The Guild
The Guild: Brand Development & Marketing
Brand Development, UI/UX Design, Digital Marketing
Academic Research Publication
October 2023 to January 2024
My Role: Creative Team Lead & Website Designer
Objective: Launch a trusted academic publication in 4 months that bridges content, community, and professional growth for Singapore's knowledge seekers.
Note: This case study uses redesigned and reimagined visuals to protect client confidentiality. The thinking, creativity, research, and methodology remain true to the real project.
“From Blank Canvas to Credible Voice in 4 Months”
The Challenge:
Launch a credible academic research publication from scratch in Singapore with zero brand recognition and an aggressive timeline to establish trust with academics and professionals (ages 25-40).
The Problem:
73% of academics won't engage with publications lacking institutional backing. The Guild faced three barriers:
-
No track record in a field where credibility takes years to build
-
Target audience consumes research across scattered platforms (journals, YouTube, LinkedIn)
-
Individual publications rarely connect readers to broader academic networks
Success Criteria:
Drive traffic to the website while creating pathways to other platforms (video channels, networking events, professional services), functioning as both destination and gateway.
Insights & Strategy: “Building a Credibility Engine, Not Just a Website”
The Core Insight:
Readers trust publications 2.3x more when they can verify author credentials and access related expert networks. The Guild needed to be both publisher and connector.
Strategic Positioning:
Singapore's first "ecosystem publication" — where every article opens doors to expert networks and professional opportunities through integrated sister platforms.
Brand Positioning:
-
Emotionally: Trusted intellectual companion for ambitious professionals
-
Visually: Sophisticated yet approachable — balancing academic rigor with modern accessibility
-
Tone: Professional without being stuffy, authoritative but conversational
Business Alignment:
Publications attract audiences → engaging content builds trust → strategic CTAs guide readers to sister companies for deeper engagement (courses, consulting, events).
WIP: Moodboard and initial mockup for The Guild's website.
Execution: “Designing for Academic Trust Under Pressure”
Brand development involved creating the logo, colors, typography, iconography, and creative direction. Meanwhile, website design & development involved creating the wireframes, user journey, research, hi-fi designs and prototyping, development, launching, and post-launch website maintenance. The UX Philosophy used was to remove friction between discovery and deep engagement. These are the website key features:
Search & Discovery:
-
Intelligent filtering (topic, author, date, reading time)
-
Auto-complete with keyword highlighting
-
Personalized reading lists and recommendations
Integrated Multimedia:
-
Embedded YouTube videos from sister platform in articles
-
Strategic CTAs to sister company landing pages
-
Newsletter signup at 60% scroll completion
Content Experience:
-
Reading progress indicators under the nav bar
-
Time-to-read badges
-
Adjustable text size
-
Social sharing with pre-populated excerpts
-
Citation export functionality
Technical Stack:
-
HubSpot CMS for marketing automation
-
Figma for responsive prototyping
-
Adobe Creative Suite for assets
-
<2s page load, mobile-first (67% browse on mobile)
Timeline:
Month 1: Brand exploration → Month 2: Finalization + wireframing → Month 3: Design system → Month 4: Development + launch
Critical Pivot:
Initial minimalist designs felt "cold and uninviting" in testing. Added warmer colors, human photography, softer typography — proving credibility doesn't require austerity.
Key Win:
"Explore Topics" outperformed "Browse Articles" by 34% in A/B testing.
