Optimal Workshop provides usability testing tools and research methods to help researchers, designers and information architects improve the user experience of their products. OW inspires people to put people at the heart of their decision making. So we put people at the heart of ours too.

Intended for OW’s board members and their own team, shareholders and investors, the document needed to be easily digestible, clean and professional, yet withstand Optimal’s core values of being approachable, curious and bold. From a design point of view we needed to stay within their recent brand refresh whilst creating something uniquely playful.

We agreed on the theme of ‘Engine for Empathy’, a term that is familiar to the UX industry and so decided upon “some sort of deconstruction diagram, showing what goes into and out of such an engine”. We took this and ran with it. 

We use an ‘Engine for Empathy’ as the central narrative / graphic piece to navigate the document. The engine is shown in its entirety on the front cover. It is then ‘deconstructed’ throughout the document showing how each piece of the engine fits into the overall Strategic vision for Optimal workshop.

The Illustration is an expression and extension of OW’s tone of voice and brand. The illustration has a hand drawn linear look and feels abstract and sketchy but always intentional and polished. Illustrations are the main communicator in this document to visualise complex ideas and concepts in the most simplest of ways. Abstract characters are used to represent concepts, objects and people, switching up the colours, shapes, expressions and limb length to make each one feel unique and quirky. 

The result? A 38-page, A4, printed booklet that helps inspire and engage readers whilst familiarising their quirky, fun brand culture and business ethos.