Industry
Database
Company
MongoDB
What is MongoDB?
MongoDB is a NoSQL database product that utilizes a flexible format called documents (similar to a list or a JSON file), making it easier to work with different types of information without strict rules.
My role
Senior Designer
Responsibilities
Led and oversaw brand design systems at MongoDB
Created and managed print, digital, merch, and experiential assets.
Project manager and design point of contact for entire organization
Supervised external resources, including motion designers, illustrators, and photographers
Mentored junior designers
Impact
Creation of first
brand design system
Brand and
product alignment
Matured the brand to
be ready for an IPO
Diverse audience segments without clear communication strategies
The brand served a variety of audience types but lacked documentation outlining how to effectively communicate with each group
Incomplete brand guidelines
Comprehensive brand guidelines were missing, leading to inconsistent representation
Limited branding knowledge among stakeholders and employees
Stakeholders and employees were not adequately educated on the brand’s values, voice, and visual identity, resulting in misaligned efforts.
I created a sprectrum that was easy to understand across the company. One end was the open source community roots, and the other end was enterprise software.
This simple spectrum would assist in the conversations and presentations of research to understand the needs, preferences, and behaviors of each team's audience.
Each team would be placed along the spectrum and would help guide the why behind their messaging guidelines.
With a rapidly growing company, the need for a brand design system was necessary. I documented, distributed, and socialized the guidelines for design components, voice and tone, and the aforementioned brand spectrum. I partnered with the product design team to ensure that design decisions could scale with product use cases.
A collaborative team culture was a value that was taken seriously at MongoDB. Teams worked well together, but the output of assets looked like they worked in complete silos because of how inconsistent they were. To remedy this, I partnered with each team to learn to create their assets and spread awareness of how the work fits into the more extensive system. Once teams saw how things formed together like Voltron, it created excitement and a desire to continue consistency. This new perspective became very valuable especially for the conferences where different teams had to come together to present a physical experience to our audience.
MongoDB World is an annual customer and developer community conference. It was grounded in MongoDB's branding, but it also required its own individual identity which I used it as an opportunity to take risks and try new things. The in person user research and feedback received was used to evolve MongoDB's brand and served as a valuable moment to interact with the community and customers in person. I was responsible for everything including wayfinding, the agenda, stage design, presentations, and merchandise. Each with its own valuable lessons on designing for utility, novelty, and consistency.
Developing a visual identity for MongoDB products centered around the leaf symbol emphasizing its core identity. Below it, product features are represented through distinct shapes. This approach allows each product to maintain individuality while remaining unified under MongoDB’s overarching identity, ensuring clarity, recognition, and consistency across applications.
Advocate for Additional Resources
As the company grew, so did the demands on the brand. I learned how to advocate for additional resources—whether it was budget, tools, or hiring another designer—by presenting a clear case for how investing in the brand drove business value.
Learn to Say “No” (Diplomatically)
With 300 employees, I had to manage a constant flow of requests. I learned to prioritize strategically and say no to work that didn’t align with the brand’s or company’s goals. Implementing a request intake process helped me manage expectations and focus on high-impact projects.
Celebrate Small Wins
With so much responsibility, I learned the importance of celebrating progress—whether it was completing a rebrand, launching a campaign, or developing new templates. These moments kept me motivated and demonstrated the value of my contributions.