages, and currencies. After understanding all pain points and empathizing with members across teams such as brand, marketing, copy, translation, and production, I acted as the lead designer in designing Udemy’s new display ad formats. While achieving the new desired brand look, the scalability of these design systems vastly improved production efficiency, reduced time spent, and helped inform design in other channels such as automated social media ads.

part II: Social Media

Animated IG Stories (not full clips)

Part III: Automated Ads

*While the images were outside of our control, these evergreen Facebook carousel ads were redesigned to reflect the new look of the display ads, resulting in great success.*

Automation Process

*Designing with automation restrictions, yet maximizing its capabilities.*

OVER 100,000 Courses

The challenge of serving targeted ads on Facebook and Instagram was that Udemy offered over 100,000 courses—each with a corresponding course image which many times was user (or instructor)-generated and outside of the design team’s control. Creating a format that expressed a consistent brand look with unpredictable and divergent course imagery was a great challenge.

Design with SMARTLY.io™ AUTOMATION

We used an automation software called Smartly that would generate ads from these over 100,000 courses, pulling course titles and images from a server while also translating copy to localized languages. Finding opportunity to design an on-brand format that brought together these unpredictable variables was crucial.

IMPROVING ON PRevious designs

Before I started working at Udemy, the marketing and design team and gone through many iterations of design, testing for optimal results. My job was to take previous learnings, improve on design, and make it more consistent (color/typography) with our new visual direction with the key goal being to further improve performance.

New Format

ITERATING AND TESTING

Working with marketing—and considering the limitations of assets and the automation process, I created a design system with certain rules very similar to the affiliate display ads. Exploiting the capabilities of Smartly and the data sets that existed for each course, I included small “social proof” and “sale” badges of which their efficacy could be thoroughly tested with audiences.

RARE RESULTS

Key performance indicators greatly improved across-the-board in geos around the world. Efficiency increased on average 30% (the cost to acquire a new user decreased) which allowed us to scale spending 200-400% in key markets such as the US, India, and Brazil.

A COHESIVE LOOK ACross channels

While KPI’s greatly increased to the satisfaction of marketing and business as a whole, the brand team was happy to see that our design language across various channels began to finally take on a cohesive look.

Results

At my time at Udemy, our quarterly centerpiece campaigns generated the highest revenues in Udemy history. The ROI on affiliate display ads and automated social ads increased sometimes 2x more than previous design systems. It’s not always easy to meet and/or surpass business objectives while also satisfying marketing and creative, but these projects did well on all accounts.