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Backer
It’s a service that supports American families and their close ones in saving for their kids' education through a 529 plan, a tax-advantaged savings plan in the United States.
12.2021 – 12.2023
Shortly before I joined Backer, the product underwent a rebranding and adopted a new strategy. The product app was already in the process of redesign. However, the website and overall marketing approach remained outdated and did not reflect the new brand identity, goals, or strategy.
The product itself is intricate, dealing with a sensitive subject. A particularly challenging aspect was explaining the problem of U.S. student loan debt from a user perspective while presenting the product’s benefits and solutions in a way that is accessible to users with varying levels of financial literacy.
The product itself is intricate, dealing with a sensitive subject. A particularly challenging aspect was explaining the problem of U.S. student loan debt from a user perspective while presenting the product’s benefits and solutions in a way that is accessible to users with varying levels of financial literacy.
To connect with users on a deeper level, it was decided to emphasize the social aspect of the product, to showcase its human face. We aimed to be transparent and focused on user-friendly language throughout the copy and design.
It’s a startup, so it can test different approaches and solutions. Developing a versatile design that could be quickly adapted to new target audiences and evolving growth strategies was essential.
It’s a startup, so it can test different approaches and solutions. Developing a versatile design that could be quickly adapted to new target audiences and evolving growth strategies was essential.
To address these challenges, the marketing team devised a new tone of voice, website structure, and approaches for email and social media communications. My role was to translate these changes into a visual language that would be easily comprehensible to users. I collaborated closely with the marketing team to ensure the effective delivery of our message.
In addition to adapting the brand to the web language and other marketing tools, I implemented several enhancements and additions. These included updated gradient styles, a fresh layout approach, and a library of illustrations and icons for various purposes.
In addition to adapting the brand to the web language and other marketing tools, I implemented several enhancements and additions. These included updated gradient styles, a fresh layout approach, and a library of illustrations and icons for various purposes.
The website & Landing pages
UI & UX, illustrations and graphics, hand-picked photos
20+ pages
The first screen of a homepage is the most crucial part of a website. Our goal was to provide a clear understanding of what the product is about, include a call to action, and add a distinct visual of how the product works and the results it delivers.
To accent the social part of the product, I dedicated time to curating a comprehensive photo library tailored to the product’s needs. To optimize time and budget, we decided to use stock photos instead of arranging a photoshoot. But at the same time, it was important to source high-quality, inartificial photos featuring diverse families.
To illustrate the issue of U.S. student loan debt, we displayed relevant statistics, complemented by Backer’s projections, to demonstrate how the product could contribute to resolving this problem.
Alexander Artsvuni
“I've worked closely with Julia for nearly 3 years, and I can confidently say she's an outstanding designer. Her versatility and competence are truly remarkable. Julia is an exceptional creative specialist who excels in various areas. Within our team, she successfully handled product design (UX/UI), marketing, SMM design, web design (including landing pages), and illustration with ease.”
Head of Design at Backer (ex-Meta, ex-Farfetch)
SMM & Email design
Design & layout, illustrations, and graphics, hand-picked photos
On social media, the goal was to create a content plan focused on improving financial literacy, presenting complex topics in a playful and easy-to-understand tone. Several rubrics were established, and I designed unique layouts for each, aligning with the new branding.
I paid special attention to the Instagram feed to ensure the posts looked harmonious and that neighboring posts didn’t visually blend into one another.
I paid special attention to the Instagram feed to ensure the posts looked harmonious and that neighboring posts didn’t visually blend into one another.
Backer’s email campaigns primarily consist of onboarding, transactional, and engagement flows. For each group, I developed unique styling and covers to make the emails visually distinct. Also, we opted for a minimalistic design approach, focusing on content with minimal visual embellishments. I selected two system fonts similar to the brand fonts and incorporated key brand visual elements into the designs to keep the branding consistent.
Katya Skorobogatova
“Julia has been an immense help to me at Backer as I was building the marketing function from scratch — she has been indispensable in covering all the marketing design needs that we had at the moment. She was able to do illustration and web design as well as design our SMM posts and to do it all on time and with great attention to detail.”
Start up growth and marketing (ex-WhatsApp, ex-Facebook)
I created a series of illustrations and icons to help users navigate the product while also making it more unique and distinctive. A slim outline style was chosen to complement the minimalistic branding and avoid drawing too much attention to itself, as the focus should remain on the product and its features.
Illustrations & Icons Library
Additional tasks
One pagers & Slides Design
Creating design, layouts, illustrations, and graphics for one pages, slides, and other additional marketing tools.
Cooperating with developers, reviewing and QA testing new app interfaces for functionality and adherence to design guidelines.
QA testing
Participating in the app UI & UX design, creating new flows and improving existing ones. This work was made in close collaboration with the Backer design team.
App UX & UI
The Outcome
The website and the app now serve as the face of the company, aligning seamlessly with its brand identity and goals.
Combined with the updated copy, the brand voice has become more approachable, socially oriented, and impactful. Backer’s social media and email campaigns also reflect Backer’s new tone of voice, and most importantly, they help users navigate the product and save for their children’s education.
Combined with the updated copy, the brand voice has become more approachable, socially oriented, and impactful. Backer’s social media and email campaigns also reflect Backer’s new tone of voice, and most importantly, they help users navigate the product and save for their children’s education.
