Rev Up!

REV UP

Aligning Design + Purpose: Accessibility and Advocacy in the REV UP Brand

Over the winter of 2023, I worked on a project with the American Association of People with Disabilities(AAPD) for their voting campaign REV UP. Our goal was to craft a unique voice to the campaign, one that would enhance its core mission, “to build the power of the disability vote” lead me create REV UP's inaugural design system as well as a redesign of the landing and donation page of REV UP, .

Final deliverables centered around accessibility and conforming to ADA and WAGS guidelines. This update modernizes the brand and aligns it closer to the campaign’s mission statement.  

CONTRIBUTORS

Alexia Kemerling
Patrick Zhou

TOOLS

Adobe CC
Figma

MY ROLE

Branding
UX Design
Visual Design

UXR

Understanding our users

I conducted research through surveys on r/disability and personal interviews for appropriate and high-quality feedback to test this hypothesis.

People said....
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"The website seems mostly to function as an informational board but not much else."

"I would try to see if there are ways to highlight how people can get involved with the cause."

"Maybe creating a something that allows people to get themselves involved with Rev Up would be really nice."

What is the brand image of REV UP?

REV UP faces challenges characterized by outdated UI, readability issues, and a lack of a cohesive design voice which all hindered the campaign’s reach. Final products delivered include a working design system, centered around accessibility and conforming to ADA and WAGS guidelines. This update modernizes the brand and aligns it more closely with the campaign’s mission.  

THE PROBLEM

The website doesn't effectively communicate REV UP's mission, lacking cohesion and voice. Additionally, there are not many avenues for meaningful user interaction.

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How might we...

better communicate the voice and values of REV UP and the AAPD, while enabling users to engage more effectively with the platform in a way that supports and advances REV UP’s mission of empowering the disability vote?

IDEATION

Organizing and prioritizing goals

As we began developing our designs, we focused on key principles to guide our work. These guidelines were shaped in collaboration with stakeholders and informed by the needs we identified during our research.

Consistency

Consolidate brand guidelines of REV UP into one consistent voice across all channels to create stronger brand recognition.

Accessible to All

Accesbility is king. We want to ensure that the new designs and brand guidelines meet WCAG standards.

Future-Proof

Create designs that future-proof and easy to build on.‍

VISUAL

Logo considerations with accessibility in mind

I began the design process with some quick sketches. REV UP is a grassroots campaign, I envisioned the brand image to reflect vitality, excitement, and action.

As a non-partisan initiative, I thought it was a good idea to move away from the primary reds and blues that was hard to read and associated with U.S. political parties. Starting with a reconsideration of the existing REV UP logo set the tone for the rest of the brand redesign.

Logos displayed in a mix of brand colors as well as white applied on brand-colored backgrounds. The designs showcase various layouts for different use cases. Includes high-contrast variations to enhance readability and accessibility

The new logo presents a softer, more approachable look, replacing the previous harsh reds and blues with a more contemporary gentle pink and blue color. This updated color scheme refreshes the brand’s visual identity, aligning it with more modern design aesthetics. I still chose to preserve the essence of the original logo but I refined its elements to feel more purposeful—particularly the checkmark with a star, still symbolizing voting checkboxes and civic engagement.