The task was to redesign a community website for tech enthusiasts with a twist – their expertise is forming linguistic databases for AI, but in Ukrainian. Intrigued? So were we.
We’ve decided that data archives intent on helping AI to learn Ukrainian is a great hobby. The group constantly attracts new community members – scientists, linguists, philologists, historians, and programmers, to name a few. The task was to reassemble a technically complex tool into a modern resource coherent to the masses.
The original site contained lots of technical information that might as well be an alien language to the uninitiated; the topic of Ukrainian identity in a fully digital world looked extremely tempting, too! It was crucial for the content to remain easily accessible without sacrificing the visual aspect.
We’ve found our diamond in the rough at the intersection of physical, digital, and historical. The main colors beige, black, and white – give the site a “paper print” aesthetic, which references the project’s theme. Accent green added the last piece of the puzzle–a technological twinkle that brings the whole design to life.
Illustrations, fonts, and conciseness have become the main design-creation tools. Stylized elements that support the illustration style do not distract, creating an intimate mood while giving the resource character and soul.
The twist is the use of Ukrainian identity elements on the site, obviously.
In search of inspiration, we’ve turned to early 20th century works of Ukrainian artists. The illustrations connect the present’s meanings to the graphic techniques of the past. We’ve updated the logo to dance along with the website’s aesthetic, and the result is walking the fine line between holistic and contrasting.
Sometimes, non-standard approaches work better than linear solutions 😉
