CARTER COTE'S DIGITAL PORTFOLIO
STARTUP EXCHANGE
STUDENT ORG THAT SUPPORTS STUDENT ENTREPRENEURS AT EVERY LEVEL, ELEVATING THE VENTURE-PRODUCING TALENT AT GEORGIA TECH.
OVERVIEW
Startup Exchange is the Georgia Institute of Technology's largest, student-run entrepreneurship organization. We promote, educate, and inform student entrepreneurs, regardless of their level of experience.
Our members access our incredible community of speakers and mentors, which includes top-tier investors, entrepreneurs, and operators, empowering them to continue pursuing their ventures. At the end of each semester, teams pitch their ideas to a panel of judges consisting of industry leaders and potential investors
At Georgia Tech Startup Exchange, we envision elevating Georgia Tech and the Southeast region to the upper echelon of venture-producing talent by fostering the next generation of visionaries and doers.
MY ROLE
Director of Marketing & Design
UX/UI design
Project Managment
Brand Assets
User Research
Information Architecture
DURATION
May 2021 -- Nov 2022
*now Executive Director
TEAM
6 designers
1 software engineer
3 marketing leads
Using design to craft the member experience and to build a robust brand that resonates with sponsors and students.
Startup Exchange lacked brand guidelines, a comprehensive and user-friendly website, and a guiding mission as an organization. Collecting user input affirmed these issues, as well as limited attendance for events.
I defined the brand's identity, including colors, logos, and typography and defined the organization's mission and vision alongside the rest of the executive board.
Next, I redesigned the website via Figma, receiving design critique from students, board members, and advisors. My impact didn't stop there. I designed a t-shirt as a brand imprint device, which can be found worn by thousands of students around campus. I designed networking lanyards, as well as event banners and social media assets, all of which are used to this day.
UX PROCESS
Keeping students at the center of our design process, I interviewed 15 students about the difficulties that they faced when they sought information Startup Exchange. Furthermore, I asked the executive board if they had any requests for aspects of our organization that should be highlighted more. Lastly, I consulted similar websites for college accelerators and founder memberships.
Design
Colors & Typography
HEADER & SUBHEADER
DrukWide
Crimson Roman
BODY
NeueHaas
NeueHaas
BUTTONS
UI ELEMENTS
#111111
#FFFFFF
#EAAA00
#003057
#A0A09F
TEXT
#303030
#8F8F8F
#FFFFFF
PRIMARY LOGO
SECONDARY LOGO
Buzz on a Rocket
When I was designing Buzz on a Rocket, which is based off of Georgia Tech's mascot of a Yellow Jacket named Buzz, my goal was to create a t-shirt design that would resonate with the average student.
Most club shirts get thrown into an extra drawer in the back of a closet and never see the light of day. I wanted to challenge that status quo and design a club shirt that was trendy, and offered similiarity to a vintage 90's graphic t-shirt. I feel like I delivered on that vision with "Buzz on a Rocket."
UX Process
Why was attendance low? Do we need a fresh look?
USER
RESEARCH
RESEARCH ANALYSIS
DESIGN & DEVELOP
USABILITY TESTING
WEEK 1-2
Survey community about issues with our brand
Gain user feedback on our web platform
Discuss internally about brand identity
WEEK 3-4
Develop needs assessment
Consider different approaches
WEEK 5-6
Redefine brand identity guidelines
Design event series to create customer imprint
Redesign site UI
WEEK 7 & BEYOND
Cognitive walkthrough
Heuristic evaluation (meeting WCAG guidelines)
Design interation
Address inefficient user flows
IMPACT
I have personally witnessed Startup Exchange to transform into the most prominent professional club on campus. Thousands of students wear our shirts, attend our events, and apply to our programs.
As we continue to operate and to improve our initiatives, we hope to improve the state of entrepreneurship not only at Georgia Tech, but throughout the southeast United States.
$2.5B+
alumni valuation
$30K+
in sponsors
300+
members
8
months of planning w/ faculty
OLD
V1
V2
