SIMPLE TOOLS
How do you visually connect the dots between Google Product Solutions, data, and customers?The Challenge
Create a unified visual language for Google’s gPS Tools & Business Intelligence team—one that could work across decks, tools, illustrations, and internal communications while staying true to Google’s brand but still feeling uniquely theirs. The system needed to be flexible enough for non-designers to use and visually strong enough to stand out inside one of the world’s most designed organizations.
The Idea
Build a scalable design system rooted in a simple narrative metaphor: a continuous data “journey line” connecting people, ideas, and insights across every layout. That line became the core graphic device—subtle enough to disappear, meaningful enough to unify everything. Paired with soft geometric backgrounds, illustrated environments, and a library of diverse characters, we built a system that made data tools feel more human, calm, and approachable.
My Role
I led the system design from concept to execution, developing the visual language and creating all core assets, while collaborating closely with an illustrator to design the character and scene library. Together, we built:
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Background sets in multiple colorways and compositions
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Illustration library including characters, environments, props, and scenes
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Hero and supporting icons with consistent stroke, motion, and color logic
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Presentation templates designed to be flexible and foolproof for the team
- Documentation to ensure usability across teams
The Outcome
A cohesive, modular visual toolkit used across the gPS organization to elevate storytelling, improve clarity, and bring warmth and personality to internal communications and product education. It empowered the team to communicate more clearly and creatively—while still feeling unmistakably Google.