2008 - 2012. Worldwide. / Ideation. Branding. Web application /

Client: Challenge Future. www.challengefuture.org

Summary

Challenge:Future is a global youth think-do-tank (expression coined by our dear friend Ibnur). The web platform connects youth around the globe and encourages them to participate in solving major challenges the world is facing today. 

Problem

The major challenge with Challenge:Future was we were all learning. As an NGO, we were always on a tight budget, with no budget for in-house IT. The main design challenges was how to speak to the youth in India and the youth in Norway with the same website, with the same leaflets. 

Solution

Instead of going for glory, we created an open brand that is reflected on the website and across the touchpoints. In the 4 years, I set a clear set of guidelines and maintained the visual consistency, while collaborating with several people. We kept the design to the minimum and let the content speak.  

My role

I was involved as one of the founding members and have seen numerous iterations of the initial idea that Andreja Kodrin proposed. My role was to be the lead creative, lead designer, the branding guy and the person to ideate new products. I prepared the UX and Design Strategy and overviewed the development of the platform.  

Results

• More than 50.000 active users involved
• One of the largest world youth movements
• Members in 214 countries
• 500.000+ lives impacted
• 2000+ innovative ideas and projects launched

Brilliant team is where it starts

When Andreja pitched to me her initial idea, I was immediately on board. She quit her well-payed job to start something meaningful, to change the planet. Metka was there with her and so was Matt. And so the journey has begun.  

v 0.1 - IdeaLab

It was still 2008, well before the rise of social networks and the world of SaaS. Yet we were cooking some crazily creative ideas. To Connect creators to corporates. 

I was a rookie designer/copywriter so I enjoyed the product discovery process to the fullest. 

Challenge:Future is born

After testing the initial IdeaGarden and IdeaLab concepts, we identified another niche. And so my task was to craft a new brand, a fresh product. As we were challenging the future, the names was easy. And Spela helped visualise the identity. 

The mother of platforms

My task was to create an online place where random youth from all corners of the world would meet, collaborate and solve the world's challenges. Easy, right? 

Thankfully, Andreja attracted other lovely people to the team. Sayanee, Bistra, Nadya, Olga, Dan,  Maggie, Sandra, Matjaž and many others. Together with the TMK team we also started several spinoff projects besides Challenge:Future. In four years we did several concept and design iterations, with numerus testings and deep analytics of the domain.

Wireframes. A lot of them. 

In the four years, there were more than 1200(!) screens prototyped. We had to make a lot of compromises, but the vision kept us going forward. 

The Competition platform is a go!

Challenge:Future was launched as a crowdcasting competition platform. Brands and organisations sponsored global challenges and the users formed teams and jointly prepared solutions. 

Everything was done online, from pitching, brainstorming to presenting. But the finalists were then flown to the Challenge:Future Summit where they presented their innovative ideas to global experts.