sproul.club is an interactive online club directory for UC Berkeley students to virtually advertise and discover campus organizations.
First launched in July 2020, our team wanted to make it easier for new students to find their communities during an unprecedented virtual semester.
As part of the founding team, I served as our sole visual designer to develop our brand identity and produced graphics for the website UI and promotional material for our Instagram.
While the site is now inactive, I included this project to highlight my ideation process and ability to collaborate with engineers and product designers.
Our Mission
As students ourselves, our team wanted to create a way for students—especially first-years and transfers—to navigate and transition smoothly into student life at Cal. We developed sproul.club, an interactive platform where students can search for clubs and organizations that match their interests.
Brand Inspiration
With our mission in mind, the goal of our branding was to be welcoming, recognizable, and convey ease of use. The name “sproul.club” is inspired by Sproul Plaza, the central hub of student club activity on campus. Early logo iterations incorporated references to the bear (the school mascot), Sather Gate (a well-known landmark near Sproul Plaza), and flyers and tents, which are essential materials for club marketing.
Research & Ideation
Through some initial surveys and tests on recognizability, we found that students most associated bears and flyers with clubs at UC Berkeley, and landed on this final version of the logo. A set of blues is used to add diversity to the bears, and were chosen to follow our school colors and to convey a sense of “tech.” Soft pastel red, yellow, and green are added to the mix to function as different color-coded club tags on the platform.
UI Assets
I worked closely with our UX designers and engineers to create assets for the website. This experience was invaluable in learning how to collaborate effectively across disciplines while managing the fast pace and tight deadlines typical of a start-up environment.
Below are also some short prototype demos showcasing the site's functionality and branding implementation.
Organic Social
Since the site launched during a period of virtual learning, we relied heavily on our online presence to promote the product. I designed various carousel formats to explain site features and promote social media giveaway events. It was important that our branding and aesthetic shone through, presenting a cohesive and polished image across all platforms.
Merchandise
To help promote sproul.club and build a sense of community, we created merchandise including apparel, cards, stickers, and keychains. Hosting giveaways with these items allowed us to engage students, increase awareness of the platform, and encourage more people to explore and join our platform.
