Role: Brand Manager, United Ways of California
Challenge: Design the digital brand experience for the redesign of 211CA.org, the statewide resource that connects millions of Californians to essential services. The existing site was outdated and needed to move to a mobile-first, bilingual experience built for people searching in moments of crisis. The first site to launch under United Way’s refreshed national brand identity, the redesign had to establish how that new brand translated to a high-traffic public service tool.
Solution: As part of our communications team, I worked alongside 211 program leads to guide an external web design agency through implementation, with a focus on translating our refreshed brand identity into a functional, user-facing experience. In-house, we managed phased rollouts within Asana through a consistent cycle of drafting, review, copy edit, finalization, and design approval across teams. Externally, I created detailed design and user experience direction for the agency, and gave rounds of feedback as layouts evolved from early concepts to final designs.
Results: The relaunched 211CA.org gave the directory a clear, modern front door, mobile-first bilingual navigation, and a redesigned results and mapping experience that makes it faster to find help. Because it was the first site built on the refreshed national brand, the design decisions made here became a reference point for how the new United Way identity should look in practice, informing the brand updates I later led on MyFreeTaxes.org and MyMoneyPath.org.
