The challenge
Core problem
Complex social justice issues—climate change, inequality, systemic racism—overwhelm high school students. Traditional civic education presents problems as too abstract or insurmountable, leading to apathy rather than engagement. Students learn about issues but don’t develop pathways to meaningful action.
The opportunity
Create a learning experience that simplifies complexity without oversimplifying truth, empowering students to move from awareness to thoughtful response. Ground the experience in service learning theory: combine critical thinking with hands-on community service to create lasting learning.
Key design challenges
- Break down abstract, emotionally-charged topics into digestible components
- Build critical thinking scaffolding that prevents binary us-vs-them thinking
- Create visual identity that feels youthful and energizing (not institutional or preachy)
- Enable authentic peer-to-peer learning and social connection
- Bridge classroom learning to real-world action
The process
Research & analysis
Context: Co-founded this education startup in 2019 with a colleague who had extensive experience running social justice programs in schools. We had both witnessed the pattern: students engage emotionally with issues but lack frameworks to think critically and act meaningfully.
Learner needs identified:
- Students wanted to “make a difference” but felt paralyzed by scale of problems
- Existing resources were either too academic (dense policy reports) or too simplistic (sign this petition!)
- Peer discussion was crucial—students needed to process difficult topics together, not in isolation
- Visual communication mattered—Gen Z responds to imagery and design, not walls of text
Core insight:
The most effective social justice educators don’t give students answers—they teach a process for thinking through complexity. This became our “See, Think, Act” framework.
Design approach
The See-Think-Act framework
My cofounder and I designed a three-stage critical thinking process that became the pedagogical foundation:
- See: Understand the issue from multiple perspectives (not just your initial reaction)
- Think: Analyze root causes, stakeholders, trade-offs, and consequences
- Act: Design your own response based on your values and capabilities
This framework served two purposes:
- Cognitive scaffolding: Prevents emotional overwhelm by breaking complex problems into manageable stages
- Agency building: Students create their own responses rather than adopting prescribed solutions
Visual identity as learning tool
Worked intensively with one of Australia’s leading creative designers to develop a visual identity that would:
- Feel vibrant and youth-oriented (not academic or corporate)
- Communicate energy and possibility (not doom and despair)
- Create consistent brand recognition across all touchpoints
- Make complex content feel accessible through strong visual hierarchy
The collage and logo became our central assets—everything branched from these two elements. Color psychology was deliberate: warm oranges and purples to convey energy and creativity, balanced with professional typography.
Development & iteration
Initial approach: In-person programming and book development
Started in 2019 developing a book and in-person programs to run directly at schools. The plan was to facilitate face-to-face workshops where students could engage with social justice content through dialogue and hands-on activities.
Forced pivot (2020-2021): Pandemic response
When Victoria entered extended remote learning (nearly two years), in-person school visits became impossible. We had to completely rethink our delivery model.
Exploration phase: Async vs. sync learning
Investigated both approaches:
- Asynchronous option: Self-paced video lessons, independent knowledge checks
- Synchronous option: Live cohort-based sessions maintaining peer interaction
Critical decision (Early 2021): Synchronous cohort model
Chose the synchronous approach because social justice learning requires social construction—students need to talk through their thinking with peers, challenge each other’s assumptions, and build responses collaboratively. This aligned with our original in-person vision while adapting to remote constraints.
Final design: 4-week live course
- Week 1-4: Weekly 90-minute Zoom sessions with cohorts of 15-20 students
- Between sessions: Hands-on projects at school with peers (service learning component)
- Ongoing: Private Mighty Networks social platform for continued discussion
This approach preserved social constructivist learning theory: We construct understanding through language and interaction, not passive consumption.
Visual design implementation
Created comprehensive visual system:
- Presentation slides: Consistent templates with strong visual hierarchy, limited text, powerful imagery
- Course materials: Student workbooks and teacher guides with cohesive branding
- Social media content: Instagram posts that translated complex concepts into shareable graphics
- Video content: Instructional videos with animated graphics and on-brand styling
- Platform design: Mighty Networks customization matching overall visual identity
Testing & refinement
Feedback from pilot cohorts:
- Students reported feeling “less overwhelmed” by the See-Think-Act structure
- Teachers appreciated the balance of structure (framework) and flexibility (student-designed responses)
Adjustments implemented:
- Shortened Zoom sessions from 2 hours to 90 minutes (attention spans)
- Added more breakout room time (peer-to-peer processing)
The solution
What students experienced
Students joined a 4-week cohort with peers from multiple schools. Each week explored a different social justice issue (climate justice, economic inequality, etc.) using the See-Think-Act framework.
Weekly flow:
- Zoom session: Facilitator-led discussion using breakout rooms for peer processing
- School-based project: Design and implement a response to the focus issue (school campaign, community event, creative project)
- Social platform: Share progress, get peer feedback, access additional resources
Example: See-Think-Act in action
Issue: Fast fashion and labor exploitation
- See: Students examined multiple perspectives—consumers, garment workers, fashion executives, environmental advocates
- Think: Analyzed root causes (consumer demand, supply chain complexity, regulatory gaps) and trade-offs (cheap clothing vs. living wages)
- Act: Students designed varied responses based on their values:
- School clothing swap event
- Social media campaign educating peers
- Letter-writing campaign to fashion brands
- Personal commitment to secondhand shopping
The framework allowed for diverse responses—there was no single “correct” answer, only thoughtful, values-aligned action.
Visual identity showcase
The design challenge was to translate the abstract ‘See, Think, Act’ critical thinking process into a tangible visual system. We needed an identity that felt urgent yet organized, bridging the gap between the chaotic nature of social advocacy and the clarity required for education.
The resulting visual language balances geometric precision with organic, human-centric textures, creating a brand that doesn’t just look distinct, but actively guides the user through their learning journey.
Logo
Anchoring the entire visual identity, the primary logo constructs a dynamic, forward-moving arrow from three distinct geometric tiers, visually embodying the brand’s core ‘See, Think, Act’ methodology. We paired this icon with a custom sans-serif wordmark that utilizes contrasting weights to improve readability, establishing a clean, modern hierarchy that informs every subsequent application of the brand.
Logo reveal and sonic identity
The logo animation visually deconstructs the ‘3stepsaway’ brand name by stacking three geometric segments—in indigo, orange, and teal—to form a cohesive, forward-pointing arrow. From a bird’s eye perspective the logo also looks like steps from a spiral staircase. This visual progression is perfectly synchronized with a bright, ascending three-note sonic signature, creating a unified audiovisual metaphor for momentum and distinct stages of progress.
Core brand collage
Expanding on the logo’s clean geometry, this hero collage translates the brand identity into a human-centric narrative using a mixed-media ‘cut-out’ aesthetic. We unified diverse imagery representing advocacy, strategy, and innovation through the brand’s core color palette, creating a visual system that feels organic and textured while retaining the diagonal momentum of the primary logo.
Course materials
Applying the visual identity to information design, this course outline codifies the brand’s ‘See, Think, Act’ methodology using the established tri-color system for intuitive categorization. The layout translates the concept of momentum into a vertical timeline, balancing the organic flow of the learning journey with clear, digestible milestones that guide the user.
Presentation design
(Click images to enlarge)
These slide layouts demonstrate the flexibility of the visual identity within a learning environment, alternating between high-impact title cards and focused content slides. We utilized the brand’s deep indigo as a functional background color to signal active learning moments, while adapting the collage artwork into subtle overlays and silhouettes to maintain visual continuity without distracting from the core curriculum.
Social media content
(Click images to enlarge)
For social media, we stripped back the visual complexity to focus entirely on typographic hierarchy and the urgency of the message. By alternating between the brand’s deep indigo and crisp white backgrounds, the posts create a high-contrast visual rhythm that ensures the call-to-action remains the undisputed focal point of the user’s feed.
A scalable toolkit for changemakers
From the sonic precision of the motion logo to the urgency of social media typography, the 3 Steps Away identity proves that a brand can be both rigid in its values and flexible in its application.
By anchoring the system in the ‘See, Think, Act’ framework, we created a design language that scales effortlessly, simplifying complex information for course students while arresting the attention of scrolling audiences.
The final result is not just a collection of assets, but a cohesive toolkit that empowers the brand to communicate with clarity, ensuring that the call to action is never lost in the noise.
Results & impact
Key metrics
- 150 students enrolled across 3 partner schools
- 97% completion rate (145 students completed all 4 weeks)
- 4-week program duration with 90-minute weekly sessions
- High engagement: Average 45+ posts per cohort in social platform
Learning design impact
Framework adoption:
Teachers reported using See-Think-Act beyond our program—it became a transferable thinking tool students applied to other subjects and life decisions.
Student agency:
Post-program surveys showed students felt “more capable of making a difference” and “less overwhelmed by big problems.” The framework gave them a process, not just information.
Visual identity effectiveness:
Strong brand recognition—students referred to “3 Steps” as a distinct experience, not just another school program. Professional visual design communicated credibility and quality.
Key takeaways
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Visual identity is pedagogy. The cohesive brand wasn’t decoration—it signaled to students that this experience was different from typical school content. Professional design communicated: “Your learning matters, we took this seriously.”
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Social construction beats solo consumption. Choosing synchronous cohorts over asynchronous content was the most important design decision when adapting to remote learning. Complex issues require dialogue, not just information delivery. Students needed to talk through their thinking with peers.
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Frameworks prevent overwhelm. See-Think-Act gave students a process for approaching any complex issue. This scaffolding reduced cognitive load and prevented the paralysis that comes from facing massive problems.
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Service learning theory works. Combining critical thinking (Think) with hands-on action (Act) created deeper learning than either alone. Students retained concepts better when they designed and implemented their own responses.
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Simplify without oversimplifying. The challenge was maintaining nuance while making content accessible. See-Think-Act preserved complexity (multiple perspectives, trade-offs) while providing clear structure.
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Entrepreneurship teaches iteration. Founding a startup meant constant rapid prototyping. The pivot from in-person to remote delivery—and choosing synchronous over asynchronous—happened because we stayed focused on pedagogical goals rather than defending our original plan. This taught me to privilege learning outcomes over attachment to specific formats.
Reflection: How this shaped my practice
This project was formative for how I approach learning design today:
Visual design as instructional strategy: I learned that aesthetics aren’t superficial—they communicate value, create emotional safety, and reduce cognitive load. Every portfolio piece I build now considers visual hierarchy as carefully as content structure.
The power of frameworks: See-Think-Act taught me that giving learners a process is often more valuable than giving them information. This insight shapes how I design AI learning tools today—I focus on scaffolding thinking, not just delivering content.
Social learning is irreplaceable: Even as I build AI-powered tools, I remember this lesson—some learning requires human connection. My current work considers how AI can support peer learning, not replace it.
Iteration over perfection: The willingness to completely redesign our delivery model during the pandemic—abandoning in-person programs for remote cohorts—taught me to hold designs loosely and prioritize learning outcomes. This entrepreneurial mindset serves me well in fast-moving tech environments.