Launched in the summer of 2009, ChallengePost enables individuals and organizations to run custom “challenges” that encourage the public to solve problems and accomplish goals collectively. A global marketplace for contests, with an array of prizes for the best solutions (including money, support, and notoriety), ChallengePost is rooted in the core belief that striving for recognition, healthy competition, and a good intellectual challenge motivates us by tapping into a deep human need for reward beyond traditional compensation – which in turn – drives innovation.

When the ChallengePost team approached us in early 2009, they were in the early stages of preparing to launch their cutting-edge platform and were looking for not only an intuitive visual design for the website, but a strong brand identity with which to introduce their ideas to the world.

Our strategic approach to the identity design process began with defining the concept of “ChallengePost.” Since these two words represent a hypothetical idea and do not naturally exist together in the wild, we started out by trying to visually define each word separately and also in its entirety. After sketching out what these concepts could look like in their purest form – using the simplest linear shapes – we embarked on several rounds of visual explorations which led us to a direction that ultimately became the final logo. Two arrows converging into a circle – signifying not only the drive, synergy and competition between individuals, but also the idea of sharing, collaboration and a coming together to drive forth a bigger whole.

The initial website design also integrated a set of basic visual elements inspired by the logo, while providing the platform’s first users with an easy-to-use navigation that thoughtfully mapped the progression of “challenges” from start to finish. Since their launch, ChallengePost has continued to grow tremendously, and continues to take over the world of innovation by supporting individuals and organizations in their quest to find the smartest solutions to the most complex – and sometimes even the simplest – challenges. They have worked with Michelle Obama, the city of New York and more recently have supported an innovation contest with New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority called AppQuest.

• Branding + Identity
• Art Direction + Design
• User Experience
• Front-end Design